Renault Zoe taken off sale in UK after 11 years

The Renault Zoe has been removed from sale in the UK after 11 years, with production of the small electric car set to end for good in March 2024. 

The final version of the Zoe will be built in France on 30 March. Production of the Smart Forfour-based electric Twingo, which was never sold in the UK, will end at the same time.

A Renault spokesperson told Autocar that production of the Zoe was coming to an end to effectively make way for the new Renault 5 electric hatchback, which will be revealed in production form at the Geneva motor show in February. 

It was confirmed last year that the Zoe wouldn't be replaced, despite its position as the best-selling EV in its home country.

The Zoe remained technically competitive against its rivals well into its production run, offering a 52kWh battery and a range of 238 miles on a single charge.

Incidentally, the new 5 will also be equipped with a 52kWh battery, offering 248 miles of range. 

More than 30,000 Zoes were sold in the UK and more than 380,000 in Europe altogether. It was the top-selling EV in Europe for two years, topping the sales charts in 2015 and 2016. More than 100,000 sales were in France alone.

In 2021, the updated Zoe made headlines for becoming just the third car in history to be handed a zero-star Euro NCAP safety rating, following a five-star verdict for the original car in 2013. 

Renault product performance boss Bruno Vanel recently told Autocar it would be expensive to update the Zoe to comply with the EU's new GSR2 safety standards. 

The manufacturer is now focused on a mix of hybrid and electric cars, which will co-exist for the foreseeable future.

The Zoe was Renault’s only dedicated EV for several years, but it now sells the Mégane E-Tech hatchback and will add the Scenic crossover, 5 supermini and 4 baby crossover.