All-New Renault Twingo Electric Leaks Online Before November 6 Debut

Renault’s most mischievous car ever is returning to production, and it has even done its own pre-launch leak. Before next week’s November 6 unveiling, official images of the new Twingo have been published online by mistake, and they confirm that the latest generation of the French city car has everything we could want from it: it’s small and silly and, yes, it’s fully electric.

The pictures reveal a vehicle that hasn’t lost the sense of fun that made the original Twingo such a charming car. The wide, smiley eyes, the squat proportions, and the general “let’s go for a joyride just ’cause” vibe are all there.

But, the new Renault Twingo is no clumsy toddler anymore. This one’s bigger and has proper rear doors, and while it is still silly, it is also more grown-up in several other ways. The new Twingo design sticks very close to what Renault showed in last year’s concept car, with a few tweaks for production.

Hidden door handles have been replaced with conventional ones, the wheel covers are simpler, the LED lights have been slightly tweaked, and both bumpers now have a tougher plastic cladding (because this is an urban car, and parallel parking is a thing). The interior doesn’t look like a concept car anymore either. While it keeps some of the design innovation from the prototype, it’s a lot more toned down.

The dashboard is rather simple, with a floating center screen, and most crucially, there are dedicated physical buttons for the climate controls (nice one, Renault!). Yellow trim runs through the dash, and there’s one random red trim piece in the center that’s almost too Twingo—a bit wacky, a bit wonderful. The Twingo’s electric powertrain is all new, and it consists of a single electric motor and a small battery pack sitting on Renault’s AmpR Small electric platform (which it shares with the soon-to-be-launched Renault 5, Renault 4, and Nissan Micra).

Performance figures are not revealed, but the car is not designed for setting any records. Like most city cars, it’s all about getting around in town with as few constraints as possible. The new Twingo will have a tough time competing with small electric cars like the Dacia Spring, Leapmotor T03, and VW’s upcoming ID. Every1. Renault is targeting an entry price below €20,000 ($23,000) and lease deals starting at €100 ($115) per month, which, if it actually comes true, would make this one of the most affordable EVs in Europe.

If pre-launch images are any indication, then the new Renault Twingo might just be able to defy the odds and succeed where no other car has been able to do so far: bring a bit of personality to the electric age. It looks adorable, it looks smart, and it looks oh-so-confident.