Renault Scenic E-Tech Review 2026: Prices, specs and verdict

What is the Renault Scenic E-Tech?

Remember the Renault Scenic? It might have passed you by that there’s a new, all-electric ‘E-Tech’ version on sale because the brilliant new Renault 4 E-Tech and 5 E-Tech have stolen the show.

But while the French brand clearly has a hit on its hands with the 4 and 5 thanks to their stylish retro looks, great drive and affordable prices, neither offers the practicality and long range that larger family car buyers crave. That’s where the Scenic E-Tech comes in.

Almost lost in the noise of the new retro revivals, the thoroughly modern Scenic EV arrived in the UK back in 2024. It follows on from the smaller (but similar) Megane E-Tech, reviving a pair of well-know Renault model names as bespoke EVs.

Most will remember the Scenic as an MPV with up to seven seats, but this latest version is more SUV-like in design and is a strict five-seater.

The Scenic E-Tech also benefitted from some kit updates for the 2026 model year, including bidirectional charging, a one-pedal driving mode and facial recognition tech. Does it still compete with the best electric family cars on sale? Our review finds out.

You can also check out our Renault Scenic E-Tech long-term review where we live with the latest model for six months.

Verdict: is the Renault Scenic E-Tech a good car?

It might not draw the same looks as the Renault 5, but we still reckon the Scenic is one of the best electric family cars you can buy right now.

Smartly designed with a great interior, very usable tech, plenty of space and a good overall driving experience, the Scenic’s keen pricing and strong range on a charge is the icing on the cake. A brake pedal that lacks feel and a lack of any faster variants are our minor complaints.

Pricing, specs & rivals

Prices for the Renault Scenic E-Tech start at £35,495. That’s including the £1,500 discount from the UK’s Electric Car Grant.

By comparison, a Kia EV5 or Ford Explorer start at over £39,000, while the slightly smaller Skoda Elroq starts at under £32,000, albeit with a much smaller battery pack.

Entry-level Techno trim comes with plenty of standard kit for most people’s needs, including adaptive LED headlights, 19in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, an electric tailgate, keyless entry, ambient lighting and a heat pump.

Upgrading to Techno Esprit Alpine, from £38,495, enlarges the wheel size to 20in while also adding a sportier front seat design with electric adjustment on both seats and a massaging function for the driver’s side. It also features an upgraded dashboard and steering wheel design along with blue trim elements.

Iconic Esprit Alpine takes the list price to £40,495 while also adding Renault’s opacifying panoramic glass roof, a Harman Kardon sound system, a 360-degree camera function, handsfree parking and a smart rear view mirror.

That’s the most you can spend on the Scenic E-Tech, with very few additional options and no more powerful electric motor option. We reckon it’s good value overall.

Rivals

The Scenic E-Tech sits in-between cars like the smaller Skoda Elroq and larger Skoda Enyaq in size, so there are many alternatives to consider including those from the VW Group, with the VW ID.4/ ID.5 and Cupra Tavascan.

Other options include the somewhat related Nissan Ariya and smaller Nissan Leaf, the Kia EV5, the Peugeot 3008 and Vauxhall Grandland Electric. Higher-end models also compete with the Kia EV6 and Hyundai’s IONIQ 5, along with the Tesla Model Y.

You might also want to consider the glut of affordable electric SUVs from China, including cars like the Xpeng G6, MG S5, Geely EX5 and Leapmotor B10.

Interior comfort, quality & technology

The Scenic E-Tech’s interior is comfortable, well thought-out and attractively designed. Overall, it’s one of the best electric car interiors at this price point.

That doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Thick windscreen pillars and a small rear windscreen hamper visibility somewhat, even though standard-fit all-round parking sensors and a rear-view camera do help with that.

The top-spec model’s 360-degree camera system and smart rear view mirror (which can be switched from a standard mirror to a rear camera feed when the rear screen is blocked by passengers’ heads) make it even less of an issue.

Aside from that, though, you get a comfortable and widely adjustable driving position that sits you higher than in a Kia EV6. We also like the blend of well-integrated tech and physical controls, while interior quality is good overall for the car’s price, with plenty of soft-touch materials and nice detailing.

Along with the clever rear-view mirror, top spec models add a brilliant panoramic glass roof that features Renault’s ‘Solarbay’ opacifying tech. Put simply, it transforms from fully see-through to tinted and blurred section-by-section via a roof-mounted switch – and you can choose which sections are see-through. Kids love it, and it’s fun to show off to adults too.

One thing that may take some getting used to is that there are three stalks on the right-hand side of the steering wheel (the drive selector, wiper controls and media controls) and only one for the indicators on the left. Although you might find yourself putting the wipers on instead of finding reverse once or twice, the layout makes sense once you’re used to it.

Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity

Every Scenic E-Tech comes with a 12in portrait-angled touchscreen infotainment system, tilted towards the driver and mounted within easy reach. Put simply, it’s one of our favourite systems on the market.

Combining smart graphics and a crisp, responsive display with impressive ease of use, the Google-based system is also found in other Renaults (including the 5 E-Tech). That means brilliantly integrated Google Maps and Google Assistant, along with the usual Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

The screen also features some physical switches below it to control climate functions, which are a doddle to operate, and although features like the heated seats are on-screen they’re always present at the bottom of the display.

The 12.3in digital driver’s display is also very good, with clarity and smart graphics along with a second Google Maps display option. The only bugbear is that the top part of the display can be a bit blocked depending on how you position the steering wheel for your driving position.

Scenics from mid-2025 onwards also feature facial recognition tech, allowing you to set up multiple profiles and have the car change things like the electric seats, mirrors and tech preferences as soon as it sees a matching face.

The standard six-speaker ‘Arkamys’ sound system delivers decent audio quality, but the upgraded nine-speaker Harman Kardon system is punchier – if not quite as crystal clear as some of Harman Kardon’s more expensive audio upgrades in other cars.

How practical is the Renault Scenic E-Tech?

The Renault Scenic E-Tech’s dimensions of 4,470mm in length, 1,864mm in width and 1,571mm in height make it quite a bit shorter and slightly taller than cars like the VW ID.4, Skoda Enyaq and Hyundai IONIQ 5. It’s even a little smaller than the Skoda Elroq.

However, it’s considerably larger in every dimension than the Megane E-Tech, and offers a lot more space as a result. In fact, it isn’t far off those bigger rivals at all.

Large adults will be well catered for up front, with plenty of head space, legroom and cabin width – although the centre armrest slightly obscures the seatbelts for broader adults.

The rear is impressive, too, with good headroom for six-footers and loads of legroom even for very long-legged adults. You also sit in a comfortable position, while the panoramic roof aids headroom rather than reduces it because there’s no bulky physical sunblind.

Even the middle seat in the back is comfortable and reasonably spacious, and our only minor grumble is that some electric SUVs let you slide your feet under the front seat more easily. Overall, while a Skoda Enyaq is even roomier still, this is still a very spacious family car.

Storage and boot space

There’s loads of storage space in the Scenic E-Tech, especially up front. You get good-sized door bins with felt lining, a decent glovebox, a long, open storage tray with removable dividers below the dash and a chunky under-armrest cubby too. Our only complaint is there’s only a single fixed cupholder.

In the rear, the door bins are smaller but still very usable, while there are pockets on the front seatbacks and two smaller pockets for devices.

That’s not including the Scenic’s party trick: its ‘Ingenious’ rear armrest. Although it’s very bulky by armrest standards, it also includes two cupholders, a felt-lined storage tray and two swivel-out arms designed to hold devices upright – great for kids watching videos in the back.

This armrest also allows a useful 40/20/40 split in the rear seatbacks, which not all rivals have, for loading long items through the boot and cabin.

Families with have no complaints with the boot space on offer, either. At 545 litres it isn’t quite class-leading in capacity, but it’s still plenty for a typical family holiday thanks to its square shape and high load cover.

You also get a height adjustable boot floor as standard, allowing for a generous bit of under-floor storage, although there’s still a bit of a load lip to lug heavy items over. It’s a shame there’s no front boot, too.

Performance & drive: What is the Renault Scenic E-Tech like on the road?

You’re unlikely to buy the Renault Scenic E-Tech if straight-line performance is a top priority. Which is good, because there are plenty of faster options.

While many electric SUVs have powerful dual motor power options, the Scenic makes do with one 220hp single motor powering the front wheels on all versions. The resulting 0-62mph time of just under eight seconds is unremarkable by EV standards.

In practice, though, it’s plenty for almost every family car situation. With instant response the Scenic always feels reasonably brisk, and particularly so if you accelerate from 20-50mph. Only Tesla drivers might find it a bit lacking.

In fact, in certain situations the Scenic is quick enough to spin up the front wheels – that’s where a four-wheel drive version might help.

More importantly, it’s also very smooth and easy to drive thanks to a progressive throttle pedal, so it’s never jerky. Eco mode dulls the response and makes you kick through a step in the pedal to access full performance, but it’s fine for pottering about.

Regenerative braking is widely adjustable, from full-on coasting to aggressive braking effect, via easy-to-use paddles behind the steering wheel. From mid-2025 Renault added a full one-pedal driving mode to the Scenic, too, which is great for town use.

It’s good that regen braking is so well managed, because the brake pedal is quite spongy and responds sharply when you press through that. It takes some getting used to, with many rivals having smoother pedal response.

