Renault Clio Review 2027 | Early impressions of France's forthcoming supermini

What is the Renault Clio?

You probably know the Renault Clio. This staple of the supermini class has been around since 1990, has sold over 17 million examples across 120 countries, and is routinely one of the best-selling cars in Europe. Now in its sixth generation, the Clio has been given a new, more dramatic look, a new three-cylinder 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, and an updated version of the clever, efficient self-charging petrol-electric hybrid powertrain.

Some might even argue that the sixth-generation Clio is just a facelift of the previous Renault Clio, since it uses a tweaked version of the same CMF platform, but the styling is certainly a dramatic departure. The body has grown by some 6cm so that it now measures 4.17m, the front end has gained more aggressive styling and a huge black grille, while the rear end has gained distinctive twin lights. A swoopier coupe-like roofline completes the look, although the Clio does keep its five doors and hidden rear door handles.

With the demise of the Ford Fiesta, the Renault Clio has lost its chief rival. However, it’s still got stiff competition from the Peugeot 208, VW Polo, Skoda Fabia and Vauxhall Corsa, not to mention hybrid rivals in the form of the Toyota Yaris, Mazda 2, MG3 and Honda Jazz. Much of the Clio’s competition comes from within the Renault Group portfolio, too, with the Dacia Sandero being a temptingly affordable alternative, and the rather adorable Renault 5 and Renault 4 also offering electric options for a similar price.

Annoyingly, we won’t see the Clio in the UK until 2027, over a year after it goes on sale in France and some other European markets, so pricing and specifications won’t be announced for a while yet.

How practical is it?

The Clio is pretty practical by the standards of small(ish) cars. There’s up to 391 litres of space in the boot, which is impressively large for the supermini class, and while there’s a bit of a lip that you have to lift bigger items over, the space is big enough for a lightweight buggy. The rear seats split 60/40 and fold down, but they do leave a step up from the boot floor. If you want an even bigger boot in a compact car, check out the Ford Puma (which is only slightly bigger and taller than the Clio, but has a huge boot).

Head- and legroom in the rear seats is okay; you’ll get an average-sized adult or a chunky car seat back there, but the Skoda Fabia, Citroen C3 Aircross and Vauxhall Frontera all have slightly roomier back seats. Those cars have a lighter, airier feel in the back, too; the Clio’s tapering window-line and sombre-coloured upholstery can make it feel quite dark.

Up front, the materials have been updated, so mid-spec Techno trim gets a graded pattern on the dashboard, while Esprit Alpine gets alcantara. Both get a clear plastic finish on the door cards that lights up with the adjustable ambient lighting. There are some cheaper-feeling plastics around the dash – we’d say that the Peugeot 208 feels a touch smarter in terms of its perceived quality and materials - but for a car of this class and cost, the Renault still provides a really nice environment.

What’s it like to drive?

While the exterior design is a fairly radical departure for the Renault Clio, from behind the wheel it feels like a very predictable evolution of this grown-up little car. The Clio has always been a direct and fun little car to drive, albeit without quite the handling verve of the Ford Fiesta, and so it is with this one. Good job it no longer has the Fiesta to compete with, with that car having been discontinued by Ford.

We drove the hybrid Clio, which gets an updated version of the self-charging hybrid powertrain that’s proven popular in the fifth-generation car. A 1.8-litre petrol engine now replaces the previous 1.6-litre unit, and power is up to 158bhp for a 0-62mph time of 8.3 seconds, but there are still two electric motors and a clever, ‘multi-mode’ automatic gearbox that borrows technology from Formula One. It spends lots of time in electric mode, too.

Don’t get confused; there’s no plug socket on the Clio, so you can’t charge it up. This is a full hybrid (or self-charging hybrid, if you prefer), which ticks into EV mode for brief stints when you’re at lower speeds, or when you’re cruising along and not asking for lots of power.

There’s also now a brake regeneration mode that you can activate by tweaking the gearshifter stalk behind the steering wheel into ‘B’ mode, and a Smart Mode joins the other drive modes, offering a default setting that will automatically toggle between Comfort and Sport settings depending on how you’re driving.

