Renault R5 Turbo 3E crowned 'Best Retro EV' at the Top Gear Electric Awards 2023

April 8, 2023 by Renault

• Renault R5 Turbo 3E wins the 'Best Retro EV' category at the Top Gear Electric Awards 2023

•Drift-loving 100% electric concept impresses judges with supercar-style swagger and engaging driving experience

•Influenced by the original Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 but 'remastered' for a new audience

•Core to the 'Renaulution' strategy and demonstrates the brand's aim to make EVs with wide appeal

•Road-going production version of the Renault 5 Prototype scheduled for launch in 2024

The Renault R5 Turbo 3E E-Tech 100% electric has been crowned the 'Best Retro EV' at the Top Gear Electric Awards 2023, after inspiring the judges with its supercar character and electrifying driving experience.

This year, with no shortage of challengers to choose from, the Top Gear judges were looking for something a little different. Beyond simple notions such as value or range, the panel of experienced road-testers and journalists were keen to reward entrants who genuinely moved the game on. They found that in the R5 Turbo 3E.

'The Turbo 3E is not only a proper celebration of what went before, but has more confidence and swagger about it than a supercar. It's also more engaging than almost any other EV we've driven,' said Ollie Marriage, Top Gear's Head of Car Testing.

The R5 Turbo 3E is propelled by two rear-mounted electric motors that generate the equivalent of 380hp and 700Nm of torque. Built on a bespoke FIA-compliant tubular spaceframe chassis and powered by a specially-designed 42kWh battery pack, the R5 Turbo 3E has been purpose-made for drifting.

Carbon-fibre bodywork with pronounced flared wheel-arches, slick drift-happy tyres, and an aggressive aerodynamics package make it clear the R5 Turbo 3E is always ready for action. A series of strategically-placed camera mounts mean its on-track heroics can be easily recorded and shared.

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The stripped-back interior with racing bucket seats covered in tartan fabric harks back to the original R5 Turbo, while its playful spirit is amplified by a digital dashboard that includes a series of widgets such as a drift distance meter and a 'battle' mode.

The R5 Turbo 3E celebrates the brand's past innovations while looking unmistakably to the future. Closely related to the Renault 5 Prototype which previews the new Renault 5 scheduled for 2024, both demonstrate the brand's ambition to make electric cars with wide appeal.

Guillaume Sicard, Country Head UK & Managing Director Renault Brand UK, added: 'We are thrilled to receive this award from the Top Gear team. It recognises how Renault continues to innovate, in this case by showing off its fun side as it brings one of its past greats bang up to date to appeal to a whole new audience. That's a key part of our ambitious Renaulution strategy, to ensure electric vehicles appeal to everyone.'