Overall rating:

Bold leap into an electric future or conscience salving environmental tokenism for greens needing more range than their pushbikes? The Renault Fluence Z.E. has a tough job on its hands.

Key Facts

Pricing: £18,395 + circa £100 a month battery rental
Engine: electric motor
Transmission: front-wheel drive, automatic
Body style: four-door saloon
Rivals: Nissan LEAF, Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, a bike and national rail pass
CO₂ emissions: 0g/km
Top speed: 84mph (limited)
0-62mph: 13.7 seconds
Power: 95hp at 3,000 - 8,900rpm
Torque: 250Nm at 400 - 2,500rpm

In the Metal:

Tesla aside there's yet to be a genuinely desirably styled electric car, the Nissan LEAF about as close as you get to 'neat'. Renault's usual styling flair was lost on the Fluence Z.E. Basically it's a slightly longer Mégane-like saloon with its internals replaced by batteries and an electric motor, the goal here being efficiency first and aesthetics an objective much further down the list. That said it's functional enough and in no way offensive, just a touch dreary.

The interior benefits from its Mégane roots, with a tidily styled dashboard and clear instrumentation allied to decently comfortable seats and acceptable space. Some of the material quality feels more durable than delightful but like the exterior it's neat enough if rather lacking in any real flair.

Driving it:

Like all electric cars the first thing to check is it's switched on. The lack of any vibration or sound from under the bonnet is notable, the Fluence Z.E. only making a background whirr from the motor as you pull away. Add some road and wind noise to the underlying electrical sounds from the drivetrain and the Fluence Z.E. isn't silent, but it's certainly quieter than anything with an internal combustion engine.

That in itself changes the way you drive it, as, somewhat oddly, the absence of noise creates a situation where it feels like you're travelling faster than you are. That's perhaps not such a bad thing though. Although peak torque arrives at just 400rpm the Fluence Z.E. doesn't feel as brisk off the mark as some of its electric rivals and lift off and the regeneration slows you down fairly quickly. It's speedy enough on the move, but the constant nagging of power use - and lack of quick charging outlets - does tend to result in you driving it like you've got Miss Daisy in the back. That is to say, sedately, and with one eye constantly on the instruments.

The suspension copes reasonably well with broken UK roads, even if the Fluence rolls a bit in the bends. The steering, like all the driving controls, is devoid of any feel. The Fluence Z.E. isn't a car targeted at people who will care about such things though.

What you get for your Money:

Eighteen thousand pounds buys you a lot of conventional hatchback with all the ability of the Fluence Z.E, but without the hassle of finding a socket and dealing with its limited 115-mile potential range. The sale price is just the start, as you don't own the entire car: Renault leases the batteries. Various options over years and miles exist, with battery rental of £69.60 a month if you take it for 60 months and 6,000 miles a year, rising to £135.00 if you have your Fluence Z.E. for 12 months with a 18,000-mile limit. That's a lot of charges, and from a UK plug a full charge takes eight hours... However, even with the battery leasing the Fluence Z.E. should be cheaper to run than an equivalent diesel model.

Worth Noting

Not only is battery leasing an extra, but you'll pay an additional £414 for a cable to charge up the Fluence Z.E. from your home socket. Don't get too cocksure on driving it around 100 miles either, as in all but ideal conditions that range is fairly optimistic - severely reducing the Fluence Z.E.'s usefulness outside the confines of a small city.

Summary

Renault's brave leap into an electric future comes with many compromises - most obviously range and price. Accept these and the Fluence Z.E. is a car for those anxious to be as green as possible within its serious limitations. However, the restrictions the Fluence Z.E. bring are so severe as to make public transport, walking and cycling a more sensible transport alternative. If you want to be as green as possible then do all that. If you want a proper car, buy an economical diesel hatchback and sign up for a carbon offsetting scheme.