Category Archives: K-ZE

Renault K-ZE electric supermini (Image: Autocar)

New Renault K-ZE 2019 review

The China-only Renault K-ZE has the potential to be the Dacia of the electric age, offering a 150-mile range for less than £13,000

Verdict: 4*
Decent electric range, reasonable performance and impressive quality standards – all at an affordable price. If Renault could add ESP and bring the K-ZE to the UK for less than £13,000, it could repeat the success it found with Dacia in the early 2000s. In fact, the K-ZE has the ability to surpass all other petrol-powered city cars, which due to upcoming emission standards, won’t be quite so affordable any more.

Solid build quality at “shockingly affordable” prices: that’s how Renault made Dacia such a huge success around the world. Now, Renault is getting ready to repeat this coup with an all-new electric vehicle. In China, the French car maker has just presented the K-ZE, which will be built and sold in the world’s largest EV market this summer – before being rolled out globally at a later date.

Groupe Renault CEO Thierry Bolloré told us: ”This is not a Chinese project. It is a global project”. And even if he won’t mention specific regions, there is no doubt Europe is near to the top of the firm’s list. Especially when conventional cars like the Clio will struggle to meet exacting emissions standards due in the coming years.

Renault K-ZE electric supermini (Image: Autocar)
Renault K-ZE electric supermini (Image: Autocar)

While most of the industry takes its aim at Tesla, the cheap and cheerful K-ZE is a breath of fresh air. At 3.73m-long, with four proper seats (with a fifth as a spare) and a 300-litre boot, this is a small car with big aspirations. Renault claims a reasonable 150-mile real-world electric range and all for a price of around £13,000 before the usual government subsidies.

Read more: Autocar

K-ZE All-electric Crossover (Image: Renault)

Renault unveils new ‘affordable’ K-ZE all-electric crossover

Ahead of the Paris Motor Show today, Renault has unveiled a new ‘affordable’ all-electric crossover: the Renault K-ZE.

Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Groupe Renault, presented the new vehicle:

“Groupe Renault was a pioneer and is the European leader in electric vehicles. We are introducing Renault K-ZE, an affordable, urban, SUV-inspired electric model combining the best of Groupe Renault: our leadership in EV, our expertise in affordable vehicles and in forging strong partnerships”,

The French automaker announced the vehicle as being “affordable”, but didn’t release any pricing information.

K-ZE All-electric Crossover (Image: Renault)
K-ZE All-electric Crossover (Image: Renault)

More information will be available when the vehicle is released next year.

They first plan to make it available in China and Europe will follow a year later.

The only spec that they confirmed is the range, which they claim is 250 km (155 miles), but they used the NEDC cycle for some reason:

“A pioneer and leader in 100% electric mobility, Groupe Renault unveiled showcar Renault K-ZE, a new global A-segment, SUV-inspired electric vehicle, capable of 250km NEDC – the best autonomy in its segment.”

We expect the real world range to be close to 190 km (118 miles).

Read more: Electrek