BMW i3 vs Renault 5

The BMW i3 costs £12,185 more than the Renault 5. For that premium it adds 35 kW more power. The Renault 5 is not just cheaper - it also offers 30 kW faster peak rapid charging, 66 litres more boot space and 1 more seat (5 versus 4). On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Renault 5 comes out ahead overall.

The Renault 5 is £12,185 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £144 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Renault 5 comes out roughly £12,305 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 129 miles for the BMW i3 and 160 miles for the Renault 5 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Renault 5 goes roughly 30 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 42 minutes in the BMW i3 and 31 in the Renault 5, so the Renault 5 loses less time at each stop. That makes the Renault 5 the stronger long-distance car.

The BMW i3 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 33 mm narrower than the Renault 5. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 625 mm of total clearance for the BMW i3 and about 592 mm of total clearance for the Renault 5. The BMW i3 also turns in a 0.4 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 88% battery health for the BMW i3 and 84% for the Renault 5. That gives the BMW i3 a modest edge in retained real-world range. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.