Renault 5 Electric
Hacker ApprovedRanked 8 of 40 electric cars by recommenders
Praised for looks, character and price; the most common caveat is tight rear legroom.
Praised for looks, character and price; the most common caveat is tight rear legroom.
39 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 37
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 95%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 37 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 19 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Striking, iconic design
“the 5 and the 4 have so much character they're probably the first really iconic electric car designs”
Comment from 10 Jan 2026 in “Allow me to introduce, the Citroen C15” “The Renault 5, Renault 4 and Renault Megan are class leading and have some style about them.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” “French car brands have been producing THE best designs of all electric cars”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” - Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age”
- Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age”
- Comment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Tesla ending Models S and X production”
- Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “BYD is bringing its 5-min 'Flash' electric car charging to Canada”
- Comment from 3 Aug 2026 in “Europe EV Sales BEVs Jump 50% & Reach 26% Market Share”
- Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age”
Selling well across Europe
“at least Dutch roads are full of Renault 5 electrics”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” “Renault have a hit on their hands with the 5”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” “best selling EV in the EU, Renault 5”
Comment from 24 Nov 2025 in “Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub” - Comment from 21 Mar 2026 in “Why western carmakers' retreat from electric risks dooming them to irrelevance”
- Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “EV demand up 50% in France and Germany since Iran war”
Good price for an EV
“all the reviews are extremely positive (it's a fun and good looking car overall, and accessible)”
Comment from 29 Nov 2025 in “Electric vehicle sales are booming in South America – without Tesla” “The Renault 5 looks great and has a solid price point for entry.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” “That car has 10x more character than a TM3 and costs less”
Comment from 10 Jan 2026 in “Tesla's Germany Sales Down 72% from Their Peak” - Comment from 12 Jun 2026 in “EV demand up 50% in France and Germany since Iran war”
Fun, practical and well-rounded
“objectively good cars that sell well based on their performance and looks”
Comment from 24 Nov 2025 in “Japan's gamble to turn island of Hokkaido into global chip hub” “fun little car, decent provision of some non-touchscreen controls”
Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “Porsche Sold More Electrified Cars in Europe in 2025 Than Pure Gas-Powered Cars” “Those cars are also just very practical for a lot of people.”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” - Comment from 5 Nov 2025 in “Carice TC2 – A non-digital electric car”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Specs seen as ordinary
“Renault 5 EV is a pretty normal car in Europe regarding its specs.”
Comment from 15 Jan 2026 in “Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales” “Its specs are closer to a golf cart than a motorcar.”
Comment from 14 Jan 2026 in “Ford F-150 Lightning outsold the Cybertruck and was then canceled for poor sales”
Other electric cars people recommend
The four most recommended other electric cars, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla vehicles | 209 | 411 | 34% | 13 | 6 yrs24 owners | — |
| BYD electric cars | 157 | 53 | 75% | 12 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| Ferrari Luce | 140 | 319 | 31% | 7 | — | — |
| Tesla Model 3 | 128 | 115 | 53% | 13 | 6 yrs32 owners | — |
| Renault 5 ElectricThis page | 37 | 2 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
What people said
40 of the 48 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The Renault 5 looks great and has a solid price point for entry.”
“Selling Renault 5 in actual colours is smart, everyone notices them against the sea of grey.”
“the new Renault 5 didn't come out too bad either”
“I really like the modern R5.”
“French car brands have been producing THE best designs of all electric cars”
“the renault 5/zoe for me is the sweet spot”
“Renault have a hit on their hands with the 5”
“I still love how it looks despite its ubiquity.”
“Those cars are also just very practical for a lot of people.”
“The Renault 5, Renault 4 and Renault Megan are class leading and have some style about them.”
“at least Dutch roads are full of Renault 5 electrics”
“the Renault 5 E-tech electric is nice”
“The Renault 5 is kinda cute.”
“have been quite competitive (if a bit timid) in the EV space”
“in winter you get 65% of that, so 195km, on a new battery”
“The original 5 is kind of a tank.”
“It's selling like hot cakes.”
“reasonable price, good design, made in Europe EV”
“which does look extremely good”
“the recent Renault 5 and VW ID series cars feel like serious market entrants”
“If it were my money I'd spend a bit more on either a used Jag ePace or a Renault 5”
“Renault 5 is selling very well”
“The new Renault 5 EV is basically this”
“There are many smaller “city” evs hitting the market that offer this.”
“the car would have allowed me to get much closer before it would have activated any automatic braking”
“more Cyberpunk than anything Tesla is making”
“The only downside is compared to some other compact/city EV's the legroom in the back is REALLY bad”
“an old state company called Renault is beating Tesla with the R5”
“fun little car, decent provision of some non-touchscreen controls”
“Renault 5 EV is a pretty normal car in Europe regarding its specs.”
“Its specs are closer to a golf cart than a motorcar.”
“The new Renault 5 is great.”
“That car has 10x more character than a TM3 and costs less”
“the 5 and the 4 have so much character they're probably the first really iconic electric car designs”
“it's more of a concept car with limited sales and a 6 figure price”
“all the reviews are extremely positive (it's a fun and good looking car overall, and accessible)”
“objectively good cars that sell well based on their performance and looks”
“best selling EV in the EU, Renault 5”
“Didn't even know that existed. Pretty bad ass.”
“without serious compromises in any particular area”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.