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: 3.0mpkWh

Report 4:

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One of the age-old arguments against someone switching to an EV is if you need to travel a long distance in a short period of time.

So I find myself having to test that theory, with the need to do almost 500 miles for a return journey from Marlow in Buckinghamshire to the depths of Cornwall for a family funeral. In the space of a shade over 24 hours in my Renault Scenic e-Tech. A great opportunity to test whether the car and, more importantly, the public charging network are up to the task over a long distance.

Home: Marlow

Charge: 100%

Range: 248 miles

I’m obviously leaving with a full charge. The Renault’s official range is 369 miles, but it’s been cold hence that 248-mile displayed range.

First charge: Moto Gridserve, Exeter

Miles covered: 170 miles

Arriving charge / range remaining: 22% / 52 miles

Departure charge / range: 87% / 195 miles

Time spent charging / charge delivered / cost: 48 mins / 55.3kWh / £43.70

Although the traffic has been relatively light, the weather has been anything but. Strong winds, driving rain, my headlights and wipers have been on almost all the time, not helping the drain on the battery.

The good news is that there are plenty of available chargers at the Gridserve at Moto services in Exeter, the bad is that the first one I plug into won’t work, so I switch to the other lead on the same charger and that immediately connects through the Gridserve app and I’m then charging.

The kick in the teeth though is that these are meant to be 350kW chargers and yet it’s only delivering 70kW, when the Scenic can charge at 150kW. Frustrating when all I want is to get to my hotel in Bodmin for dinner. I need the break anyway, so stop for a cup of tea and to catch up on emails.

Second charge: Ionity, Bodmin

Miles covered: 234 miles

Arriving charge / range remaining: 49% / 92 miles

Departure charge / range: 93% / 171 miles

Time spent charging / charge delivered / cost: 1 hour / 42.1kWh / £29.82

Having arrived late at Bodmin, I was too tired to charge the night before, so I get up early instead. I’ve charged at this Ionity bank using my Octopus Electroverse account before, so I know it’s reliable. I note that having arrived last night with 49% of charge, the Scenic’s battery this morning is down to 44%. I can only assume there must be a leak in the tank…

With 13 chargers to choose from, there are only four cars here, so I’m hopeful to get a decent rate of charge. Or not. I plug in and immediately I’m only getting 45kW which is very odd, especially as I was at this same location only a few months ago and getting much faster than that. It does slowly creep up – notably after a van opposite unplugs, but I never see more than 59kW.

It’s frustrating as I’ve already got half an eye on my return journey and trying to minimise my return stop back at Gridserve Exeter later in the day. The longer I can stay here, the less time I’ll need to stop for this afternoon.

Third charge: Moto Gridserve, Exeter (again)

Miles covered: 317 miles

Arriving charge / range remaining: 52% / 119 miles

Departure charge / range: 91% / 204 miles

Time spent charging / charge delivered / cost: 36mins / 33.6kWh / £26.57

Funeral and first chunk of the return journey done, I’m back at Gridserve Exeter services once more having battled through yet more atrocious weather all along the (very exposed) sections of the A30.

On the advice of a friend, I use the Renault’s on-board Google Maps to help pre-condition the battery before arriving here to see if that makes a difference. Also, to satisfy my curiosity after last night, this time I park on a different set of chargers to see if I can get a better charging speed. The result is that it’s slightly up on last night, but the maximum I ever see is 77kW and then only briefly – and, again, the chargers aren’t even that busy.

On the evidence of last night, I need to hit at least 78% of charge to make it home, but I want something in reserve to ensure I definitely don’t have to stop again, so I go beyond that to give myself some peace of mind.

Home: Marlow

Miles covered: 486 miles

Arriving charge / range remaining: 18% / 52 miles

So clearly I left too much in reserve, although roadworks on the M4 drop my speed and therefore improve the remaining range. There had been around 24 miles to play with for most of the return journey, but there’s 52 miles remaining when I finally pull up on my driveway.

On that evidence, I could have driven slightly slower to improve my efficiency, but given the overnight trip, that was a sacrifice I was willing to make to save time. As mentioned, the weather has been awful, so my headlights and wipers have been on for pretty much all of those 486 miles. It won’t have drained much, but every little counts as they say…

What have I learned? That my Renault Scenic is well up to the task of long journeys and although I’m tired, it’s definitely more relaxing, especially with adaptive cruise control, to drive than an ICE car. However, the charging network has got to improve. No, I never had to wait to charge, which wouldn’t have been the case a few years ago, but the difference between advertised and real-world speed just isn’t good enough.

It also underlines just how pricey, ultra-rapid charging is. But 80% of EV charging is currently undertaken at home or work, and remember my charging locations were the most convenient which I was willing to pay extra for – in much the same way as the cost of filling up with petrol at a motorway service stations, which also have a hefty premium.

Even so, my brief trip is evidence that the answer to that question posed at the start of whether you can do long-distance, last-minute journeys is, most certainly, yes you can.

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.