Renault Clio e-tech Hybrid - real-life fuel economy tested by a professional eco-driver

[@Ian-m6k]

My Clio ETech, bought March 2023, first year 63.3mpg mixed driving. March 2024 to July 2024 70mpg including, 4 days in Welsh mountains. You need to be light on the accelerator but not annoyingly slow. When you find the mpg monitor goes below 99.9 back off the accelerator a tiny bit then ease it back up. Use B gear around towns or small roads. No need to brake hard; saves brakes, tyres and roads. Do these and see your mpg go up.

[@kenzohkw]

I've just had one of these as a hire car in Italy for 4 days. I was very impressed with the drivetrain, very smooth and fuel economy was excellent if driven sensibly. I achieved 3.7l/100km, 75mpg when traveling from Verona to Venice.

[@ecodriver1746]

Great job! You seem to know how to drive efficiently ;)

[@morganmtu4525]

Sur autoroute où mixte la Clio est sympa. La Toyota Yaris 4 l'affiche 3.4L au 100km actuellement. 3.1L au 100km a été mon minimum jusqu'à aujourd'hui.

[@knudemilthovtrup657]

Hi Helmuth! Love your videos! Would you consider doing a test run of the Dacia Jogger Hybrid? It's the same engine as the clio e-tech I know, but totally different body and weight, so it could be really interesting. Best wishes 🙂

[@arinagriese251]

Interesting! Seems to be a good concept.

[@ecodriver1746]

Definitely! Better than expected.

[@usamamuhammad8657]

I got my Clio in dec 2023 and have driven about 1500 miles since. the fuel average figures have been weird. I started with about 40mpg and it went upto 48mpg after about 1200miles. it has been declining ever since. I'm at 44.7mpg at the moment. there is no change in my driving route which is a mix of town and motorway driving. the car is good to drive but the fuel average is way off from the claims. I had a focus 1.0 turbo 125hp which used to give 47mpg combined.

[@ZsoltKovacsik]

Good test, interesting , underestimated car. So in the one hand it is Toyota hybrid technology with the perfect solutions to save gasoline, but with the lack of enjoy driving, and the other hand its the Renault technology, with more enjoyable drive. I was courious the consumption numbers of it... It is still very good. So, good work Renault.

[@ecodriver1746]

You're right, although I find the 4 distinct gears for the petrol engine not enough, as sometimes the car revs too high for my liking.

[@morganmtu4525]

Et la Honda Jazz sinon....

[@toyotaprius79]

I find Renault's Hybrids very interesting. It's more f a real hybrid than "simple hybrids" that use a single electric motor in the place of a torque converter, very much like a traditional car (VW, BMW, Mercedes, PSA, Kia/Hyundai hybrids). But it also avoids the royalties of using the planetary gear set seen in Toyota's hybrid (and Ford's). Renault should quickly make bigger batteries for their hybrids.

[@android167]

Great video! Is it possible in the future that you test 1.0TSI 110hp/115hp from VAG concern? You got yourself a new subscriber. Looking forward to new videos.

[@ecodriver1746]

Thank you! VAG-cars are a bit difficult as the one big dealership in my area is not very cooperative. I try to get them privately, bit it isn't that easy.

[@wintersun398]

Thank you for this review! I am going to testdrive the Clio Hybrid and Yaris Hybrid. The Yaris has an Atkinson Cycle engine, and of course Toyota reliability. Would you buy the Yaris or Clio if those were the only two choices you had?

[@ecodriver1746]

Personally, I'd go for the Yaris. I think the Toyota Hybrid-System is more refined and reliable.

[@wintersun398]

@@ecodriver1746 I checked the specs. The batteries are: clio 1.2kWh. Yaris 0.76kWh. Do you think it makes any difference as the Clio could store more energy

[@ecodriver1746]

1.2 at Clio are gross, only 0,55 usable, 0,74 at Yaris are usable.

[@wintersun398]

@@ecodriver1746 many thanks for clarifying the data!

[@morganmtu4525]

Ok ... Je me disais qu'il était bizarre que la batterie de la Clio soit plus grosse mais en fait elle est inférieure à la Yaris ... Merci pour ces précisions. La Yaris est beaucoup mieux pour la ville et la montagne. La Clio est mieux lors des accélérations net et sur autoroute. En mixte c'est identique mais la Yaris consomme moins.

[@therandomtester9561]

Would be interesting to see a test of a normal petrol or diesel from say early 2000. Of course something compareable to the cars of today, i.e. any of these hybrids and something like Focus ecoboost. How much has engine-tech and hybrid system improved the consumption when driven correct..?

