Renault’s electric Megane has had a facelift and a growth spurt

Renault has fitted its Megane E-Tech with a new 67kWh lithium iron phosphate battery during its mid-life update, meaning it now claims 310 miles of WLTP range. That’s an increase of around 25 miles on the pre-facelift version, but it also means that – despite a fancy cell-to-pack architecture – the whole car is now 20mm taller.

Heavier too, we’d imagine. In fact, the 0-62mph time has also increased by a tenth to 7.6 seconds with the same 217bhp motor driving the front wheels. Don’t race the old one between the lights. You’ll spend less time at a charger though, because DC rapid charging capability increases from 130kW to 165kW. A 15 to 80 per cent top up now takes 24 minutes, and we’re told that the springs, dampers and steering have all been tweaked too.

On the outside the design is apparently now ‘sharper’, so everything up front other than the headlights is new. You’ll spot the new diamond-shaped running lights and the new bumper with more body colour. There’s also a repositioned Renault badge and a larger fake grille between the lights.

No word on UK pricing yet, but we are told the range will now consist of just two trims. Techno will be the entry level with 19in wheels, a heat pump and two 12-ish-inch screens inside running Google built-in. The fancier Esprit Alpine adds 20in alloys, massaging seats and a Harman Kardon audio system.