Mat Watson reviews the new Renault Twingo: why I think you should just go right ahead and buy this car

This is the new Renault Twingo, and it’s a bit like a frog. Those aren’t my words, they’re the words of Renault. You see, the original Twingo from the ‘90s was affectionately called “La Grenouille” or “The Frog”, because it looked like a certain amphibian, and I’ve even been given a plush frog called Pierre Splashly to drive the point home.

I reckon that’s a load of nonsense, but the car isn’t. I’ve spent a week with the new Renault Twingo, testing its practicality, technology and real-world range.

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Let’s face it, the best thing about this car is the way it looks. You take one glance at it and just fall in love, and it’s all to do with those eyes. They’re so faithful to the original Twingo, but look modern at the same time thanks to the LED daytime running lights.

This range-topping version has 18-inch alloy wheels, which are quite big on a small car, and the rear end is just as characterful as the front thanks to the round taillights and the black surround on the window which is meant to mimic an old ‘90s TV. Kudos to Renault for bringing back bright colours as well, because this yellow really stands out.

It’s the same story on the inside as well, because you get a load of body-coloured trim to brighten up the cabin. To tell you the truth, I really like the Twingo’s interior. It may feel a bit cheap in places, but it’s a cheap car and all the switchgear feels really solid and nicely-damped. These are the bits you touch all the time, so they matter more than the dash top.

I like the infotainment screen. It’s bright and responsive, and you get things like Google Maps built in. The graphics are really cheerful as well, and that extends to the digital driver’s display which is also clear and easy to read.

Practicality is decent. There’s a ledge on the centre console for your phone, a good-sized glovebox and a couple of USB-C ports, although the door bins are pretty small and the single cupholder doesn’t hold smaller bottles very well.

Moving to the rear seats, space is really good for a small car like this. You can slide the seats back to give yourself some more kneeroom, and they even recline as well. You can also fold the front passenger seat flat if you want to turn the back of your Twingo into a limousine.

Fitting a child seat is easy thanks to the easy-access ISOFIX anchors, but my daughter didn’t like travelling in the back of this car for one simple reason: the rear windows don’t wind down. They pop out like they did on my Mum’s original Mini.

With the rear seats pulled forwards, you have 360 litres of boot space. That’s over double the size of a Honda Super N’s boot, and it’s big enough to fit a 6’3” social content producer as well.

That’s all the sensible stuff dealt with, now it’s time to see what the Renault Twingo is like to drive.

Powering this car is an 82hp electric motor, and it’s more than peppy enough for town driving. I managed to do 0-60mph in 11.1 seconds, which is a second quicker than Renault claims.

The suspension is good as well. It’s got a more simple setup at the rear than the larger Renault 5 on which it’s based, but it goes over bumps nicely and it’s decent through the bends. It’s not as much fun as a Honda Super N though.

It’s even quite good on the motorway, but it’s around town where the Twingo feels most at-home. The dinky dimensions make it easy to park in tight spaces, although the tall dashboard and sloping front end do make it quite tricky to judge where the front corners of the car are.

Renault claims the Twingo will do up to 163 miles on a charge from its 28kWh battery. I covered 155 miles in this car, and it averaged 4.3 miles per kWh which translates to 118 miles of real-world range. That’s about the same as I got from the Honda Super N, which isn’t brilliant.

But despite this, I still love the new Renault Twingo. It looks so desirable, while also being practical and good to drive. It’ll also cost less than £20,000, so it’s affordable, too. That’s why I think you should just go right ahead and buy the new Renault Twingo.

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