The powertrain is a bit busy, and can feel a little intrusive in the way that it always seems to be changing gear or switching between electric- and petrol power sources. However, it’s quiet and smooth enough that you get used to it, and you can make easy progress regardless. Stick it in ‘B’ mode for heavier brake regeneration, and you do indeed get heavier regen’, but it’s still pretty mild and is a long way off the one-pedal mode that you get in electric cars like the Hyundai Inster that might also be considered a rival to the Clio.

Ride comfort – even on the 18-inch alloy wheels of our test car – is firm but well controlled, and avoids becoming jarring. Overall, the Clio hybrid offers a happy blend of responsive handling and decent comfort.

While we haven’t yet tried the little 1.2-litre petrol engine, which is a different unit to the previous Clio’s 1.2 engine (despite the apparent similarities on paper), Renault’s typically good at producing peppy little petrol units, so we wouldn’t discount it if you’re after a good-value small car. It’s a bit slower than the hybrid, with 113bhp and a 0-62mph of 10.1sec, but for a compact car like this, that’ll likely still feel fast enough. You can get it with a manual gearbox, too, or an automatic is optional.

Sadly, Renault is saying that there are no plans to introduce a Renaultsport Clio for now. It’s a shame, as the Renaultsport Clios of past years have been utterly brilliant (and can make brilliant used buys, by the way). But there’s less demand for hot hatches these days, so we can’t really blame Renault, even if we do hold out some hope that they might surprise us with another fast Clio at some point in the future.

Technology, equipment and infotainment

Trim and equipment specifics are yet to be confirmed for the Clio, but it’s likely to come with Renault’s usual three trim levels: Evolution, Techno and Esprit Alpine. Expect the entry-level Clio Evolution to get parking sensors, 16-inch wheels, adaptive cruise control and a 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Mid-spec Techno trim will likely add upgraded upholstery and interior trim, heated seats, a different alloy wheel design, climate control (albeit only a single-zone system), keyless entry and Google software including Google maps and Google Gemini-powered voice control built into the car’s touchscreen. Top-spec Esprit Alpine will probably get styling upgrades including trademark Alpine blue flashes on the wheels and around the cabin, Alcantara trim, wireless phone charging, blind spot warning and a semi-autonomous drive mode.

The touchscreen system in the Clio is also one of the best in the class. You have to go for Techno or Esprit Alpine to get the Google software and the big, second 10-inch driver’s display behind the steering wheel, but it looks great and is easy to use. Plus, Renault uses physical buttons for the air-con, and you can easily control the driver assistance systems via a button near the steering wheel, so you’re less reliant on the screen than you are in some other rivals.

Renault Clio running costs

We haven’t got pricing and finalised specifications for the 2027 Renault Clio, yet, because… well, because we drove it at the end of 2025, and Renault aren’t bringing it to the UK until 2027. Which is weird. Apparently it’s due to the British government’s changeable attitude to whether it’s going to ban hybrids in 2030 or 2035, but suffice to say that Renault is now definitely bringing the Clio to the UK: just a bit later than intended.

Pricing is expected to be similar to the current Renault Clio, which would suggest list prices of around £19,000 to £26,000.

With emissions as low as 89g/km and economy up to 72mpg, the Clio hybrid E-Tech is an efficient little car. We haven’t spent enough time in this updated 1.8-litre hybrid car to give accurate feedback on real-world efficiency, but we’d be surprised if the electrified Clio didn’t manage some 55mpg and more in everyday use.

Renault Clio reliability

Renault came a middling 20th out of 30 marques included in the manufacturer standings of the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey. The same survey also suggests that the hybrid Clio is more susceptible to electrical glitches that need dealer attention, but there were no routine issues that kept the Clio – hybrid or petrol – off the road for extended periods.

Renault offers a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty on its new cars, while the 1.4kWh battery in the Clio Hybrid E-Tech is covered for eight years and 100,000 miles. That’s quite a bit shorter than the warranties you get on MG, Kia, Hyundai and Toyota products, even if it’s on a par with rivals from VW and Skoda.