DRIVEN NEW RENAULT CLIO

REVEALED New French supermini is san absolute gem, but UK buyers will have to wait

- Richard Ingram [e-mail]

APPARENTLY, only 12 per cent of the European supermini segment is electric. So, although cars such as the retro Renault 5 have seen strong sales success in 2025, there's a significant argument to be made for a new wave of petrol and hybrid-powered small cars like the next-generation Renault Clio.

Not due in the UK until 2027 (right-hand-drive production starts later than for left-hookers), the new supermini will be built on the same CMF-B platform as its predecessor. Allegedly, it's been “refined to deliver comfort, dynamic handling and quiet operation”, and the UK will get two engine options comprising a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo with 113bhp and a six-speed manual gearbox, plus a new and improved hybrid.

It's the latter we're driving here. Using a larger 1.8-litre, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine combined with two e-motors, it produces a punchy 158bhp and 270Nm of torque. Battery capacity has increased from 1.2kWh to 1.4kWh, and while Renault doesn't suggest any meaningful mileage on electric power alone, it does say the Clio can complete 80 per cent of its urban duties without using the engine at all. The result? Fuel savings of “up to 40 per cent”, apparently.

That's great, and in our experience, we can well believe it. Over the course of our wet and windy test drive in Portugal, the Clio Hybrid returned an easy 47mpg. Some colleagues saw closer to 60mpg – suggesting Renault's claimed 72mpg isn't beyond reach. CO₂ emissions of 89g/km might seem high, but remember, there's no plug.