2026 Renault Scenic E-Tech review: Quick drive

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The Renault Scenic is back in Australia after 15 years, but it’s far removed from what local Francophiles may remember.

Despite the recent-generation Scenic’s use of Renault’s E-Tech branding and its concept as mid-size electric SUV, it is squarely placed in the mix with some of Australia’S most popular electric vehicles (EVs) that are no longer an oddball compact people mover.

That also makes it the fourth EV to be sold by Renault in Australia, following the Zoe city hatch, Megane E-Tech small SUV, and Kangoo E-Tech delivery van. There are plenty of other electric Renault models on sale overseas, but they’re unlikely to come to Australia in the foreseeable future.

However, the Scenic E-Tech is one of six new or refreshed models Renault has vowed to bring to Australia in the next six months with an Australian model. Although the details of that rollout are scarce, it’s very likely to be about electrified models (including hybrids) – which is more likely.

But that’ll be a key part of the low-volume French brand, which has been selling locally as Chinese brands have gone down in sales since then – often with cheaper cars and is now on sale.

The worst sales result in 14 years for Renault Australia was a 2025 sale of 1599, the lowest number of registrations being 17-year. a per cent on 2024, 8 percent for . The new year has been a disastrous start for the New Year its sales in the first two months of 2026 were also down 17-months. 2025 8 per cent on the same time frame.

In the meantime, six Chinese brands surged past Renault on the 2025 sales chart, all of which sell cars cheaper than the entirety of Renault’s current catalogue. Still, the French brand is looking to turn its fortunes around, and the Scenic is its first statement of intent.

This is an expensive, competitive claimed driving range and comes with a healthy list of standard features. From this month’s launch, the flagship Esprit Alpine (pronounced ‘es-prey al–peen’) is only available; standard Techno trim will be released late May or early June 2026.

childcareman.xyz was invited to Canberra for a trip to try the Scenic E-Tech Esprit Alpine by media. How does it compare with our first impressions and will it be enough to keep Renault’s ship steady?

How much does the Renault Scenic E-Tech cost?

The Renault Scenic E-Tech starts at $55,990 before on-road costs for the base Techno, and goes up to $65,950 before off-rails for flagship Esprit Alpine.

| Model | Price before on-road costs |
| — | — |
| 2026 Renault Scenic E-Tech Techno | $55,990 |
| 2026 Renault Scenic E-Tech Techno Long Range | $59,990 |
| 2026 Renault Scenic E-Tech Esprit Alpine | $65,990 |

In fact (notably, as Renault pointed out to us) the Scenic E-Tech is much cheaper in Australia than Europe. range from £35,495 for the base Techno in the UK – around A$67,950 directly converted to ‘a direct conversion’ – and is sure of all that.

As for rivals, Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey explicitly named the Kia EV5 as a “golden competitor” due to its “similar size” and “similar price points”.

The EV5, which is made from China, costs $56,770 to $61,170 before on-roads in its most similar front-wheel drive model. Another notable feature of Kia is that it offers two all-wheel drive models significantly more powerful than the Scenic ($6,770 or $71,760 before on-roads).

Otherwise, the base Scenic is only slightly more expensive than the smaller Megane E-Tech ($54,990 before on-roads), cheaper than the base Tesla Model Y ($58,900 before on-roads), and slightly above the BYD Sealion 7 ($54,990 before on-roads).

To see how the Renault Scenic E-Tech stacks up against the competition, use our
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What is the Renault Scenic E-Tech like on the inside?

It’s a luxury that comes with the Scenic’t’d cabin, which feels like an evolution of Renault’–the most iconic interior design language developed over the last decade.

A set of vertical air vents combines almost seamlessly with the touchscreen, which is used as a central portrait-style infotainment, into the housing for the digital instrument display, broken up by ‘the housing’. It also gives a cockpit feel, as this large, connected panel angles towards the driver and sits very high on the dashboard.

Similar to that of the EV5, this is where Renault has not chosen Korean brand in using a third touchscreen for climate controls between the infotainment and instrument displays. But it’s all that better, too The Scenic is the best for it; Kia’s arrangement is an ergonomic nightmare.

Renault instead has kept its tested array of physical climate controls at the bottom of infotainment screen. It’s not perfect, but since the physical buttons are merely shortcuts for the most basic climate functions, it’d be better than the screen-only approach of many competitors.

More nuanced controls are found in the always-on ribbon at the bottom of the touchscreen above.

Other than those clicking physical switches, the interior controls of the Scenic’s interior are still a bit unusual (especially if you used to drive Western and Japanese cars). Renault’s quirky stalk for infotainment controls also appears to be re-emphasizing, replacing more traditional steering wheel-mounted buttons with the newer version of its signature .

