Jack Scarlett of the Fully Charged show — which reviews electric vehicles — gave the new Renault 5 a resolutely rave review.
Jack, who is described as "a lifelong car fanatic … [and] fully converted EV evangelist," drove the car for over a week, and said: "I have breaking news. It's flipping sensational."
The Renault 5 weighs only 1.5 tons and can go "naught to 60 in 8-odd seconds." For comparison, most Model 3s weigh around 2 tons and can go from 0 to 60 in about 2 seconds but cost much more.
A 2025 Tesla 3 starts at $42,490, and the Renault 5 starts at $27,000.
Jack listed many attributes he loved — the shape, details, ergonomics, and more — and declared the brake lights "a work of art."
But most importantly, he said, it's "not style over substance" because it can get 4 miles per kilowatt "standing on its head."
Recurrent describes miles per kWh as "showing exactly how far your car travels on one kilowatt-hour of electricity" and explains that "EV enthusiasts often prefer this simple metric because it translates directly to real-world usage and makes comparing different electric vehicles straightforward."
The benefits of EVs are many, including lower costs for routine maintenance and fuel. And EVs produce no tailpipe pollution.
Though there is criticism about the environmental impacts of making EV batteries, the 7.7 million tons of minerals mined per year for their production pales in comparison to the whopping 16.5 billion tons of coal, oil, and gas mined yearly.
Another critique of EVs is that charging them uses dirty energy. But one way to counteract that while saving even more money is by converting homes to solar with the help of a company such as EnergySage.
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If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Cost 💰 No matter which EV someone chooses, they will use less energy than with a traditional combustion engine vehicle. A report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that by 2050 EVs will produce only 50 grams of carbon air pollution per mile, while gas-powered ones will still be polluting the air with up to 225.
There are more and more affordable EVs on the market all the time.
Like the Renault 5, which Scarlett concluded is "so charismatic, so charming, so lovable," professing finally, "I am smitten by this car."
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