Review: Renault Clio

My daughter’s first car after passing her test was a Renault Clio. Though ancient when she got it, she drove it for many years until it finally gave up the ghost and was carted away by the scrap man.

When the new Clio landed on the drive she didn’t recognise it as such.

In the intervening years it has undergone regular metamorphoses and, far from being the rounded ‘cute’ little car of old is now as sharp as anything else on the road.

In fact, a national motoring magazine earlier this year dubbed it the best supermini of 2024.

We were treated to the range topping esprit Alpine with a 1.6-litre hybrid petrol engine.The only other choice of powertrain in the Clio is a one-litre petrol.

Someone asked me the other day what the difference is between soft hybrid, hybrid and plug-in hybrid technology.

Quite simply, soft or mild hybrids use a battery powered electric motor to assist the engine. This results in better fuel economy and CO2 emissions.

Full hybrids, like the Clio, work in a similar way to mild hybrids but can travel a short way on battery power alone - ideal in stop start traffic. The battery is charged by way of regenerative braking and, in the Clio’s case, the petrol engine.

Plug-in hybrids, as the name suggests, can be plugged into a socket or charging station to allow enough power for a short commute. When the battery is depleted the petrol or diesel engine kicks in.

Back to the Clio. We found it great to drive, comfortable and with a smart interior packed with equipment.

The benchmark 0-62mph takes 9.3 seconds and the top speed is 112mph. Our test car was mated to a wonderfully smooth six-speed automatic.The six-speed manual is reserved for the smaller engine.

Overall the Clio is quiet. When the engine is powered by the electric motor you may notice a bit of noise at first but that soon fades into the background.

The suspension is comfortable. Firm enough to make the handling sharp but not so much as to experience significant body lean on tight corners.

As this is a hybrid it has regenerative braking and it will take you a few miles before you get the hang of stopping smoothly.

We liked the interior which uses good quality materials Renault appears to have resisted the temptation to minimalism everything by linking everything to the touchscreen. Most of the controls are intuitive to use and there is no need to dig out the manual to work out how to turn on the air conditioning.

Visibility is generally good although rearwards not so. That did not prove a problem as the Alpine trim has front and rear parking sensors and a clear rear view camera.

Connectivity is superb with wireless phone charging and integration, two USB ports and navigation accessed through the crisp 9.3in touchscreen.

Officially Clio has room for five although we found it too much of a squeeze when we tried to cram in five adults and their luggage for a weekend away. It was always going to be a tall order for a super-mini, despite the Clio having a decent-sized boot with a two-level floor.

Renault Clio

Price: £24,595 (£25,295 as tested)

Engine: 1.6 litre full hybrid

Power: 147bhp

Torque: 106lb/ft petrol; 151lb/ft electric

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Top speed: 112mph

0-62mph: 9.3 seconds

Economy: 65.7mpg

CO 2 emissions:97g/km