Styling
Precious little has changed with the latest Megane E-Tech, although the F1 Blade in its front bumper has, on the upper Techno and Iconic models, switched from gold to titanium (which is still gold in colour, oddly, but perhaps
slightly less gold than it was before). But such a preservation of the styling status quo is not a bad thing, because the Megane is a lovely-looking thing. Its production appearance is close to the concept car which previewed it and - again, reserved for the aforementioned pair of trim levels - it sits on big 20-inch wheels shoved right to the very corners of its frame, which gives it a chunky and muscular stance. Renault would also like you to call this an electric 'crossover' rather than a zero-emissions hatch, but as the outfit has a glut of the c-words in its arsenal right now, with no fewer than
six of the things on sale presently, we think it's important to keep the likeable Megane distinct as a hatchback.
Interior
The main update here again relates to the Techno and Iconic cars, so customers of the basic Evolution model of the Megane E-Tech should look away now. Whereas the entry-level Renault EV has a nine-inch OpenR Link infotainment screen, the upper models now have the swish 12-inch portrait unit that is integrated in one construct with the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, bringing the Megane E-Tech's interior in line with the French firm's other electric products. This all operates slickly and looks good, while material quality is fabulous across the board, so the Megane continues to have an excellent cabin for this class of vehicle.
Practicality
No major changes here, although our bugbear about the Megane's all-round visibility remains. Those exterior looks are superb but they do result in a narrow glasshouse, which is nowhere more in evidence than when you, as the driver, look into the Renault's interior rear-view mirror and are presented with a severely limited view of the traffic/road behind the car. It's also, for all Renault's claims of crossover-dom, not the biggest in terms of boot space, with official figures of 440-1,364 litres of cargo capacity - these including the 32-litre underfloor storage in the boot, which is really supposed to be dedicated to the storage of the car's charging cables. However, the Megane E-Tech is clearly not a total loss in terms of practicality, because it has another 33.1 litres of in-cabin storage solutions, which is a handily sizeable amount, and the space for rear-seat passengers is more than adequate, even if their headroom is somewhat limited.
Performance
We're not trying to get locked into a downer about the Megane E-Tech in this review, because it is patently a very, very good EV and a nice car to be transported around in. However, we can't help feeling Renault missed a trick with this tech upgrade, in not giving the car the 87kWh battery pack from the
Scenic E-Tech; instead, it retains the 60kWh unit.
That results in a theoretical on-paper maximum range of 285 miles from the Megane E-Tech, although for that you need the decontented Evolution base-spec on its diddier 18s; opt for this grand Iconic flagship grade and the 20s reduce the overall number by four miles to 281 in total. Now, as we all know, EVs rarely get close to their official claimed distance, so you're looking at more like 220 miles to every charge in favourable conditions in the Megane. And while the company and devotees of electrics can make loads of arguments about 'rightsizing batteries' and 'no one ever drives more than 100 miles a day anyway' that would defend the Megane E-Tech's honour, the fact of the matter is that several similar rivals - and, indeed, Renault's own Scenic E-Tech - have quoted ranges well into the 300-mile-plus bracket.
Obviously, it might well be a packaging thing, one where the 87kWh battery simply doesn't fit into the space between the over-large wheels on the 4.2-metre-long Megane E-Tech. It would definitely increase the car's outright purchase cost. And adding almost 50 per cent more capacity to the 60kWh power pack would undoubtedly seriously impinge on the Renault's impressive 1.7-tonne kerb weight, which would in turn mean the relatively modest 217hp/300Nm electric motor's straight-line speed would be notably blunted.
As it is, the Megane E-Tech is pleasant to drive. The calibration of both its motor's power delivery and the regenerative qualities/pedal feel of its fancy brakes are sweet, meaning the Renault is remarkably easy to place and position on the roads, no matter what the traffic and environment outside is like. That 7.5-second 0-62mph time also speaks volumes of the fact that the Megane is more than quick enough for anyone's reasonable needs, as it feels pretty perky under full loads - mainly thanks to the relatively low weight of the vehicle overall, something (as we've already said) intrinsically linked to its 60kWh battery.
And maybe you think a real-world 200-220 miles from your EV is more than acceptable, in which case you'll love the Megane E-Tech, with or without its 2024 model year changes. But we still reckon it would just be that touch more likeable still if its distance-to-'empty' readout was more in the high 200s while you were driving it, rather than the lower realms.
Speaking of which, the maximum charging rate for the Megane E-Tech remains 135kW DC. Renault says that, at such pace, you'll get 186 miles of driving range back into the battery in just 30 minutes. That said, 10-80 per cent would only take 40 minutes anyway, so you might as well keep the Megane hooked up to a DC charger for as long as you can. Domestically, you're looking at around six hours for a full top-up of the battery on a typical 7.4kWh wallbox, and more like four hours ten minutes on a faster 11kW AC hook-up.
Ride & Handling
Unaffected by the tech updates for 2024, the Megane E-Tech remains a supremely comfortable thing to travel in, even on the 20-inch 'Enos' alloys of the Iconic. It thoroughly maximises the quiet, vibration-free benefits of an electric drivetrain with excellent noise suppression and supple, well-controlled suspension, so that the car feels graceful and elegant no matter what speed you're doing nor what sort of road surface you're encountering.
What it's not, though, despite its hatchback-like proportions, well-managed kerb weight, and the diamond-logo badges affixed to its nose/bootlid, is in any way thrilling or memorable to steer. It handles fine, nothing more, with composed body control, and a good blend of grip and traction. But the steering is powder-puff and mute, while the chassis is uncommunicative about anything it is up to via means of the base of the driver's seat. In short, you can hustle a Megane E-Tech along a winding country road at a decent pace. It's just that you'll remember precisely nothing about the entire process in the aftermath, nor will you ever be grinning madly behind the wheel during the drive in question. It's safe, it's dependable... and it's (whisper it) a little bit boring.
Value
Alongside the titanium moustache in its face and the funkier 12-inch touchscreen in the upper models, every variant in the 2024 Renault Megane E-Tech range now gets a heat pump as standard (yes, the poor old Evolution included). This, says Renault, can improve the effective driving range by up to nine per cent in climatic conditions colder than ten degrees Celsius, although as it was a mild day when we drove the updated Megane, we can neither confirm nor deny these particular allegations.
Other tech updates include contextual adaptive cruise control (read: the car can slow down for junctions, roundabouts and bends by itself, as well as maintaining distance to traffic in front of the Megane) on the Techno and Iconic models, plus an active emergency braking system with urban mode and pedestrian/cycling detection, as well as rear-occupant safe exit. The Iconic is further enhanced with standard-fit hands-free parking and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, yet - brilliantly - Renault says that efficiencies in the Megane's production processes means it can reduce the price of these better-equipped 2024MY cars by £500 across the board. This means the range now starts at a fairly reasonable £33,995, although a nicely specified Iconic, like our test car, is pushing 40 grand.
Verdict
A mighty discreet programme of upgrades is most welcome on the Megane E-Tech, yet we can't help but feel Renault has possibly dropped the ball by not enlarging the car's battery pack nor making its motor more efficient, in order to give it the alluring marketing glitter of a 300-mile on-paper one-shot range. That said, it remains a great electric car, and if you weren't put off by an official 280-mile range before then you're certainly not going to be so now. But if the Megane E-Tech 2024MY was just a tiny bit longer-legged, we think we'd rate it even more highly than we do already. Maybe something to think about for 2025, eh, Renault?