News

Nov 05, 2024

Is The Quirky Renault Twizy EV Worth Getting In 2021? | Carscoops

The cheapest electric car in the UK has its flaws, but remains a fun alternative, says Rory Reid Depending on how you look at it (technically, it’s a quadricycle), the Renault Twizy remains the

The cheapest electric car in the UK has its flaws, but remains a fun alternative, says Rory Reid

Depending on how you look at it (technically, it’s a quadricycle), the Renault Twizy remains the cheapest electric car on sale in the UK. But it hasn’t really sold that well. Since its launch in 2012, the French two-seater has only managed to shift 30,000 examples as of 2019. So, Top Gear TV alumnus Rory Reid aims to determine if it’s still something people should consider in the electric age.

To be honest, as complementary as Reid is, it’s not hard to see why the Twizy hasn’t found more fans. Granted, we may be looking at it as an alternative to a “proper” car, which is a bit unfair. The Twizy is perhaps best viewed as a safer and slightly more practical alternative to a motorbike. While it looks out of depth attempting to overtake tractors in the British countryside, as Reid points out, it’s a car that belongs in the city.

Watch: South Africa’s Cheapest Car Has A Drag Race With A Bicycle

Even in cities, though, it tends to rain, and if you’re caught in a downpour, the Twizy doesn’t do much in the way of offering protection. You get doors – if you option them – but they don’t have windows. That means you’re constantly at the mercy of the elements, something that perhaps wouldn’t be of too much concern in a warm and dry climate like the Mediterranean, but is a significant minus point in the UK.

And although it is technically the lowest-priced electric car on offer, it’s not exactly cheap. When the Twizy was launched, you could have them on a leased-back battery scheme, meaning that you paid just £7500 ($10,600), plus £50 ($70) per month for the battery. Now though, that option doesn’t exist, meaning you have to fork out £12,000 ($17,000). That rises to £13,000 ($18,450) if you want to add on the “luxury” of doors.

For something that has a range of just 31-56 miles (50-90 km), although Reid could only see it doing 20 miles (32 km), a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h), can only seat two, is exclusively recharged via a three-pin wall-plug, and gets beaten off the line by an e-assisted bicycle, you start to see why it hasn’t exactly caught on in the UK.

That said, the Twizy does do an excellent job of looking different and is surprisingly fun to drive when it comes to the twisties. It’s safer than a bike, and thanks to its small footprint, it is easier to park around town — meaning that, in 2021, city-dwellers are probably the only ones who should still consider this quirky French EV.

Google News

MSN Start

With over a decade of experience reporting on events from all across the globe, Sam... Read full bio