Who says cheap electric cars have to be boring? Not Renault, that’s for sure. Fresh from putting the joy back into motoring with the 5 and 4 E-Tech, Renault’s just revived the Twingo citycar too.

Styled to rekindle that little French hatchback from your childhood, the new Twingo is an A-segment electric car that shouldn’t stir your soul, yet absolutely does. It’s a joyous little thing that won praise from every journalist who drove it on the international media launch in Ibiza in March.

Compact, cute and perfectly quick enough, the Twingo E-Tech has a single motor sending just 82 horsepower to the front wheels. Its tiny 27.5 kWh battery is good for a claimed 163 miles of range and a whopping 5.0 miles per kWh. And you know what? Even on a spirited lap of the island, the Twingo I drove returned exactly that, and therefore a real-world range of about 137 miles. Plenty for a car that’s likely to spend its life in town and not on the motorway.

Despite the compact dimensions, there’s loads of room up front, a pair of adult-sized seats in the back, and a boot that, while small, can easily swallow a pair of carry-on suitcases when the back seats are slid forwards. It’s got Google’s Android Automotive baked in, so there’s integrated Google Assistant, Google Maps and the Play store for apps.

Best of all is the price. Although not confirmed by Renault UK just yet, we’re told it will cost from well under £20,000 when it arrives here in early-2027.

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The original Juke divided opinion when it was first launched in 2010 and it doesn’t seem to have deterred Nissan from doubling down with the new EV version. It’s very…well…green and looks a bit like a scrunched up piece of paper. Set to release in the UK in 2027, it’s going to be built entirely in Britain and will come with a range of 386 miles. Maybe they’ll tone down the colours at launch…

Heard of Slate before? It’s a Jeff Bezos-backed EV firm that is yet to ship a car but still seemingly on-course to begin manufacturing towards the end of 2026. The whole schtick of Slate is that their truck will be highly customisable with different colour combinations, layouts (you can configure it as an SUV too) and accessories.

It will be on the more affordable end of the spectrum too, with expectations of a starting price around the $20,000 mark…which is actually more expensive than first predicted thanks to the ending of US tax credits for EVs. Thoughts on this one?

As far as weird cars go, they don’t get much weirder than the Corbin Sparrow. Well, it’s actually classified as a motorcycle but you get the point. The Sparrow was only manufactured over a three year period from 1999-2001, they are therefore pretty rare with about 300 finished models in existence. It’s an EV too with a top range of 60 miles. Tempted?

Brands Hatch opened as England's first purpose-built post-war tarmac circuit in 1950, with a young Stirling Moss among those in attendance. The Half-Litre Car Club ran ten races before 7,000 spectators, Don Parker taking the inaugural win, with Moss dominating a later June meeting by sweeping all five of his entries. Five meetings were held that year, including the first national press sponsorship via the Daily Telegraph and a November session marking the debut of sports cars on the circuit.

The latest video on The Next Drive YouTube video features yet another very good BYD (they seem to pump these things out at a rapid pace!). Check it out and let me know if you agree with Mark’s conclusion!

Thanks for reading The Next Drive. Keep an eye on the channel for the full Twingo review and I’ll see you back here next week!

Until next week,

Alistair