Renault to introduce £17,000 electric car in 2026

Renault has set out a vision to revive the Twingo name for an affordable electric car that will arrive later this decade.

The Twingo served as the entry point for Renault’s line-up for more than two decades, before being discontinued in the UK in 2018. However, as the French firm looks to introduce more accessible electric cars in the future, the Twingo will be revived as an A-segment EV in 2026.

It was announced today as part of a Capital Markets Day for Renault’s new ‘Ampere’ firm, which oversees electric car and software development.

Revealed as the ‘Twingo Legend’, it has been confirmed for 2026 and will be designed and engineered in Europe as the firm looks to maintain competition with a growing number of Chinese electric car brands, which are often able to undercut those in Europe.

Renault is targeting a starting price of less than €20,000 (£17,000) for the electric city car, which will sit underneath the upcoming Renault 4 and 5, which will arrive in 2024. In finance terms, Renault hopes to offer the electric car for less than €100 (£90) per month.

The Twingo is said to be far cheaper to make than larger electric SUVs. owing to fewer parts and resources needed, and is set to offer exceptional efficiency that will contribute to significantly reduced lifetime emissions compared to a traditional petrol car.

Though still currently in concept guise, the design has clear links to the original Twingo, introduced in 1993, with details such as ‘frog’ headlights, a large rear window and a modern interpretation of the air vents in the original car’s bonnet.

No specific performance and battery details have been revealed, but the Twingo is likely to sit on a shrunken version of Renault’s CMF-B EV platform.