With the title of Europe’s best-selling electric vehicle in 2017 to defend, the new 2018 Renault ZOE electric city car needed a good-sized upgrade. It has got that in form of a new R110 electric motor, which is a little bit more powerful than the outgoing R90 unit. 

The R110 motor in the 2018 Renault ZOE is 12 kW or 16 horsepower more potent than the previous model’s electric motor. Of the effect of this extra power on range and charging time of the ZOE Renault says nothing. But they do claim it has been achieved with no increase in either weight or volume of the electric motor. As for how a big a difference the new unit makes, the biggest highlight is that it shaves almost two seconds off ZOE’s 49.7-to-74.5mph (80-120kph) time. That is mainly down to the impressive 225 Nm of torque the R110 motor produces.

Besides the performance upgrade, 2018 Renault ZOE also benefits from Android Auto-enabled R-LINK Evolution, offering the user a lot more connectivity features than before. The electric, zero-emission city runabout is also more refined than the previous version, and comes with some nice interior and exterior appointments. The main features include (depending on the trim level) new dark metallic purple body colour called Aconite, new Purple Interior Pack which includes a violet satin finish for the dashboard trim strip and air vent, gear lever base, loudspeaker surrounds, top stitching along with black and violet fabric upholstery.

Elisabeth Delval, Assistant Programme Director, Renault ZOE, said: “Thanks to this power boost, ZOE is even more responsive and versatile when used for journeys out of town. In addition to being able to enjoy the pleasure of driving a ZOE, drivers will also benefit from the longest range available for a mass-market electric car.”