[@ecodriver1746]

I owned a 1997 Honda Accord Aerodeck from 2000 to 2005, 4 cylinder 2-ltr.-Petrol with 100 kW, 4-speed auto, my average was around 7-8 l/100 km, with below 7 on the motorway and around 8 in town.

[@therandomtester9561]

@@ecodriver1746 something older on your set route I mean. That sounds like good numbers. I had a Mazda 929, 2 liter 120hp, 5-speed manual, -88 I believe. Delivered newspaper, lots of start stop. startet out with 13 l/100km. Adapted my drivingstyle (same idling-time) and reduced to 9 with same driving.

[@morganmtu4525]

Peugeot 106 50ch. 5.7L au 100km Citroën C3 75ch. 6.3L au 100km Citroën C4 110ch 6 a 6.3L au 100km Toyota Yaris 4 hybride 116ch 3.5L au 100km parfois moins. Citroën C4 sur autoroute 7L au 100km Toyota Yaris sur autoroute 5.6L au 100km. Le bonheur le régulateur adaptatif 😍

[@wojas25]

Golf 6 1.4 TSI spalanie 8l/100km, Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid spalanie 4,5l/100km, jazda w tych samych warunkach.

[@krismorris7265]

So renault says their car does 64.2mpg (UK) and they usually over estimate, but your saying you can BEAT their own figures?

[@dd9ag]

He’s not just saying he’s showing. WLTP is easy to beat in hybrids. I’ve got a yaris and a RAV4 hybrid and i always significantly beat wltp in both.

[@barrieainge4937]

Hi Helmut, very interesting video (only recently found you) as I also have a Clio e tech I purchased last July. My experiences so far have not matched your results and I am a careful driver. One thing I noticed is that the official Renault videos,which basically explain how the system works, always say that "your Clio will always start in EV mode" . Mine has never started in EV mode, always starting with the engine at the commencement of a journey. I am wondering if this is because I do not use it on a regular basis - being retired it will sometimes be on my drive for 4 or 5 days unused. Do you think it requires regular use to have the batteries fully charged ? Keep up the good work!

[@ecodriver1746]

Hi Barrie, that may well be the case that the battery empties and the car starts with the petrol engine. I didn't experience that, but I only had this car for 3 hours and started it 3 times... Thanks, I try ;)

[@DavidHughes-op6zl]

MOST interesting because I'm in exactly the same retired/very occ driver/mainly shortish distance situation and, with reservations, currently thinking about acquiring a Clio e‐tech but concerned about the electric mode scenario in such circumstances. Please, if you have the time, tell me three things: (1) having started the car via the combustion engine, how long/ how many miles before the electric motor kicks in (2) roughly what percentage of the car's propulsion are you then able to employ purely utilising electric mode given relatively little use of the vehicle, as you decribed (3) what real world (not computer calculated) mpg are you getting around town, in the countryside and on the motorway? I'd greatly appreciate your illuminating answers if at all possible; thereafter I promise to leave you in peace.

[@morganmtu4525]

Sur Toyota Yaris 4 hybride tu démarres en électrique mais parfois dès que tu passes en vitesse D tu démarres sur le moteur essence s'il fait froid et si la batterie est proche des 25% car le système réchauffe le moteur et l'habitacle et recharge. Mais le moteur essence s'arrête assez vite et parfois même avant que le feu de circulation (100m à côté de mon parking) ne repasse au vert.

[@gerbenposthumus8878]

I have this hybride now for two months and the fuel consumption is pretty disappointing in the winter 6,4L 100 km with winter tyres and i only use the steering heater that is not even 1:17 . How can this be????. I'm going back to the garage because that is no better than a normal Petrol Car.

[@CROMA1927]

Dear Helmut, I noticed the new screen-blurring effect for the surrounding cars and registration plates- it is mandatory for privacy reasons? Your test is becoming a benchmark as more cars get tested and ranked every week. The Renault Clio also has an LPG variant, which, even though having a higher liquid gas consumption, still could be a relatively economical/ecological option considering todays prices.

[@ecodriver1746]

Hi Gordon, a friend, who is a lawyer, gave me the advise to blur registration plates and faces, as if somebody doesn't want to be seen in public drivng he/she might complain about this. Re LPG, Prices will go up soon with all Gas-Products (as electricity will as well), so I think it'd be premature to jump on this technology purely for price-reasons. But this is just my personal opinion.