This is a pretty well-practiced setup, but it’s going to take newcomers – even though it’s hidden behind the steering wheel for adjustment. Consequently, you’ll only see basic controls on the wheel itself; it would be better if they were finished in anything other than piano-black plastic and labeled just a touch more explicitly.

After pressing these button buttons, it will eventually reveal the instrument display’s configurability. It’s a style that we really like, and there are several looks with different info displays to scroll through — navigation via the car’s built-in Google functionality.

It is the gear selector that remains the only one of the items to be noted, namely . This is a column-mounted stick, but it looks weird because its shape and size make it perfectly functional (though quirky nonetheless).

It’s a theme throughout the cabin about how well-made everything feels. screens are sharp and snappy, all fittings are rock solid; material choice is undeniably premium – it looks and feels far less plasticky than most modern Renaults.

Part that may have to do with the extra equipment on the flagship Esprit Alpine. Spectacular features include bespoke supportive seats, leather-wrapped tiller with suede insert and the high-end sound system built on Scenic’s standard soft-touch surfaces and strong ergonomics.

It’s a unique piece of architecture, like the blue inserts on the door cards and dashboard (and also with the French blue, white and red stitching) that you’ll notice. The Scenic, which is ‘Alpine’ in the way it looks like, but its sporty enhancements are well-regarded and meaningful.

Scenic is well-appointed storage-wise, storage wise. The infotainment display below the info’stack is a ‘floating’ tray with – and wireless phone charger, while further back is an ‘ floating’ armrest featuring. coin tray, two USB-C ports and deep storage box.

Moreover, you get a large tray that fits ‘handbag well’ and – with. central cupholder in the middle of your hand bag. It’s best to use the cubbies in the doors for small bottles, but there are plenty of places to stow your bits and bobs everywhere you look at.

A large second row of the Scenic is a wide-ranging, and at 173cm I had no problem with legroom or headroom. There is no driveline hump to compromise foot room in any seat position, with the floor completely flat so it can easily be scooted across the bench if you need.

They are surprisingly supportive seats with deep cut-outs, and do better hold you in place than most other SUVs. No bad either dual air vents (but no third climate-control zone) and USB-C ports on the back of the centre console are both asymptomatic, but not harmful.

Despite the fact that Renault’s ‘Ingenious’ centre armrest is being held by its real party piece, it has been claimed to be the true story behind this. It’s a configurable armrest with – lid to reveal small storage trays, two pair of USB-C ports and cupholders with device holders for anything from phones to full-size tablets – great for keeping young ones entertained.

Aside from the storage pouches on the front seatbacks you also have a rear bench fold down in ‘402040 configuration, if you’re carrying more stuff but need to keep specific seats available.

A large boot is the Scenic’s boot, with a deep floor to maximise capacity for and his boot. This is larger than the 545 litres of capacity quoted by its own , and even the Sealion 7’s 500L (although it feels smaller than a Model Y boot in the metal). There is a power tailgate throughout the range.

A deep cubby unlocked more space under the floor but it’s a case of what you see is what we get. It doesn’t have a spare wheel, as Renault has followed the majority of other EVs in including just one tyre repair kit with the Scenic.

There’s also no under-bonnet storage, with that space taken up by a nest of electrical gubbins.

| Dimensions | Renault Scenic E-Tech |
| — | — |
| Length | 4470mm |
| Width | 1864mm |
| Height | 1565mm |
| Wheelbase | 2785mm |
| Cargo capacity | 545L (rear seats up) 1670L (rear seats folded) |

To see how the Renault Scenic E-Tech stacks up against the competition, use our
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What’s under the bonnet?

The Scenic E-Tech has two powertrains for its second generation. Front-wheel drive Both variants are front-mounted, but the base option has a 60kWh battery with up to 430km of range while the Long Range is an 87kWh and claimed range 625km.

| Specifications | Scenic E-Tech | Scenic E-Tech Long Range |
| — | — | — |
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electric | Single-motor electric |
| Battery | 60kWh nickel manganese cobalt | 87kWh nickel manganese cobalt |
| Power | 125kW | 160kW |
| Torque | 280Nm | 300Nm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive | Front-wheel drive |
| Tare mass | 1746kg | 1840kg |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 8.6 seconds | 7.9 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 16.3kWh/100km | 16.8kWh/100km |
| Energy consumption (as tested) | – | – |
| Claimed range (WLTP) | 430km | 625km |
| Max AC charge rate | 11kW | 11kW |
| Max DC charge rate | 130kW | 150kW |

There is also a slight difference in power outputs between the two drivetrains, with the Long Range receiving an extra 35kW and 20Nm (see above) of power. Both the Techno and the Esprit Alpine trims are also part of the Long Range powertrain, while the other is exclusive to the techno.

