The Renault Twizy, a two-seat electric pod that 14-year-olds could drive
Renault's Twizy was a tiny electric two-seater classed in Europe as a quadricycle, not a car. Its slowest version topped out at 45 km/h, so in several European countries teenagers from age 14 could drive it with a special or moped licence. In 2012 it was Europe's best-selling plug-in vehicle.
First shown as a concept at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, designed by Françoise Leboinne and Luciano Bove, the Twizy reached French buyers in March 2012. It measured 2.32 metres long and 1.19 metres wide, with a front and a rear seat. Two versions took their names from their top speeds: the 45, with a 4 kW motor, and the 80, with 13 kW. Buyers originally paid for the car but leased its battery monthly, at first €50 on top of a price of €6,990.
The 6.1 kWh battery sat under the front seat and gave an official range of 100 km, though Renault suggested about 80 in real driving and closer to 50 flat out. It charged from an ordinary household socket in around three and a half hours, through a coiled cable hidden behind a front flap. There was no heater: owners wanting winter comfort could add flexible side windows and plug in electric blankets.
Sales were strongest early. The Twizy sold 9,020 units in 2012, almost all in Europe, then fell by about two thirds the next year. By December 2019 the global total stood at 29,118, with Germany and France the biggest markets. Nissan rebadged it for a car-sharing scheme in Yokohama, and a cargo version swapped the rear seat for a 180 litre box.
Renault also built a playful Twizy F1 concept in 2013, using Formula One energy recovery to reach 109 km/h. Production moved from Spain to Busan, South Korea, in 2019 and ended in September 2023.
Source: Renault Twizy
