Renault Clio Expression Eco

With the of Clio Expression Eco, Renault launches the cheapest sub-100g/km supermini in the UK, undercutting the rivals Ford Fiesta Econetic and Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion by £1,445 and £2,410 respectively. It is even £240 less than previous versions!

Renault Clio Expression Eco is available as three- and five-door 1.5 dCi 88 models priced at £12,200 and £12,800 with optional £250 ‘Expression Eco Pack’, which lowers CO₂ emissions by 12g/km compared to standard dCi 88 with its features including revised engine mapping, taller gearing and ultra-low rolling resistance tyres, 15” ‘Aero’ wheel trims with body coloured ‘Aero’ rear spoiler.

So besides the cheap price, you will also enjoy cheap running costs as it has zero Vehicle Excise Duty and is exempted from London congestion charge. And it’s not like one of those horrible eco-boxes either, it is a chic and trendy Renault hatchback.

Specs and details of the car in the press release below:

Already hard at work on the imminent arrival of its Z.E. (**Zero Emission) range and latest downsized engine, Energy 1.6 dCi 130 with Stop-Start, Renault is accelerating its programme of reducing the environmental impact of its vehicles even further with an improved low-emission Clio, producing only 94 g/km CO₂.

Building on the success of the former 98g/km Clio, the latest versions of the 1.5-litre diesel-engined supermini now offer even lower emissions and greater fuel economy, thanks to a raft of enhancements.

The new 94g/km versions come courtesy of an ‘Eco Pack’ which can be specified as a £250 option on Expression trim level versions of Clio 3- and 5-door. Prices for the standard model, prior to adding the optional pack, are £12,200 and £12,800 on-the-road.

Costing only £12,450 with the optional pack included, the three-door Clio is the cheapest sub-100g/km supermini in the UK, a full £1,445 less than the equivalent low-emission *Ford Fiesta Econetic (£13,895 OTR) and a considerable £2,410 less than the *Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion (£14,860 OTR).

With diesel now costing over £1.40 per litre, thankfully owners of its latest fuel-sipping Renault eco² model won’t have to visit the dreaded pumps very often, with a wallet-friendly 949 miles on offer between fill-ups.

Bolstering the cost savings of running’s the French marque’s latest ‘green’ model, it also benefits from zero Vehicle Excise Duty, London Congestion Charge exemption, and for business customers, 100% Capital Write Down Allowance and low benefit-in-kind rating of only 13%.

Indeed, the sums for its users in the English capital, resident or not, really add up. London residents will be able to more than recoup the cost of the optional £250 pack in less than a year, based on exemption from £244 worth of Congestion Charge after including 90% residents’ discount and £10 registration fee, plus £110 on improved fuel economy compared to the standard dCi 88 over 12,000 miles. Non-residents would be better off to the tune of almost £2,500, based on the same fuel cost saving and exemption from the £9 Auto Pay weekday charge.

Improving the new Clio range addition’s fuel economy by a further 2.1 mpg than before to 78.4 (on the combined cycle) and lowering emissions by 4g/km to 94 has come as a result of its comprehensive specification. On top of the engineering tweaks under the bonnet, the optional ‘Eco Pack’ offers 15” Aero wheel trims with body-coloured Aero rear spoiler and ultra-low resistance tyres.

The standard Expression versions come highly equipped with 4x20W RDS radio CD with aux input and fingertip remote control, front fog lights and electric front windows and door mirrors. Several options are available, including air conditioning, extra tinted windows and tailgate and fully integrated Carminat TomTom Live satellite navigation.

In addition to the improvements to the low-emission Clio, there have also been some others to the rest of the range. Entry-level Expression now benefits from the soft-touch dashboard of more luxurious models, as well as satin chrome touches and new ‘Sport’ upholstery, while the best-selling Dynamique TomTom ushers in several enhancements of its own. These include a stylish new gloss black finish for the centre console, dash inserts and air vent surrounds, plus, gunmetal 16” Solonia alloys from the top-of-the-range GT Line TomTom, together with co-ordinating door mirrors.