New sub-£17,000 EV Renault Twingo to arrive in 2026

Billed as Renault’s “silver bullet for sustainable urban mobility” by CEO, Luca de Meo, does the new Twingo have the tools to kickstart EV uptake at the entry level?  

With a starting price on the better side of £20,000, we didn’t think Citroen’s new E-C3 would have any electric rivals for a while. Renault had other ideas. Rocking up with a reimagined electric Twingo as part of a grand unveiling of its Ampere electric spin-off firm, the French marque appears to have ambitious plans for affordable electric domination.  

Looking to level the gap between ICE cars and their EV equivalents, Ampere also has a new electric Meganne and Scenic successor on the to-do list. And they aren’t messing around, with revenue forecast to exceed €25bn by 2031.  

To facilitate this explosive growth, the EV firm looks to halve development times thanks to a horizontal strategy incorporating “1,800 leading software and system engineering talents.” In practice, this would lower development costs of new models to similar levels as Chinese opponents, allowing Renault to pass the saving on to buyers with models like Twingo.   

There’s precious little we can tell you about the new Twingo’s facts and figures at this stage, however we do know that it promises to be cheaper than other EVs to run. With efficiency being touted at 50% greater than current electric superminis, Renault could have this end of the market sewn-up if it can deliver on the promises.  

Visually, it’s clear that Twingo DNA runs through the new model’s veins. The Signature circular door handles and triple faux vents on the bonnet are dead giveaways, while slimline LED lights and a futuristic aerodynamic shape certainly don’t look as cheap as the price suggests.  

Falling below the new model 5 on Renault’s pecking order when it arrives in 2026, the new Twingo will apparently be a “fit-for-purpose urban vehicle with no compromise,” but only time will tell how accurate that statement is. For now, Renault’s new offering should provide further reassurance to those who are concerned about the affordability of an EV future. The question is, will it be the Twingo or Citroen’s E-C3 that mops up the lion’s share of entry-level buyers?  

Hero image credit: Renault