2022 Renault Megane E TECH Electric - Interior & Exterior
6New Renault Megane E-Tech Electric 2022 review
The new Renault Megane E-Tech Electric arrives with 217bhp and a 292-mile range. What impresses most about the new all-electric Megane is its ability to combine characters: it’s either fun and playful or comfortable and relaxing. We like the way it looks, we like the interior and we like the tech. Space in the back is a little disappointing, but with the right pricing and specification this could be a Megane that really gives its VW equivalent a run for its money.
The Renaulution is under way and this is the first model to prove it – the new Megane E-Tech Electric. Ignore the slightly cumbersome name – Renault says it’ll just refer to it as the new Megane – and this is as good a clue as any to the future of the famous French brand under new boss Luca De Meo.
To be fair, De Meo has had very little to do with the new Megane since his arrival in 2020. Along with another new colleague, Renault design chief Gilles Vidal, they set about tweaking the front end to give it a slightly sportier look and added 20-inch wheels to the specification. Renault people say that De Meo was delighted with the way the car drove when he took a turn behind the wheel, with the boss declaring it the closest he’d ever experienced to an all-electric GTI. That might be stretching it a bit, but our first impressions of an early prototype Megane are hugely positive – there is an awful lot to like.
Going fully electric means the Megane has grown from a hatchback into a crossover – taller and chunkier than ever before. And where the Megane’s arch-rival has always been Volkswagen’s Golf – and let’s be honest, it’s usually come off second best – now it’s the VW ID.3.
You can decide whether Renault’s designers have done a better job than Volkswagen’s, but to our eyes the Megane has the more interesting look of the two – sitting someway between the ID.3 and ID.4 with its proportions and more interesting design details.
The slim front lights, underlined by Z-shaped LED daytime running lights, look smart, although the contrasting gold panels in the lower section of the front grille are less successful.
The simple, clean side profile is helped by flush front door handles with the rear handles hidden at the top of the door in the C-pillar. The window line kicks up towards the back, where it wraps around into a shallow rear screen with a full width rear light bar and another splash of gold at the bottom of the bumper. It’s an attractive look on the whole, with just the right amount of restraint (although the Renault diamond on the charging flap is a bit of overkill).