Vive la Clio! Renault's new sixth-generation supermini is coming to the UK in 2027

Renault’s renaissance has been built on smartly executed electrified reboots of catalogue classics like the 4 and 5. But the Clio has no intention of being overshadowed, even if its continued existence was by no means a slam dunk. There’s life yet in a combustion-engined supermini with a manual gearbox, and we’re good with that even if it’s Renault’s successful EV strategy that’s actually made it possible.

Mind you, the numbers are persuasive. Renault has sold almost 17 million Clios across five generations in 120 countries since the car arrived 35 years ago, 1.3 million of them in the UK. In Europe, it’s the best-selling car for the first half of the year. Welcome, then, to the sixth generation, bigger (inevitably), powered by cleverly evolved and efficient combustion engines, with the full panoply of the technology and connectivity that the market simply can’t live without these days.

The new car sits on the group CMF-B platform (related to but distinct from the EV one), and the UK will get two powertrains although more are available in Europe. The star engine is a new 1.8-litre E-tech hybrid that makes 158bhp, and uses two compact electric motors that pony up 151lb ft of torque, fed by a 1.4kWh battery. This helps reduce emissions to 89g/km and delivers a combined fuel consumption of 72mpg. Renault reckons the new hybrid will use e-mode in typical urban driving for about 80 per cent of the time. It also points to Formula One learning, with 15 possible pairings between the ICE and the electric motor depending on driver mood. The engine is a product of Horse Powertrain, a joint venture between Renault and Geely.

The entry level car is powered by a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, good for 114bhp and only available in the UK with a manual gearbox. See, someone’s still doing it. (A six-speed dual-clutch auto is an option in Europe. That’ll be the one you rent on holiday, then.) The steering is faster than before and there are various drive modes, in the customary Renault fashion.

Do Renault’s post-modern retro proclivities with the 4 and 5 pave the way for a radical reinterpretation of the Clio? Not exactly. It’s grown: at 4.1m long, it’s 67mm longer than the outgoing car, 39mm wider, and 11mm taller. Its electric siblings can do the cute thing; on this sixth-gen Clio, it’s more in-your-face and consequently less chic than you might expect for a small French car.

The front’s kinda busy, if you ask us, but at least it’s not anonymous or amorphous. The side profile is stronger, the view across the rear three-quarters better still. The roofline tapers nicely and the door handles are recessed to deliver a quasi-coupe silhouette. We also like the shoulder line above the rear lights and the blister below them. Black wheelarches and funky 18in alloys nudge it in a sportier direction (though no amount of trying will get it close to our beloved mid-Nineties Clio Williams – the hot hatch lodestar). Seven colour options are available at launch, two of which are grey. The 5, it seems, has the pop colourways to itself. Renault Sport is still an active concern but there’s no word yet on whether the new Clio will spawn a genuine hot hatch derivative.

Inside, Renault’s Open R Link multimedia system has a double 10.1in screen set-up, with Google built-in. So that encompasses Google Maps, Google Assistant voice control, and Google Play for access to more than 100 Apps. The connectivity and tech story is strong. There’s wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality, with a wireless charging pad on higher-spec cars. Owners get 2GB of free data a month for three years, and the apps are integrated into the infotainment system so you don’t need to rely on your phone.

It’s the now familiar Renault setup, but the Clio leans a little more into luxury than its pure electric siblings. There are new materials in the dashboard, which features LED lighting with a choice of 48 different colours. This sort of ambient variation was the preserve of much higher end cars not so long ago. There’s also a cool looking illuminated section in the interior door panels.

The ‘esprit alpine’ trim level replaces fabric with Alcantara, and introduces a burnt metal finish. More of the interior is made of recycled materials, more than 85 per cent in the top level trim. A new seat design is also big on sustainability, and has colour-coded top stitching. This does not feel like a cheap car.

Plump for the Harman Kardon audio and you get the option of five different sound profiles developed by French electronic music pioneer, Jean-Michel Jarre (a one-man French version of Kraftwerk – you’ll know Oxygène Pt.4 even if you don’t recognise the name). The size increase means more space inside, which is where the new Clio definitely scores over the 4 and 5, being able to comfortably accommodate five people. There’s more interior storage space, two USB-C sockets upfront, wireless charging, and 12V socket in the rear. The boot can swallow up to 391 litres.

Depending on the trim level – Evolution, Techno or Esprit Alpine – the new car adds more ADAS features, with up to 29 available. These include active driver assist with intelligent adaptive cruise control, reverse emergency braking and, in a first for Renault (in Europe at least), emergency stop assist which brings the car to a complete halt if the driver becomes unwell or inactive. If all this gives you the driving equivalent of the ick, a My Safety Switch button means you can switch off two of up to five ADAS functions. Of course, all this stuff is part of the EU’s General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2) which mandates increasingly sophisticated/irritating driver assistance systems. The new Clio has an interior camera that monitors driver fatigue and distraction, a set-up that includes a safety coach and a scoring system to encourage safer driving. This is Renault cocking a snook at Euro NCAP’s increasingly Draconian policing of the car industry, and shifts some of the responsbility back onto the driver.

The new Clio won’t arrive in the UK until early 2027 – don’t underestimate the cost and hassle of engineering right-hand drive – and seeks to carve out a clear space between itself and its more extrovert electric siblings. Efficient combustion and a manual ’box in an affordable small car? This time-honoured recipe isn’t done yet.