Along with the Kangoo Van, Renault will also dispatch the Fluence Zero Emission into the market, showing its commitment to green motoring.

The Fluence sedan goes on sale in mid-2012 and Reanult expects it to become as big a success as LEAF for Nissan. It might not be as advance as the LEAF, but it certainly isn’t as weird-looking also. In fact the Fluence is a rather decent car.

The width of Fluence Z.E. is the same as that of the internal combustion-engined version, which means its cabin is as spacious as that of a saloon car from the next segment up, including elbow room (1,480mm front/1,475mm rear). There’s also lots of cubbyholes and storage spaces inside the cabin. It is a proper family car.

The powertrain is the same as in the Kangoo with the same 226 N of torque, but here it generated more power, 70 kW or 95 hp. That power will be enough for you inside the city. You will not be taking the Fluence Z.E. outside the town becasue of its NEDC combined cycle range of 115 miles. That might not even be enough for urban use, let alone motorways!

Renault Fluence Z.E. Pricing will be £22,850 on the road.

Fluence Z.E. features a raft of useful technologies, such as an integrated navigation system, networked and adapted for electric vehicles, Bluetooth® telephony and dual-zone automatic climate control, plus automatic headlight and wiper activation. In order to make them easier to use, these systems are perfectly integrated to ensure outstanding ergonomics: controls for the radio, telephone and cruise control, for example, can be reached without moving one’s hands from the steering wheel.

Summary of purchase and battery hire prices

Fluence Z.E. Prime Time      £22,850 on the road

Less PiGC          £5,000

Net price           £17,850

Monthly battery hire (3 years, 9,000 miles per annum)     £81.00