New Renault 4 previewed: price, specs and release date

The reborn all-new Renault 4 electric car has been previewed by a radical SUV concept called the Renault 4Ever Trophy. 

The new pure electric car follows on from the Renault 5 Prototype in previewing the EV future of the famous French brand.

The new Renault 4 will line up alongside the new Renault 5 in the same way the Renault Clio and Captur sit alongside each other today. The Renault 5 will be the EV supermini hatch – and the Renault 4 will be the electric compact SUV alternative, something the bold appearance of the new Renault 4Ever Trophy concept makes clear.

The new Renault 4 electric is one of a number of new small electric cars due to launch in the coming years – and the reaction at the Paris Motor Show suggests it’s already one of the most hotly-anticipated.

New Renault 4Ever Trophy price and release date

The production version of the new Renault 4Ever Trophy will be released in 2025, so it is still a few years off. The French firm will use the intervening years to build interest and remind us of the Renault 4’s rich heritage, which has remained enviable despite production of the original 1962 car ending 30 years ago.

Prices for the production version of the new Renault 4Ever Trophy are still some way off being confirmed. But because it is an electric small SUV, we would expect it to fall in line with key rivals – meaning they are likely to start from upwards of £30,000.

New Renault 4Ever Trophy: exterior and interior

The new Renault 4 electric is likely to prove an utterly charming and enviable small SUV EV, if the Renault 4Ever Trophy concept is anything to go by. The bold concept aims to draw attention, but while it’s an off-road car by nature, Renault promises it will be practical and fuss-free on any road – “and just as versatile as its predecessor”.

The exterior of the Renault 4Ever Trophy is wonderfully muscular. The original Renault 4’s main features have been retained – but revived in an all-new and thoroughly modern way. The silhouette is identifiably classic Renault 4, with a prominent bonnet, bumper and angled rear section.

The Renault 4Ever Trophy has trapezoidal rear side windows, with rounded corners, which are located just above the rear wheels. At the front, it has bare flanks, with no lights or side markers, while the wings sit on top of the wheelarches and reach through to the bonnet.

The distinctive dune-buggy look of the new Renault 4Ever Trophy has a hollowed-out bonnet with a distinctive air exhaust to improve the efficiency of the radiator. The front overhang is super-short, for better off-road prowess. The charismatic new Renault 4 electric concept has a spare wheel mounted on the carbon fibre roof, plus a shovel and waffle boards on the upper section of the rear door.

The retro style of the Renault 4 concept “blends harmoniously with the rest of the otherwise sophisticated and technological lines”. The company has bought it into the modern era by updating the streamlined shape with high-tech features – and the designers have been careful to create features that resonate both with those who remember the classic Renault 4, and younger generations.

It has a unique headlight signature. The famous wide horizontal grille has round built-in lamps which now feature Matrix LED technology. Even the classic Renault 4 pill-shaped rear lights have been retained, albeit thoroughly redesigned for the modern era. 

The Renault 4Ever Trophy has lower-section paint in tough Gun Metal Silver. The body protection panels have an ample 200mm clearance around the wheel arches, while the underbody has been reinforced to protect the battery from impacts when off-roading. The body has a high-seated profile which highlights the substantial 753mm width of the wheels – and, for the concept, each wheel has its own compressor that can be adjusted from inside the car, so tyre pressures can be optimised for all terrains.

Renault CEO Luca de Meo is clearly in love: “The 4L is a myth. And myths never die! Today, it is this universal dimension of the 4L, a car that everyone can love, that we want to find through a modern and electric reinterpretation of the Renault 4.”

The Renault 4Ever Trophy measures a compact 4,160mm long, an ample 1,950mm wide and a Range Rover-like 1,900mm tall. It is fitted with 19-inch wheels front and rear, running 255/55-section tyres. Details of the new Renault 4 interior will be revealed at a later date.

New Renault 4Ever Trophy: engines and gearboxes

The new Renault 4 electric will be based on the CMF-BEV platform for Renault’s B-segment small electric vehicles. This will be shared with the Renault 5 electric, plus other models such as a future replacement for the Renault Zoe.

We can expect the new Renault 4 electric to have a powerful electric motor and an ample electric battery, likely upwards of 50kWh. This should deliver a range of around 250 miles, justifying Renault’s boast that it will “guarantee the best performance in terms of range”.

The production version of the Renault 4Ever Trophy concept car will be built in France once it’s ready for production – just like the original Renault 4. Both it and all other models sharing the Renault CMF-BEV architecture will be made in the ElectriCity hub in northern France.

Naturally, as it is an electric car, the Renault 4 electric will feature an automatic gearbox as standard. Because it is electric, it would be easy to produce a four-wheel drive version with an additional electric motor – raising the tantalising prospect of a fully-authentic Renault 4Ever Trophy mini-SUV with serious ground-crossing abilities.  

Find a used Renault Zoe for sale

The Renault 4 electric will not be launched until 2025. So why not take a look at today’s Renault Zoe instead? It has a modern appearance, drives in a smooth and appealing way, and boasts impressive five-seat practicality for such a compact car.

We would go for the facelifted Renault Zoe, which was introduced in 2020 (where it was renamed Renault Zoe E-Tech), and today can be picked up with prices starting from just over £20,000. That’s impressive value for a car that has a 52kWh battery and a range of over 240 miles.

• Find a used Renault Zoe for sale

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