Power, 0-62mph times

• Renault Scenic E-Tech (all versions): 220hp/7.9 secs

Ride and handling

Don’t expect the Scenic E-Tech to be as playful and fun as the Renault 5, but it manages to be decently enjoyable to drive while also offering enough comfort for families.

The steering is precise and makes the Scenic reasonably keen to turn into bends, and although it’s light in Comfort and Eco mode you can add weight in Sport mode (or customise everything for Perso mode).

Grip levels are mostly good, too, and there isn’t a drastic amount of body lean, although a Kia EV6 feels more agile and planted. You can have a moderate level of fun driving the Renault on a twisty road, but it’s not really that sort of car.

Ride comfort is firmer than a Skoda Elroq or MG S5, but the Renault is more controlled than the latter, so it doesn’t float over bumps. That said, with the 20in wheels fitted some sharper potholes are felt a bit more than we’d like. Once on smoother tarmac, though, the Scenic is very comfortable.

Noise and refinement

The Renault Scenic is a very refined car to travel long distances in, with markedly lower road noise at motorway speeds than a Kia EV6 or Tesla Model Y. The suspension is relatively quiet, too, and although some wind noise is evident it’s never intrusive.

Renault offers a few choices of external EV sound to make sure pedestrians notice you, including one designed by composer Jean-Michel Jarre. None are annoying or too loud.

Euro NCAP: is the Renault Scenic E-Tech a safe car?

The Scenic E-Tech achieved the maximum five-star safety rating when crash tested by Euro NCAP, meeting the standard set by the best family cars.

This includes strong scores for adult and child occupant protection, along with a very good safety assist rating.

Every model comes with a suite of airbags, automatic emergency braking with vulnerable road user detection, lane keeping assistance, traffic sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring. There’s also a safe exit assist system that detects vehicles approaching from behind when you go to open the door.

Charging, range and running costs

Despite the rapid advancement in electric car tech since the Scenic E-Tech launch, it remains very competitive when it comes to range on a charge.

While some markets get a 60kWh ‘Comfort Range’ battery with an official range of up to 260 miles, UK buyers can only choose the Long Range model.

This features an 87kWh usable capacity battery giving a strong official WLTP combined range of up to 381 miles. That’s more than several newer rivals and only slightly behind the very latest Tesla Model Y.

Many similarly priced alternatives, like the Kia EV5, Nissan Ariya and Ford Explorer, are a good 50 miles behind the Renault’s figure thanks to their smaller battery packs.

It’s worth noting that the 381-mile figure is for the base Techno model with the smallest wheels, with Techno Esprit Alpine shedding 8 miles officially and the top-spec Iconic Esprit Alpine bringing the figure down to a still-strong 370-miles.

While that’s great for longer journeys, efficiency isn’t quite as strong some newer electric family cars. The new Nissan Leaf, for example, isn’t as practical but counters with a longer range from a smaller battery pack, so you’ll be paying a bit less in charging to do the same journey.

Overall, though, the Scenic isn’t woefully inefficient, and the flexibility of its extra range makes up for that. Given the price, too, it’s a lot of battery for the money – and it’s good to see a standard heat pump that helps mitigate the drop in range in cold weather.

Range on a charge (WLTP figures) 

• Renault Scenic E-Tech Techno: 381 miles
• Renault Scenic E-Tech Techno Esprit Alpine: 373 miles
• Renault Scenic E-Tech Iconic Esprit Alpine: 370 miles

The Scenic E-Tech slightly falls the best electric SUVs when it comes to charging speeds.

Although its peak DC rapid charging rate of 150kW isn’t too bad, with such a big battery it means you’ll be at least a 40-minute wait for a 10-80% charge – behind the class average of 30 minutes.

The large battery also means longer home charging - even a typical 7kW home charger would take nearly 28 hours to fully charge the Renault from empty.

However, while earlier Scenics were available with 22kW AC charging for three-phase destination chargers, this latest version only has 11kW AC charging. That’s a shame, but the upside is Renault has been able to fit Vehicle-to-Load bidirectional charging, allowing you to power household appliances or devices from the external socket.

Charging speeds

(Figures from EV Database)

• 7kW charging: 14hrs
• 11kW charging: 9hr 30 mins
• 50kW rapid charger (10 to 80% charge): 85 mins
• 150kW+ rapid charger (10 to 80% charge): 40 mins

How much does the Renault Scenic E-Tech cost to insure?

The Renault Scenic E-Tech is roughly in line with rivals when it comes to insurance costs. The range kicks off in insurance group 33 for Techno trim, rising to 34 for all other variants.

By comparison, a Skoda Enyaq starts in lower insurance groups but evens out once you’ve gone for the equivalent battery size, while the Renault’s groups are slightly higher than a Ford Explorer but considerably lower than a Tesla Model Y.