Renault 4

Renault's new small electric SUV looks back for design inspiration, but is it worth looking forward to?

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YOU MIGHT THINK the Renault 4 is simply another new car that’s borrowing the name of an ancestor to capitalise on nostalgia. And yes, the French brand’s designers have rather plundered the 1960s original for inspiration – just like with the closely related Renault 5 (R5).

But the R4, with its compact dimensions and boxy shape, seems a perfect fit for 2025 – particularly given its all-electric underpinnings. These include a 52kWh (usable) battery in the first UK cars to go on sale,

bringing a 230-mile official range. A more affordable 40kWh version is under consideration.

The R4 acknowledges its forebear visually; this is seen in the character lines pressed into its bonnet and bodysides, the shape of the doors, the rear quarter-light windows and the protruding rear lights.

The interior, though, couldn’t be more modern, being virtually the same as that of the R5 – our 2025 Car of the Year. This means it has a quality feel, with plenty of plush materials, as well as

an excellent Google-based infotainment system.

The new R4 won’t be quite the budget buy the original was, but it’s expected to start at less than £28,000 – relatively affordable next to most other small electric SUVs. Order books will open this spring, with deliveries starting under way in the summer.

With rivals such as the Kia EV3 to face, though, the R4 will need to have the substance to match its visual panache. To see if it does, we put it under the scrutiny of seven of our readers. The Renault 4 looks impressively modern. It definitely doesn’t look as utilitarian as the original, and it's certainly not bland, although it would still blend in nicely with other cars on the road.

When you look closer, though, it has some interesting details. I really like the roof bars; they don’t detract from the style of the car and would be useful.