Renault 5 40kWh

The electric Renault 5 is our reigning Car of the Year, but is it still a winner in its cheapest form? On sale Now Price from £22,995

- OLIVER YOUNG [e-mail]

FILMS LIKE NAPOLEON Dynamite and The Blair Witch Project go to show that something great can be achieved on a modest budget. The same goes for cars, with the new, all-electric Renault 5 (R5) being a perfect example. It's brilliant, yet reasonably priced, with every battery and trim combination sitting below the £30,000 mark.

Still, our favourite version, the 52kWh Techno, might be too rich for some buyers' budgets, or you might not need such a long range if you’re mostly going to be sticking to city limits. In which case, the version with a smaller, 40kWh (usable capacity) battery and a lower power output (121bhp) could be an even better choice, especially because it starts at just £22,995 in entry-level Evolution trim.

The 40kWh R5's official range of 193 miles is considerably less than the 252 miles promised by the 52kWh version, and you can expect around 150 miles in real-world use. Even so, that’s roughly on a par with similar-priced rivals, including the Citroën e-C3 (198 miles officially) and Fiat Grande Panda Electric (199 miles). It’s also competitive with slightly pricier options such as the Mini Cooper E (190 miles).