Review: Renault Twizy

January 7th, 2014 by Zachary Shahan

Originally published on EV Obsession.

I recently got to test drive the Renault Twizy at EVS27 in Barcelona. Below is my quick review of this super-affordable electric vehicle, as well as a few pictures.

First of all, it’s important to note that the Renault Twizy is a small two-seater (one seat in the front & one in the back). So, it’s not as much competition for the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt as it is for the smart electric drive.

I don’t have a lot to write about the Renault Twizy, but it was actually a lot of fun to drive. It had better acceleration than I anticipated — not much different from a normal EV, but in a compact little vehicle that sits low to the ground, it felt a bit different, perhaps even more exciting.

There wasn’t much in the way of extras in the Twizy, but it was comfortable enough, and, again, quite an interesting/fun feel. I actually liked the feel of the pedal & acceleration more than in the smart electric drive, the electric car it would be most comparable to. Of course, like the smart electric drive, the Twizy also has a great turning radius.

The Renault Twizy has a top speed of 50 mph, and about a 50 range. While not officially for sale in the US, a commenter notes that you can find them on ebay. In Europe, the starting price for the Renault Twizy is £6,895 ($11,318), but you also have to lease the battery. That compares similarly with the $12,490 you’d pay for the smart electric drive.

Overall, I’m definitely a fan. However, I’m also a big fan of bicycling for transportation. If my commute was so far that I didn’t feel up for bicycling, I’d certainly consider purchasing the Twizy. However, I think if I was to buy an electric vehicle, I’d go for a larger one with more seats so that it could be used for trips with my wife and baby. But it’s hard to say for sure until you’re on the market for something.

Check out more of my EVS27 coverage here on EV Obsession or even more on CleanTechnica.

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Tags: renault, Renault Twizy, Renault Twizy Review

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.

SirSparks

If it has 4 wheels would it not qualify for the government $7,500 incentive?
That would make it almost free.
H.Panicker

The Twizzy seems over priced for its low power and limited performance.
J_JamesM

That thing looks like death on wheels.
- Ronald Brakels
  
  Stay away from Australia then. We have vehicles that the driver has to physically prop up each time they stop at the lights to stop them falling onto their sides.
  - J_JamesM
    
    Also known as Gruesome Yet Stylish Death On Wheels. There is no way to make a daffy little French pseudo-mobile like this look dignified, debonair or thrilling.
rkt9

Top speed of 50 mph, about a 50 range, and you lease the battery. It is classified as a quadricycle. It has two seats in the passenger model and one seat for the cargo models. They are available in the US on ebay.
- Ronald Brakels
  
  Is it limited to 50 mph for legal or safety reasons? I’m wondering because If it accelerates like other electric cars it should have a similar top speed.
  - Kiwiiano
    
    Safety certainly. One problem with the transition from the hugely wasteful 20th century and the new world where are carbon feetprints are 10% of what we have taken for granted, will be the conflict between the 100mph, armour-plated behemoths we lust after and the 30mph ultralights we actually need. There’s no point of loading them up with airbags, intrusion bars and all that junk, it would defeat the purpose of being ultralights. Lower speed limits would also go a long way to reducing the road toll too.
    Yes, trucks will be a continuing problem…… one of many.
    - Ronald Brakels
      
      Thanks for the reply. Here we already have a lot of little itty bitty cars on the road, so it probably doesn’t seem like such a big step for us.
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  thanks!
Justin Meggitt

Isn’t it a two-seater? One seat is directly behind the driver (except in the delivery version).
- http://zacharyshahan.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  hmm, my bad, will correct. didn’t see another seat — either had the cargo model or just didn’t notice it. damn, would have been nice to see how it is sitting in the back.