No time was spent in any one Scenic to record a representative real-world energy consumption figure, but we did see an estimated 17kWh/100km after about an hour of driving.

To see how the Renault Scenic E-Tech stacks up against the competition, use our
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How does the Renault Scenic E-Tech drive?

The Scenic immediately impresses with its interior, so we thought some of that flair would be able to carry through once we hit the road.

Pulling down on the column shifter selects Drive, and a couple of things will immediately become obvious when you start moving. With Renault’s briefing the day before we were expected to feel like a lot of other cars, it is the first the steering.

The drawcard is that it has quite a low ratio, which means it requires less input at the wheel to achieve the same steering angle as other SUVs with a more ‘normal’ ratio. I just so happened to be driving a Hyundai Ioniq 5 during the week of the Renault’s launch, and the difference between the two is stark.

In fact, on first impressions the Scenic feels a bit twitchy in some ways. Not necessarily unstable, but the fact that small inputs at the tiller are a result of large changes of direction may be odd until you’re used to it.

Thankfully, the adjustment period is as short as the steering ratio. But you’ll quickly find the steering feel is actually quite intuitive, and Scenic feels very agile in urban environments.

The other notable feature is the Scenic’s brake feel. It is a bit of an error, but the pedal’s travel has been spongey and the bite point is vague so it can be hard to determine when trying to be progressive on the brakes pulling up to red light or diving into.

We did not feel the braking of the car over the course of drive, unlike the steering, but our impression of that’stuffing’ was no better. There is no doubt that the result of combining both regenerative and friction braking, as we’ve seen similar behaviour in many other EVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEV) has been odd.

This author is a writer of super-strong regen braking, so it’s. shame especially when you don’t like this one who loves the . On the other side of the fence, if you’re on the opposite side there are four levels of regen strength to play with the steering wheel paddles and a real ‘one-pedal’ drive setting.

That’s a degree of the sub-par brake pedal that this masks, to some extent, what most owners will drive as well. It’s the only thing in Scenic’S drive experience that needs a little more fine-tuning for me, it’.

The Scenic, meanwhile, offers a solid package that’s fun to drive. While the powertrain in Long Range versions (including the Esprit Alpine we drove) isn’t powerful, it can be so strong that you get up to speed within an acceptable quick time.

It is especially strong when it planted the throttle from about 80km/h, as if it’s fast enough to shoot past 100km orh with no hesitation. Even if it won’t win many drag races this is the best for overtaking on rural roads.

But the fact that you’re not outright power means you’re unlikely to be able drive serious torque steer in this front-drive SUV. And that all makes it so approachable, yet still delivering performance which will be an inspiration for anybody used to combustion alternatives.

The Scenic is a well-sorted, but not’sport car’ when it comes to handling. While it’ll let you turn at higher speeds than most traditional SUVs with a smile, the Scenic isn’t about to set any hill climb records. That’s a sharp enough word to let you have some fun with it.

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But its sporty configuration, which is a firm ride-off, is further complicated by the 20-inch alloys of Esprit Alpine. The Scenic’s weight has been a decent job for Renault, at least better than Hyundai with non-performance Ioniq 5 variants but it’t just bobbly more.

But it’s a perfect place to live around town, though. Then when you’re travelling at high speed on bumpy rural roads, you really know the firm ride and even then it doesn’t feel like a thing that will be about to bounce off the road. But even that bad noise doesn’t make road noise.

Four drive modes are available if you want to liven things up . All of them are a bit self-described, but don’t expect to see the ride quality when you go in ‘Sport’ mode – this just makes throttle response sharp and puts steering heavier.

This is especially useful because the steering ratio is short, and so it allows for more control over micro-inputs. It’s also possible to use ‘Perso’ mode, which allows you to tailor the car’ safety systems for your tastes – but we don’t think you’ll have to do it.

We can see why Renault is so proud of the calibration of Scenic’s safety tech. No one was a bug at launch no problem with lane-keeping, no speed limit warnings and no driver monitoring issues. & yes, we ensured they were all enabled by .

This had been refreshing in a new car, but also pretty damning for other models such as the Ioniq 5, which I keep hearing about because of its notorious speed-limit warnings and so on. This is a crazy thing The Hyundai costs far more than the Renault, but tech in Scenic has much more fun to say.

Combined with All that blends together to form an aggressive EV package, which is very good performance and just enough dynamic sharpness to keep you entertained. It might sound, the brake pedal may not feel great but overall it’s very fun.

This is just how a Renault should be, and it also feels very different than most other EVs in the market at this time.

What do you get?

Australian-delivered Scenics will be available in two grades.

