Development Development of the Renault 5 E-Tech began from an orange life-size design
mockup that was presented to Renault CEO
Luca de Meo at the Renault Technocentre in
Guyancourt in July 2020. The mockup was merely an exploratory study by a designer, François Leboine for a small electric car that was rejected as the company was not looking to produce a
retro car. The mockup caught the attention of De Meo, which asked the design team to turn it into a
prototype car. By October 2020, the prototype was completed. The prototype was showcased as the Renault 5 Prototype, and became a symbol of Renault's electric car strategy called Renaulution, which was announced on 14 January 2021. Around 1,100 parts was used to build the vehicle, In October 2022, Renault unveiled its "industrial metaverse" at the
Flins plant in
Yvelines, which is being transformed to become the Re-Factory. Among the technologies on display was a simulation of a virtual reality paint booth, with the vehicle rendered in 3D for the demonstration being the production version of the Renault 5 EV, the first time it has been shown without camouflage. In March 2023, journalists had the opportunity to test a
development mule of the production version, scheduled for a release in 2024. 'Vehicle check' prototypes, using near-final bodies and chassis, were tested starting in July 2023. These prototypes also serve to test the production processes. Prior development prototypes used Clio bodies on the CMF-BEV platform.
Concept car An electric Renault 5 was announced in January 2021 as part of
Groupe Renault's strategic plan "Renaulution" covering the period 2021–2025+; the Renault marque has branded their effort "Nouvelle Vague" (New Wave), with the goal of offering the most complete electrified and hydrogen fuel cell lineup by 2025. The R5 prototype uses a small battery electric variant of the
Renault–Nissan Common Module Family platform, initially designated CMF–B EV and later named AmpR Small. Renault initially denied the 5 EV would replace the
Zoe, but later reversed their stance. Standardization of the platform and battery technology is expected to reduce production costs by 33% compared to the Zoe, as many components are reused from the CMF-B platform used in the
Clio V. File:Renault 5 Prototype IAA 2021 1X7A0272.jpg|Prototype at
IAA 2021 (front) File:Renault 5 Prototype IAA 2021 1X7A0254.jpg|Prototype at
IAA 2021 (rear)
2026 update In December 2025, Renault announced that the Renault 5 E-Tech would gain new features from late January 2026, including a one-pedal driving mode on Techno and higher trims and a driver attention alert function. == Styling ==