Renault has opened up the order book for the new Clio hybrid, at the same time that it opened up the one with ‘Captur Plug-In Hybrid’ written on the front. How convenient. Even though you can’t plug in the Clio E-Tech it still offers the option of battery-only, emissions free driving, and it’s an awful lot cheaper than the Captur: £19,595, as opposed to £30,495 for the Captur E-Tech Plug-in Hybrid.
That said, it is a lot pricier than a base model Clio, which went on sale in November priced from £14,895. For that money you’d get a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol model with 99bhp, 99g/km CO2 and 54.3mpg. By contrast, the E-Tech hybrid here has 138bhp, 64.2mph and…98g/km. Oh. And in fact it registers exactly the same 99g/km CO2 rating if you buy a higher spec model on bigger wheels.
Still, while it might not save users in company car tax (both the basic petrol Clio and the hybrid are in the same 22% liability bands) the fuel savings could be huge if Renault’s claims about battery running hold any weight. While stopping short of quoting a battery-only range for the Clio hybrid, Renault says it is “capable of driving on electric power for 80 per cent of urban journeys”.
It can do up to 38mph using just the electric motor, albeit the battery is relatively small – just 1.2kWh, compared to 9.8kWh in the plug-in hybrid Captur, for example.
Like the Captur’s plug-in system, Renault says that the Clio's has been developed with the help if its F1 racing team, using two electric motors running alongside a 1.6-litre petrol engine. The electric motors alone develop 205Nm of torque, all sent to the front wheels. It’s the most powerful Clio in the range and is highly likely to stay that way until the full-fat Renaultsport version comes along – itself likely to feature a hybrid setup of some sort.
As you’d expect for a flagship model with a price tag to match, the Clio E-Tech hybrid comes with some equipment and detailing specific to the model. It gets a digital instrument display with specific hybrid graphics in the software, E-Tech badging on the gear stick and a blue interior colour pack – blue being the new green when it comes to representing a car with eco credentials.
The E-Tech is available in every trim across the range, meaning a standard one is based on the bottom rung Play trim, albeit that’s fairly well specified. Kit includes Bluetooth, DAB, full-LED headlamps, cruise control, air conditioning and 16-inch alloy wheels. The trims then go through Iconic, S Edition and R.S. Line…you know the drill by now…more money, more stuff. Visit your local Renault website for more information.
Keyword: Renault Clio E-Tech hybrid priced from £19,595