Renault is phasing out its combustion engines by 2030. While it has dabbled in the EV market with niche models such as the Zoe and the Twizy in Europe, its major offensive, which will include the Middle East and the UAE, starts with this all-new Megane E-Tech Electric family hatch.
The National was the only regional publication to drive the new Megane at its global launch in Spain, and a day behind the wheel showed how quickly EV development is progressing. In terms of road manners, driving position and feel, this has the most “car-like” feel of any EV I have driven after the Porsche Taycan.
That’s not surprising given that more than 400,000 electric Renaults have covered more than 10 billion kilometres on the world’s roads to date, so there’s plenty of in-house data to pour into the new model. Meanwhile, the French auto manufacturer sold 96,000 EVs in Europe last year alone, taking 8.2 per cent of the market.
This Megane uses the same CMF-V platform from the Nissan-Renault alliance that will also feature in the new all-wheel drive Nissan Ariya that was revealed at Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as a high-performance Alpine crossover coupe. All will have plenty of bespoke features to set them apart, leaving the Megane to fly the front-wheel-drive flag for the modular base.
Renault has kept the entire drive train comprising motor, accessories battery, cooling system and air-conditioning bundled as one for ease of installation. This means that, unlike most EVs, it does not offer extra space where the engine used to be. But it does have an enormous boot with separate cable storage and loads of interior space to compensate.
Numbers game
The battery tech differs from the Ariya and Alpine, with LG Chem supplying the slimmest battery in the business at just 110 millimetres tall, compared to 140mm for most others and 170mm for the Zoe. This helps the Megane sit 60mm lower than the Zoe at 1.5 metres in height, but with a larger 2.7-metre wheelbase.
Two power trains are offered: a 97kW model mated to a 40kWh battery and the version we tested, which was the 130kW option with a 60kWh battery. The battery is 30 per cent smaller than the unit in the Zoe and 10 per cent lighter at 145 kilograms. The smaller of the two should return 300 kilometres with our test model claimed to return 470km and 7.4 seconds from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour, with a 160kph governed top speed.
The Renault-built electrically excited synchronous motor does not use magnets, which improve the smoothness of acceleration while cutting down on the use of rare metals. There is also an eight-year warranty on the battery, which will be replaced should its capacity dip below 70 per cent.
Like the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Kona, Megane offers one-pedal driving with maximum regeneration when you lift off the gas that will almost stop the car. Paddle shifts behind the steering wheel adjust the assistance and, after a little experimenting, they worked almost like conventional gears.
At 1,624 kilograms for the 60kWh model (and just 1,550kg for the smaller version), the Megane E-Tech is light compared with its main competitors, VW’s ID.4 at 2,050kg and 2,000kg for the Tesla Y.
Its centre of gravity is 90mm lower to the ground, which means its flat cornering comes not from tight anti-roll bars, but from a multi-link rear suspension aided by its lower centre of gravity.
Rain on our parade
The overall impression was it felt less boy-racer compared with hot hatches that thrive on adjustable dampers and stiff sports suspension. Yet, while the steering was quick and firmer than other EVs, it lacked a certain amount of self-centring compared with conventional sports hatch standards.
Our test drive featured rain, which brought out a negative in having 300Nm of torque all going through the front wheels, and the traction gadgets were working overtime even on straight lines up hills. The front wheels took turns to spin up over dips while powering out of tight corners, so it required a feather-like technique to keep the drive wheels from spinning up at times.
Its intelligent cruise control recognises speed limit signs, predicts upcoming intersections and roundabouts and has the option to adjust its speed accordingly. This sounds great in theory, but as we found when on a 120kph motorway, it inadvertently read a 40kph slip road sign and momentarily jammed on the brakes that, as you would expect, grabbed everyone’s attention.
Cabin comforts
Inside, you get the feeling that Renault figures we’re over the shock interiors of other EVs; this one looks and feels much like a regular car with a quality, premium feel throughout.
The cabin is spacious, which is to be expected for a car measuring 4,210mm with a 2,700mm wheelbase. While the slim battery gains valuable interior space, it’s still a snug fit in the back and difficult to slide the feet under the front seats.
Despite there being horizontal and portrait 12-inch Android-based screens, it didn’t give the feeling of being dominated by finger-marked glass panels, because the Megane includes plenty of old-fashioned buttons as well.
While it is Android, the twin-screen layout integrates Apple CarPlay, and Renault is the first mainstream manufacturer to use Google’s Automotive operating system. This includes Google Maps, Assistant and Play, making virtually every function immediately familiar.
There is no word yet regarding its on-sale date here, but it’s more than likely to be towards the end of 2023 after the Megane hits European markets by the end of this year, with an estimated starting price of Dh180,000 ($49,012).
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
GRAN%20TURISMO
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
