Nat Barnes reports back on our Renault Scenic E-Tech long-termer.

Renault Scenic E-Tech Iconic

List price (BiK): £45,495 (2%)   Range: 369 miles  On Fleet: 280 miles  Official efficiency: 3.8mpkWh   Test efficiency: 3.1mpkWh

Report 3:

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The start of January means many things. Colder weather, filthy roads, finding out that the secret Santa present that editor Challen got you can’t be returned to the charity shop… And there’s also been a change in the standard price of electricity.

Admittedly the electricity rise wasn’t a huge hike, rising to 24.9p/kWh (from 24.5p), but it’s a reminder why EV drivers should look at their home electricity tariff, perhaps in favour of one of the many smart EV tariffs on the market. They should also check out the vast price differences between charging at home or at a public charger.

As an example, a full charge on the Renault Scenic’s 87kWh battery on Intelligent Octopus Go or Ovo Charge Anytime at 7p/kWh would set you back £6.09. At the new standard variable tariff of 24.9p/kWh, that same charge would cost you £21.63.

That’s a hefty difference, but it’s still cheaper than running an ICE car. At today’s prices, that £21.63 would buy you just over three and a half gallons of unleaded, so 140 miles at 40mpg. That’s still considerably less even than the cold weather-restricted 280 miles we’ve been seeing on the Scenic’s range during the past few weeks.

Things don’t look quite so rosy with public charging however. Gridserve obviously has some of the largest ultra-rapid charging hubs, but even though you’re getting that additional speed and convenience, it’s still 79p per kWh. The Scenic’s same full 87kWh charge at that rate would set you back a wallet-stinging £68.73, which shows why charging at home is so important to your bank balance.

I’ve got an overnight visit to Cornwall coming up in a few weeks, so I’ll be forced to use public charging at some point, but at the same time, the Renault’s extra range and battery size over the previous Megane does give me some extra flexibility in where and when I charge.

That longer journey won’t do anything for the slightly shameful, filthy state that the Scenic is in at the moment though. It is utterly disgusting and I promise to clean it soon, but I just know it will look the same again within a few days, thanks to the time of year.

What doesn’t help is that the Renault’s quite upright and squared-off back-end means the tailgate gets especially dirty and the same goes for the rear-view camera. Positioned lowdown close to the rear number plate, it seems to attract dirt and even water droplets quite easily, obscuring the rear view on the screen.

The good news is that Renault has sorted out the software update to resolve the charging issues I reported on below, so I need to get it booked into a dealer to get that solved, while I wait. Hopefully, charging in 2025, especially at home, will be a lot smoother as a result.

Report 2:

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While the Renault 5 might be grabbing all the EV limelight in the French firm’s range at present, there’s a lot to be said for the likes of my Scenic.

Unlike the Megane I had been running for the six months prior, I’ve noticed the Scenic getting lots of attention and admiring glances when on the road – quite something when the world isn’t exactly short of family SUVs.

I must confess that I’m a particular fan of the LED front lights and also of the unusual two-tone silver-black design of the 20-inch ‘Oracle’ design alloy wheels. I’m not a fan of their over-firm ride though. There are times when I think that I’ve misjudged the Renault’s ride for being too harsh, but then I take it on unfamiliar broken roads and realise just how firm it is. Yes, all new cars are riding stiffer than they did 10 or even five years ago, but for what is a family car I think the Scenic could be a bit more comforting.

One thing that is a small comfort is that the Scenic seems to have resolved its charging issues. I’m actually not sure if it has been the result of an over-the-air update that has perhaps been downloaded without me knowing, but having had problems, then been fine, then having had more issues, it’s now good again.

That’s just as well given some plentiful long distance trips that I’d been undertaking recently. But, much like editor Challen’s promise of a paying for a round just after the bell for last orders has rung, I’m hoping the glimmer of hope isn’t short-lived.

That glimmer of hope can also be applied to some of the Scenic’s other electronic trickery too. We mentioned Apple CarPlay a lot during our time with the Megane when it was very hit and miss and probably only worked for half of all journeys. The Scenic is better, but it still has its moments and, again, there’s no rhyme or reason as to why it suddenly doesn’t work.

The same goes for the comfort setting on the seat (which moves the driver’s seat back for easier entry and egress) which doesn’t always reset back to the driving position again when you get back in. Often you don’t realise until you recognise halfway through a journey that you’re further from the wheel and pedals than usual.

The recent cold snap has seen the fully charged range dip to around 260 miles, but that isn’t reflected in reality. In reality, the range doesn’t tend drop too much and, once the battery is warmed, it then stabilises. Yes, my average has dropped a little to 3.2mpkWh in the cooler temperatures, but I’m hoping some longer journeys over the festive period might see that average rise again.

First Report:

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I’m going to start the opening report on this Renault Scenic E-Tech with an immediate confession. I’m not entering into my six-month ownership of this new Scenic entirely from a neutral standpoint. I have a soft spot for the Scenic, ever since its original introduction in 1996 in people-carrier form, for its sheer practicality and clever touches that made living with it as a family that much easier.

Of course, the world has moved on somewhat in the past 28 years and so have car buyers. MPVs of all kinds are now about as popular as editor Challen with the mistletoe at the Fleet World Christmas party. The car-buying public has switched to SUVs and crossovers, and in turn, so has this new Scenic.

That’s not the only change either. Following the lead of the Megane E-Tech and with the new 5 coming soon, the Scenic has now embraced full-electric power. This is the 87kWh battery model, although a smaller 61kWh version is also available to add extra choice and a more tempting lower price at the same time.

With a 369-mile range however, this Scenic looks like the right car at the right time, especially having bagged the European Car of the Year award early 2024. And, with the highly desirable 5 and new 4 coming out, plus an electric Twingo having been teased in prototype form, there’s no doubt that Renault is rapidly re-establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with in the EV world.

Perhaps more importantly too, the Scenic represents another rung for Renault’s EV family. With all of the brand’s other electric cars, there’s now another EV model further up for a customer to potentially go into. Numerous surveys have shown that very few EV drivers return back to an ICE car, but also that they tend to be less loyal to a particular brand than before too. This way, it’s not inconceivable that a buyer could step from a Zoe into a new 5, then to the Megane and up to this Scenic.

Which ironically is just what I’ve done from the Megane. I’m already loving the extra size of the Scenic and also that additional range, though the first few days haven’t been without problems.

The 20-inch ‘Oracle’ design alloy wheels look great but the ride is quite firm for what is, after all, a company car. The ride I can live with (I think), but what is somewhat harder to live with is the Scenic’s charging unpredictability. As I’m temporarily in a rented house, I don’t have access to a home charger, so all of my charging is done via a three-pin ‘granny’ cable. Three-pin charging isn’t ideal, but it saw me through six months of Megane ownership without a problem.

The Scenic however is rather less happy about the arrangement and effectively goes to sleep anything from 30 minutes to three hours after having started charging. So I have to keep checking on it. Renault has said it’s a known problem and it’s working on a software update, but I’m finding it a little disappointing and not the best of starts. Watch this space.