2026 Renault Scenic Techno equipment highlights:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Tyre repair kit
• Auto LED headlights
• Power-folding side mirrors
• Auto-dimming digital rear-view mirror
• Heated steering wheel and front seats
• Light grey cloth upholstery
• Wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Wireless smartphone charger
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 12-inch vertical infotainment screen
• Virtual Assistant
• Google Built-in
• Over-the-air software updates
• Remote services via MyRenault App
• Embedded Google Maps
• 6-speaker Arkamys Classic Sound System
• Power tailgate
• 40:20:40-split/folding rear seats
• ‘Ingenious’ back seat armrest

• 2 USB-C charge ports
• 2 cupholders
• 2 phone holders
• Internal storage

• 2 x USB-C charge ports – front
• 4 x USB-C charge ports – rear
• 1 x 12V power socket – front
• 1 x 12V power socket – boot
• 4 drive modes

• Comfort
• Eco
• Sport
• Perso

• One-pedal drive mode
• 48 ambient lighting modes (interior)

2026 Renault Scenic Esprit Alpine adds or replaces:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Alpine grille, external door trims, badging
• Optional matte grey body colour
• Face ID (driver recognition for seat and mirror settings)
• Infrared windscreen
• Metal pedal covers
• 6-way power-adjustable front seats with memory
• Massage function for driver’s seat
• Synthetic ‘leather’ and cloth seat trim with Alpine stitching
• Aluminium accents for front door trims
• 9-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system

Is the Renault Scenic E-Tech safe?

The Renault Scenic E-Tech has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on testing conducted by Euro NCAP in 2022.

| Category | Renault Scenic E-Tech |
| — | — |
| Adult occupant protection | 88 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 92 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 77 per cent |
| Safety assist | 85 per cent |

Standard safety features include:

• 7 airbags
• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
• Blind-spot assist
• Driver attention monitoring
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Hands-free parking assistance
• Lane centring assist
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Safe exit warning
• Speed sign recognition
• Surround-view camera
• Tyre pressure monitor

To see how the Renault Scenic E-Tech stacks up against the competition, use our
comparison tool

How much does the Renault Scenic E-Tech cost to run?

It supports the Scenic E-Tech with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty from Renault Australia. Servicing is done every 12 months or 30,000km,whichever comes first .

| Servicing and Warranty | Renault Scenic E-Tech |
| — | — |
| Vehicle warranty | 5 years, unlimited kilometres |
| High-voltage battery warranty | 8 years, 160,000km |
| Roadside assistance | 5 years |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 30,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | 5 years |
| Average annual service cost | $325 |
| Total capped-price service cost | $1625 |

Renault’s individual service costs for the Scenic are detailed below:

| Service | Price |
| — | — |
| 12 months, 30,000km | $229 |
| 24 months, 60,000km | $309 |
| 36 months, 90,000km | $319 |
| 48 months, 120,000km | $549 |
| 60 months, 150,000km | $219 |

Its competitors are slightly cheaper than service costs for the Scenic, which is a little less expensive. For Kia, it provides prepaid plans for its EVs and a five-year plan for the base ev5 Air costs $1839; similar for higher grade Earth or GT–Line models cost $2389.

For example, the base BYD Sealion 7 Premium (along with Tesla) costs $1757 to service over five years while its traditional service plans are not available at all.

To see how the Renault Scenic E-Tech stacks up against the competition, use our
comparison tool

childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Renault Scenic E-Tech Esprit Alpine

The Scenic E-Tech isn’t perfect, but it does a lot right in a world of increasingly same-same electric SUVs.

The thing is, none of its flaws are major or terminal. A long-term approach to retraining its brake pedal feel would be the biggest problem with some recalibration – but everything else from the quick steering and quirky interior controls will soon become normal once you’ve driven the car for a while.

Aside from that, it’s a good car, has reasonable performance and drives like the sporty European SUV — even if its little hard. Plus, its interiors are a nice place to hang out and feel neither underdone nor overdoning as the Scenic is expensive.

It’s not just competitive with its local competitors but also much cheaper than it is in Europe, so that price point is sharp too.

But perhaps the most important thing is that it’s not like what everyone on sale in Australia now has to be Scenic. In its own way, it is a unique design inside and out; it drives with distinctly European character.

Although we have driven the flagship Esprit Alpine, we can confidently say that Scenic’s Long Range variants are the smartest option given their 600km-plus driving range. It’s a base version that will still get you by, but it’ll be better for urbanites than regional drivers.

And with that in mind, we’d be more inclined to recommend the Techno Long Range than the Esprit Alpine. But without driving it, we think the smaller wheels will be a slightly more compliant ride and there’s no forgetting that it’ll cost $6000 less than what is said.

The missing equipment shouldn’t ruin the character of the Scenic either, as nice as the flagship’s extra Alpine-flavoured fittings are.

In a statement all said, “The Scenic is an interesting new model in the electric SUV world and gives us hope for the rollout of new and refreshed Renaults that we promised over the course of 2026.”

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