With Renault’s Megane E-Tech EV having only arrived on our roads around two-and-a-half years ago, you might think it’s a bit early for a fully facelifted model to arrive. And Renault would agree with you, since that’s not what we’re testing here. Instead, this is merely a 2025 model year update, which adds a range of equipment throughout the line-up – and applies a £500 price cut for each variant.
Interior and technology
Climb aboard – once you’ve got past an annoying multi-stage external door handle – and you’ll notice one of the new features of the range-topping Iconic model tested here (and the mid-range Techno spec), in the shape of a larger 12in infotainment touchscreen. This is well integrated with the rest of the dashboard and usefully angled towards the driver. Iconic cars now also come with a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.
The Iconic grade’s interior features a noticeable amount of synthetic leather, and although the seats are part-cloth we’d suggest this is actually a good thing from a comfort point of view. Slightly strangely, there’s electric lumbar support adjustment for the driver, but all other seat adjustments must be made manually.
Rear legroom is decent but would be better if there was room for feet under the front seats, while rear headroom will be tight for taller adults. A 440-litre boot (with an extra 32 litres of underfloor storage) is impressively large, though there is quite a high loading lip.
Performance and drive
The fundamentals of the Megane E-Tech’s sole powertrain option are unchanged, with a 217hp motor paired with a 60kWh battery, offering an official range of up to 285 miles between charges with the entry-level Evolution equipment grade, which falls to 281 miles with Iconic spec. Strong acceleration is on offer, and the car also feels nicely planted and willing to corner – Renault says an EV battery which is only 110mm thick equals a lower centre of gravity, and the effects of this can be felt. However, we found the driving experience to be let down by a weirdly light and numb brake pedal, which felt more like operating a clutch pedal in a manual ICE car than a traditional brake.
A heat pump, already standard with Techno and Iconic-spec cars, is now also included with the Evolution grade.
Upgraded driver assistance systems form a big part of the updated Megane E-Tech package. Intelligent speed assistance and active emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection are now standard throughout the range, while Techno and Iconic cars now get ‘contextual’ adaptive cruise control and a rear occupant safe exit system, and Iconic spec now features hands-free parking. The car could, however, do with better speed limit accuracy, having decided that the limit in one village during our test drive was 80mph.
Unfortunately for Renault, the aforementioned £500 price cut isn’t enough to make the Megane E-Tech overly competitive on costs. Rivals such as the MG4 and BYD Dolphin come in thousands of pounds cheaper on P11D, while the Volkswagen ID.3, more evenly matched with the Renault on price, has a cost-per-mile advantage due to more robust residual values and cheaper servicing.
Positive: Well-balanced handling, spacious boot
Negative: Strange brake feel, still not the best value choice
(BOX OUT)
Standard equipment: 18in alloy wheels, LED headlights, automatic windscreen wipers, auto-tilting and folding door mirrors with puddle lamps, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, hands-free keycard with keyless entry, 12.3in driver display, 9in infotainment touchscreen with sat-nav, wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay connectivity, two front and rear USB-C ports, adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, rear parking sensors, reversing camera, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, intelligent speed assist, emergency lane keep assist, driver attention alert, heat pump, battery pre-conditioning for DC charging.
Engines: Electric: 217hp
Equipment grades: Evolution, Techno, Iconic
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
| Model | Renault Megane E-Tech Iconic |
| P11D | £37,940 |
| Residual value | 43.5% |
| Depreciation | £21,467 |
| Fuel | £2,742 |
| Service, maintenance and repair | £3,343 |
| Cost per mile | 45.92p |
| Range | 281 miles |
| CO2 (BIK%) | 0g/km (2%) |
| BIK 20/40% a month | £13/£25 |
| Luggage capacity | 440 litres |
| Battery size/power | 60kWh/217hp |
| Score | 7/10 |
