Renault is offering EV benefits for the regular R4, R5 and Twingo

In the car world, retrofitting is equipping old cars with modern techniques or technology. Nowadays it is the most used term to convert conventional cars to electric, to make them more reliable or just to allow them to be used in polluted areas. This last one in particular is a big reason why interest in refunds has increased recently, something that Renault is now jumping on board with by offering official kits to convert your first generation R4, R5 or Twingo into an EV.

11,900 euros for 80 km

This kit is produced in France in collaboration with R-Fit, a French company that also supplies the Citroën 2CV. It costs 11,900 euros, but then you have all the necessary technology, installation and paperwork to re-register your old version as an EV. The set has a 48 kW (65 hp) electric motor, a 10.7 kWh LFP battery and, of course, all control and control units. The weight distribution remains unchanged according to Renault and you should be able to drive around 80 km before having to recharge for 3.5 hours at a standard socket.

So you don’t have a great driving range or fast charging, but you do have a two-year manufacturer’s warranty and the possibility to return to your regular car anywhere. This kit is currently only available in France, because Belgium does not yet have a legal system to re-register your petrol car as an EV. Work is being done on this and there should be a solution in 2023. At the moment, you can register a converted car in France and then import it into Belgium, because once you have European approval, you can also import it to us. But that is of course very difficult.