Renault Mégane electric test: the truth test on its autonomy

The electric Mégane E-Tech is an event in the world of battery-powered cars since Renault has a long experience in this field with the Zoé. This Mégane 2022 is built on a new platform dedicated to electric propulsion and its chassis incorporates the LG battery pack in its floor. Its driving pleasure convinced us during its first test, now it’s time for the autonomy test on our 249 km course separated into two types of journeys: motorway and road (see infographic below with test protocol).

For this test, the electric Mégane is presented in its EV60 version with a power of 220 hp with the largest battery available (60 useful kWh). It appears here in the high-end Iconic finish, which raises its price to €45,900 and limits its bonus to €2,000. To take advantage of the maximum bonus of €6,000, it will be wiser to aim for the finish below (Techno already very well endowed, see equipment on the following page), which remains below the €45,000 mark, at €43,200 exactly. Note that the two bonuses will be reduced by 1 000 € on 1^er July 2022.

What range on the highway?

We set off from our starting point at the Croissy-Beaubourg terminal (Seine-et-Marne) with the battery charged at 90%. Cool weather (11°C) is in the lower part of our protocol, which calls for tests between 10 and 30°C to properly compare all vehicles with each other. The driving cockpit of this Renault is modern and the new steering wheel is fun to hold. However, it is the ride comfort that stands out the most thanks to the supple suspension and the absence of vibrations. On the sound side, there are a few aerodynamic whispers at the level of the windshield pillars, but nothing too serious.

Over the 109 km of this route, we used 45% of the battery, which corresponds to a consumption of 24.8 kWh/100 km taking into account the useful capacity available. This speed is above those of the Hyundai Kona Electric, Tesla Model 3 and Volkswagen ID.3 tested on the same route but with milder temperatures. The low temperature alone cannot explain the disappointing result of the Mégane, which induces a motorway autonomy of only 242 km. Knowing that you can never use 100% of the battery for fear of failure and that charging beyond 80% is long and not recommended on a fast terminal, it will be necessary to count on less than 200 km between two terminals. Journeys in the electric Mégane promise to be very long, not always at 130 km/h… and stressful given the current state of the network of high-capacity terminals on the motorways.

* Values ​​calculated according to the percentage of battery consumed (here 45%) and its useful capacity (60 kWh).

What range on the road?

We take advantage of the switch to the Ionity fast terminal to bring the battery back to 80% (read the chapter on fast charging below). This second road trip reveals a new facet of the electric Mégane: its pleasant behavior. The very direct steering is a success; it brings agility and precision to driving. The mass of more than 1 700 kg is not felt too much and the times are of a very good level with the Comfort mode that we favored throughout this test. Moreover, in terms of performance, this Mégane is tonic with 220 hp, 300 Nm of immediate torque and a 0 to 100 km/h achieved in 7.4 s.

The suspension is less soft than on the ribbon of the highway, but the firmness of the damping on the asperities remains very suitable. On the other hand, when passing the few wet stretches of road during our test, motor skills proved fallible, which multiplies the interventions of the ESP when exiting a bend. There is a point to improve here. As for the braking, it is easier to dose than on the majority of electric cars, but the sensation does not offer the naturalness of conventional braking on a thermal model (that is to say without the management constraint between the regenerative and friction braking).

On this journey, we appreciate the use of the small paddles behind the steering wheel to modulate the regenerative force according to the profile of the road (entrance to the village, large curves, etc.). On the left, the engine brake is increased, and therefore energy recovery, but without the car coming to a complete stop. On the right, the recovery is reduced until rolling in freewheel mode (the most fluid in our eyes). Note that the Mégane does not have predictive driving that optimizes efficiency according to traffic, like what Volkswagen offers with its ID.3. At the end of our road trip, we have consumed 38% of the battery, and consumption is 16.5 kWh/100 km. In these conditions, autonomy on the road is 364 km. It’s correct but quite far from the WLTP mixed autonomy which announces 433 km for our version.

* Values ​​calculated according to the percentage of battery consumed (here 38%) and its useful capacity (60 kWh).

Charging time and cost

In the EV60 Super Charge version, the electric Mégane is equipped with a 7 kW on-board charger for alternating current (AC) public terminals, and you have to add 1,500 € to have the model 22 kW. Unsurprisingly, charging at home on a 2.3 kW socket is interminable (about 30 hours), but installing a 7.4 kW Wallbox reduces this time to 9 hours.

With a peak power of 130 kW for direct current (DC) charging, the Mégane Super Charge is one of the good students in its category (an ID.3 announces 120 kW). But, as often, the maximum charging power does not last long. It depends on the level of the battery and its temperature at the time of connection, or even the flow rate of the charging station if other users are connected. We did two fast charging tests on two different Ionity terminals with the Mégane and found that the charging power dropped quickly.

In the most favorable case, where we arrived with an 18% battery on an Ionity 350 kW station without any other user, the evolution showed a too rapid drop in power between 20 and 30% of the battery (graph below below). Suddenly, the French does not respect the charging times announced by its manufacturer on fast terminal. But she is not the only one in this case.

During our session, the battery went from 18 to 80% in 38 minutes, while Renault announces 30 minutes to go from 10 to 80%. And as Ionity invoices in France at the connected time (0.87 €/min), this charge cost us 33.10 € with our chargemap card without preferential rate. It’s simply overpriced, knowing that the recovered electricity (43 kWh) corresponds to 180 km of motorway. It is obviously untenable and Renault, which does not have an agreement with Ionity, proposes either solutions via their Mobilize card to reduce the bill, or the rental of a thermal car for 20 days a year (as part of funding). The second proposal demonstrates realism given the limited radius of action of the electric Megane on the highway.

And autonomy in the city?

We do not measure range in the city, as it is no longer an issue for electric vehicles: the environment is favorable to measured consumption (gentle accelerations, numerous decelerations and stopping times), the average daily mileage is low and the density of charging stations is adequate. We can even estimate that with the autonomy observed today and the average daily mileage it is possible to last a week with a charge. As an indication, we observed a consumption of 15.4 kWh over 95 km in the Paris region (city driving and urban roads).

Find the results of the test, the technical sheet and the equipment on the next page.