Who’s It For?
The Renault Twizy is a quirky two-seater electric city car aimed at urban drivers who want something that’s genuinely different, and whose budget doesn’t stretch too far. Prices start out from around £7,000.
It’s limited but there’s no other car like it on the planet. It emits no emissions, costs little to run, and handles city streets with ease. Thanks to its small size, the Twizy can squeeze through the smallest gaps. Its unusual layout, meanwhile – the sole passenger sits behind the driver, as opposed to next to them – is all part of the car’s eccentricity/novelty. [vc_single_image image=”61272″ img_size=”article-image”]Electric Motor & Handling
RenaultSport developed the Twizy’s chassis. So while this looks very much like a novelty car, it’s got a crack performance model team behind it.
It feels more stable than its tall, short and narrow body shape would suggest. There’s lots of grip available for when you take bends at pace, but the suspension setup is hit and miss. Smaller bumps are dealt with just fine by the Twizy but if you hit larger bumps, you’ll certainly feel it.
If you constantly find yourself driving over rougher surfaces, the novelty of driving a Renault Twizy could soon wear off.
The steering is responsive enough, and drivers should have plenty of confidence when taking corners.
The whole charm of driving a Renault Twizy is built on the fact that this a genuinely different and fun car. It weighs just 450kg, while its electric motor develops 17bhp. That’s all the power the car needs, and it covers the 0-30mph sprint in 6.1 seconds.
The Twizy isn’t a fast car but it keeps up with traffic well.
The reverse and forward gears are activated by large buttons which you’ll find on the dashboard. The Cabin
The Twizy is a lot like a scooter in some ways, but gets a roof over its head.
- Quality – There isn’t much going on inside the Twizy, with the “dashboard” being little more than a blue-lit LCD screen that’s positioned behind the wheel. This displays handy car information, such as battery charge. Harder plastics dominate, due to the fact that it needs to be water-resistant.
- Comfort – Without windows, comfort is majorly compromised. The car has a roof but passengers will still be praying that it doesn’t rain. The steering wheel lacks adjustment and there is no heater. However, doors and windows are available as optional extras.
- Insulation – Any car lacking in windows is going to be noisy, and the electric motor makes more noise as you pick up speed.
- Space and Practicality – The sole passenger seat doesn’t get much space, but the Twizy is super easy to park, thanks to its compact size and a tight turning circle. It’s more useful to a scooter and should appeal to riders who want an upgrade.
- Load Capacity – There’s no boot, but all Twizy’s come with a 31-litre lockable storage cubby and a pair of glove compartments.
Costs:
Price: £7,000
Costs are what the Renault Twizy does best.
- Renault claims it costs a quid to charge the Twizy back to its full capacity.
- The Twizy can keep going for 50 miles on a single charge if the conditions are right. On a colder day, you’d be looking at around 30 miles.
- Renault offers the Twizy with a battery lease scheme. Buyers would pay at least £45 per month and a range of fees are available, subject to number of miles covered and the length of the lease agreement.
- The Renault Twizy is exempt from the London Congestion Charge but isn’t eligible for a government EV grant.
- It’s available in two trims, with the basic model sitting in insurance group 10 and the higher spec models sitting in group 11.
Need more information? Check out our full review of the Renault Twizy here, including comparisons with its closest rivals.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
