RENAULT 5

The little EV is stylish, fun and a worry for Mini dealers

- By STEVE CROPLEY

MILEAGE 7939

WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT To discover if Renault's retro-infused EV hit is as good to live with as it is to look at

I dropped into my local BMW-Mini dealership the other day, and the dealer principal was keen to take a close look at my Renault 5, given that it's currently providing pretty solid competition for his electric Mini Cooper hatch.

In fact, he marshalled his Mini staff for a viewing of their best rival product (as I sipped a flat white in one of this emporium's welcoming coffee bars). The upshot? They were all impressed. The 5 was undoubtedly an appealing and thoroughly modern product, they reckoned, although pretty tight on boot space and rear room. Like the Cooper. It also lacked, they felt, the last few per cent of materials quality that has always been impressive in Minis. But they could definitely see why the 5 is selling so well.