All hail the compact new Renault Twingo E-Tech – the city car is back in style

Strictly speaking, this is generation four of the Twingo. The name carries such resonance because of the impact of the very first Twingo, which debuted back in 1993. Evolving out of Renault’s desire to create an ultra-compact minivan-style successor to the long-running Renault 4, various ideas were kicked around throughout the 1980s, including the W60 concept by Lamborghini designer Marcello Gandini.

Following a successful concept overseen by long-serving Renault designer Jean-Pierre Ploué, under the direction of Renault’s then design leader, Patrick Le Quément, a production car was shaped, retaining the one-box shape, four-square stance, deliberate cute ‘froggy’ headlights and an interior trimmed in bold 1980s colours and fabrics. In October 1992, the Twingo – a name that blends three dances, Twist, Swing and Tango – made its debut at the Paris Auto Show.

The UK never got a right-hand-drive version of Twingo I, but the car was a big hit in France and the rest of Europe. Simultaneously stripped down and rich with invention, the interior was like stepping into a piece of Memphis furniture.

The design was avant-garde but also hugely popular, a trick that Le Quément pulled off time and time again during his time at Renault (with only a few notable disasters).

Some 2.6 million examples of the Twingo I were made, with the last rolling off the line of a factory in Colombia in 2012. Meanwhile, Twingo II debuted in 2007 and almost immediately the magic was gone. Larger and more generic, it no longer had the individual flair of the original. There were occasional pockets of brightness, like the sporty Renault Twingo RS Gordini edition, but the design lacked spark.

With the Twingo III, Renault made a concerted effort to revive the spirit of the original. Co-developed with Daimler, which used the same platform to underpin the Smart ForFour, the little four-door had an engine in the rear, which didn’t help the interior packaging. It was characterful, however, and also formed the basis of Renault’s second-ever electric car, the Twingo Z.E.

Renault Twingo E-Tech will be for sale in 2026

Now we have Twingo IV, revealed this week ahead of global sales starting in 2026. The first thing to note is that this isn’t just an unashamed revival of the qualities and character of the original, but also a validation of the commercial potential of ultra-compact, so-called A-segment, electric city cars.

Renault wants the new car – previewed with last year’s Twingo Concept – to be available for less than €20,000, although there will be plenty of opportunities to accessorise and specify way above that mark.

Inside and out, the new Twingo pays homage to the original. The colour palette is more 2020s tasteful than 1990s nostalgic, but flexible design features, like the sliding rear seats and removable accessories, are both playful and practical. The clearest nods to the 1990s are the LED head and taillights, along with the one-box silhouette. Dimensionally, although the new car is 3.8m long versus 3.4m for the original (and 1.7m wide versus 1.6m), it still counts as a compact in today’s bloated marketplace.

The purity of that first Twingo can be seen in Sabine Marcelis’ art car, created as part of the company’s drive to remind modern minds of its past city car glories, ahead of the release of the E-Tech 4, 5 and Twingo models.

Time has shown it to be a successful strategy; while Peugeot and Citroën are dancing delicately around the idea of raiding their much-loved back catalogues for ideas, Renault has thrown caution to the wind and gone all-in.

The new Twingo E-Tech electric completes the trifecta of compact EVs that began with the best-selling Renault 5 and continued with the Renault 4. Call it 1990s nostalgia if you like, but the Twingo looks like another hit along Renault’s road to revival.

Renault Twingo E-Tech electric, more information at Renault.co.uk