[@morganmtu4525]

Ou ajouter un kit éthanol sur une hybride.

[@leeeverett5862]

Hi, sort of late to ask you this as you probably don't recall, but do you remember if the clio etech had a slight vibration in the gas paddle while it was essentially charging the battery while driving? I was at the dealer and they assured me it was fine. It only accurs when thd battery gets to 2-3 bars at 40mph in the first gear, when it goes into the second gear the vibration is no more.

[@ecodriver1746]

Sorry, Lee, it's quite some time ago and I don't recall any of what you're describing.

[@m.r.2718]

Maybe I missed it...but were you driving in "D" or "B" mode?

[@morganmtu4525]

D sur de plat car il n'y a pas besoin de frein moteur ni de rétrograder pour avoir du frein. Rouler en B, c'est rouler au frein ...

[@chickentony]

Hi can you tell me if you get better mpg driving in D rather than B cheers Tony

[@ReDemPTiion2]

It’s the same, the B mode is used to charge the battery more

[@chickentony]

@@ReDemPTiion2 Hi , I understand that but everyone who does these mpg tests always uses the D rather than the B which does carry more drag .

[@ecodriver1746]

Of course, as there is not more energy recuperated in B. The car is just braking more and therefore you regen more energy, but you never get back what you've invested beforehand, so it's always better to regen (=brake) as little as possible. And with almost all electrified cars, when you step on the brakes you regen also more. So for me it only makes sense to use B if a WANT to brake. Otherwise the secret to eco-driving is coasting.

[@morganmtu4525]

Accélérer fait perdre de l'énergie puis freiner ne récupère pas tout donc autant accélérer moins et freiner moins. Anticiper un maximum. Sur Toyota Yaris 4 je suis à 3.4L au 100 kilomètres donc c'est acceptable.

[@Ferni74]

Did you encounter the problem of having no engine brake when the battery was full in the descent ? I saw people talking about this on french forums.

[@morganmtu4525]

Apparemment il y a des problématiques de freins moteurs batterie pleine car l'excès d'énergie cinétique n'est pas annulé comme chez Toyota par un mode b beaucoup plus efficace.

[@eyeofthetiger6002]

Does the fuel economy still hold true in winter? I saw another video recently and one person warned buyers not to buy the hybrid version as that person claimed the fuel economy drops dramatically when the heating was put on and he is in dispute Renault at the moment because of this.

[@morganmtu4525]

C'est le même problème pour les moteurs 100% électriques .... Le rendement est tellement bon, que pour avoir du chauffage il faut un radiateur électrique ou une pompe à chaleur ou un moteur essence qui tourne en permanence avec un faible rendement qui produit davantage de chaleur que d'énergie cinétique mais au moins ça réchauffe.... Sur Toyota Yaris je ne vois pas beaucoup de différence été hiver.

[@tos2168]

This is nothing new, the engine must be warmed up to operating temperature

[@barryallsopp6009]

Definitely not 70 +mpg summer urban 50/52 mpg winter urban

[@carlthompson8623]

i have just purchased a new Clio e-tech engineered here in the U.K two weeks ago and its now done 386 miles and i have to say it’s the most useless self-charging hybrid car you could buy, before this i had a new Toyota Yaris and wow that car was amazing on fuel, i travel 30 mile round trip per day to work on rural A roads and averaging 50 mph and the Yaris gave me 75 mpg in winter with heater and A/C on and 85-90 mpg in the summer and did half the journey each way on battery power, but this Clio so far never goes on Battery power over 40 mph or with the heater blower on so all I’m getting is 52 mpg to work and back, so anyone thinking of buying an E-tech Clio don't bother for the same money buy a Toyota Yaris because its light years ahead of a E-Tech Clio for fuel economy

[@harimadhavan1712]

Does the car and the battery need running in before they reach their optimal MPG etc?

[@carlthompson8623]

@@harimadhavan1712 i have no idea, i've done 1500miles from new but it's no better

[@barryallsopp6009]

My summer mpg around the doors is 70+ winter around the doors 50/52 mpg

[@SuperJamesyy]

The French should stick to making wine and cheese, what made you change from the Yaris to Clio out of interest?

[@thesailorshrimp6043]

What a useless test. The fuel consumption goes in Renault higher than display show. Ive checked that in few clios and arkana and megane on more than 50k km … It can be higher up to 1.5 L .. normally it varies from 0,5 to 0,9L

[@kd2833]

Use b mode if u break u get more battery better km l