Renault 5 - long-term review

Someone has nicked the rear number plate from TG’s long-term Renault 5. Argh! And perhaps even more frustratingly, we can only assume that it was done for a laugh, because if there’s one car we doubt anyone is looking to clone for criminal activity, it’s probably our bright yellow Renault 5.

Anyway, you could say that the timing was rather convenient, because the plate was pinched just days before the car was due in for its first service. A quick call to Renault London West confirmed that it could print a new one, and that it’d be ready before the appointment so that I could bring our R5 in legally. An easy fix, and only £7.20 for the new tag. Better luck next time, crims!

Of course, I did have to part with a bit more cash for the service. Renault does offer plans for the R5: prices start at £9.99 per month for three years of servicing and run up to £16.99 per month for four years, one MOT test and a year of extended warranty. But because the keys are soon to be prised from my hands, I opted for the one-off, pay as you go option at £217.11.

Sounds pricey, no? I thought so too, so had a look back to see how much the last EV we had serviced set us back. That was £151.20 for the Top Gear Garage MG Cyberster in 2025. Hmm.

The so-called ‘Type A’ first-year service on a hybrid Renault Clio is also £217.11, which seems a little cheeky. Surely with far fewer moving parts the electric city car should be cheaper to service than the complex hybrid?

Anyway, booking in was straightforward through the My Renault app and there was plenty of availability at the local dealer. A flood of confirmation texts and phone calls followed to ensure I wouldn’t miss the appointment.

Other than the car park at Renault London West being extremely tight, drop off was equally simple and I elected to wait while the work was carried out. Main dealer observations? Well, the coffee was passable, the WiFi was quick enough for me to get some work done, and the R5-branded fußball table was tempting enough to ensure that wasn’t quite as much work as I would have hoped.

And yes it was a Tuesday morning just after half term, but worryingly few people wandered into the showroom to browse cars, even with a plethora of different bewinged Alpine A110s out front.

So here’s an idea, Renault. Remember those goofy inflatable air dancer things? Well, no matter how good your new retro hatchback is, those guys are always going to draw a bigger crowd. Any jobs going in the marketing department?