The 5 is being developed to be the most fun small electric car to drive, according to Renault boss Luca de Meo and his fellow company executives. “The Renault 5 is the car that everybody wants. It’s a legend that inspired all generations, and everyone is looking forward to it,” de Meo said at a recent event.
“The final car will be revealed in February at Geneva. I’ve already test-driven it, and I can’t wait to open pre-orders.”
The car’s Ampr Small platform (formerly named CMF-B-EV), which is also set to underpin the 2026 Renault 4, includes a suite of technologies aimed at providing enjoyable handling.
Chief among these is a multi-link rear axle, claimed by Renault to be the only one used by a B-segment electric car. Multi-link suspension typically provides a better balance between ride and handling than the torsion beams used by the Renault Zoe.
This is because it provides engineers with finer control over the two parameters separately from each other, minimising the compromises inherent to less complex non-independent suspension.
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Asked to clarify what cars the 5’s dynamics are being benchmarked against and how “fun” is being defined, Renault executives wouldn’t comment on the competition. However, Jean-Sébastien Blazy, vice-president for vehicle performance, told Autocar: “The R5 will be totally comparable in terms of vehicle dynamics [with] the Mégane E-Tech.”
He also said: “Thanks to the rear axle, we had the opportunity to have this multi-link and to put a lot of understeering behaviour on the rear axle. It’s thanks to that you have a very good stability of the car, because safety is key for sure.
