microcarfan
  • Electric microcar
  • France
  • Four wheels
  • Seats in tandem

Renault Twizy

Also known as Twizy 45, Twizy 80, Renault Twizy Z.E.

Two seats, one behind the other as in a Messerschmitt, four wheels set outside a body 1,190 mm (47 in) wide, and no heater. Renault sold more than 33,000, and in its slowest form a 14-year-old in France could drive one without a car licence.

Red and black tandem two-seater with black seats parked on grass under a blue sky.
A red 2013 Renault Twizy 80 on grass in December 2021.Photo: PabloLinoCalleBoulicaud, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

The spec plate

Renault Twizy

Twizy 45 and 80 · Valladolid

Built
2012–⁠2023Series production from 2011; on sale from March 2012; ended in September 2023
Country
FranceBuilt at Valladolid, Spain, to 2019, then at Busan, South Korea
Maker
RenaultTubular chassis developed by Renault Sport
Engine
Asynchronous AC electric motorA 6.1 kWh lithium-ion battery under the front seat
Power
13 kWTwizy 80 as marketed (17 hp); the Twizy 45 has 4 kW
Length
2,320 mm1,190 mm wide, 1,460 mm high
Weight
473 kgTwizy 80 with its battery, by French Wikipedia; 445 kg for the Twizy 45
Seats
1 + 1In tandem, the passenger’s legs either side of the driver’s seat
Wheels
4Four wheels set outside a narrow body; the battery under the front seat
Price new
€6,990Twizy Urban 45 at launch in Europe, 2012, plus €50 a month for the battery
Production
33,340 soldIn 55 countries by June 2023; cars sold after that are not counted
Top speed
80km/h80 km/h45 km/h for the Twizy 45

How big is it?

True proportion

2.32 m

It is 650 mm shorter than a Fiat 500, about 1.3 adults laid end to end.

  • 1.19 m wide
  • 473 kg: about six adults
  • Two seats, one behind the other
  • Short enough to park nose-in to the kerb in a parallel bay
Drawn at true proportion. The track is 3.6 metres long; the adult stands at the same scale. The Peel P50 is the smallest production car, on every page for comparison.

The story

History

Renault showed four electric concept cars under its Z.E., or Zero Emission, banner at the Frankfurt show in September 2009, and the Twizy Z.E. Concept was the one for the city.1 English Wikipedia credits its design to Françoise Leboinne and Luciano Bove, and French Wikipedia says that Renault Sport developed its tubular chassis.12 Looking back in 2023, auto motor und sport put the date in perspective.

„Als Renault im Jahr 2009 die Studie Z.E. Concept auf die IAA stellte, schraubte man bei Tesla noch in Handarbeit am elektrischen Roadster auf Lotus-Elise-Basis herum.“

auto motor und sport, July 2023. In English: “When Renault put the Z.E. Concept study on the IAA stand in 2009, Tesla was still hand-assembling its electric Roadster based on the Lotus Elise.”3

Production followed quickly. In November 2010 Nissan announced a version of its own, the Nissan New Mobility Concept.1 The first production-ready Twizys appeared at the Festival Automobile International in Paris in January 2011, a car with Renault Samsung badges was shown in Seoul that year, and in May Renault confirmed production and began taking reservations.41 Series production began at Renault’s plant at Valladolid in Spain in 2011, and the batteries were assembled there from LG Chem modules.421

A Kabinenroller for the electric age

The driver sits in front and the passenger behind, legs either side of the driver’s seat, as in the Messerschmitt bubble cars of the 1950s.4 The body has a roof and a windscreen but no sides; doors were an option, scissor doors that swing upward and had no windows, so the rain came in.14 There is no heater. Only the Twizy 80’s windscreen is heated, and Renault’s advice for winter was winter tyres, add-on side windows and a plug-in electric blanket.14 At 2,320 mm (91 in) long it can be parked front-first against the kerb, across a parallel bay.12

Legally it is not a car but a quadricycle, in two forms named after their top speeds. The Twizy 45, a light quadricycle of 4 kW, is a licence-free car, a voiture sans permis that a 14-year-old could drive in France, Italy and Spain with a moped-type licence. The Twizy 80, a heavy quadricycle marketed at 13 kW, needs a car licence or a B1.142 Both use a 6.1 kWh lithium-ion battery under the front seat, about 100 kg of it, charged from an ordinary 10 A socket through a 3 m spiral cable that pulls out of the nose, in three and a half hours.142 Officially the 80 goes 100 km (62 miles) on a charge and the 45 120 km; Renault’s own real-world figure for the 80 was about 80 km, and 50 km driven hard.12 It has four disc brakes but no ABS, a driver’s airbag, a four-point belt in front and a three-point belt behind, and a sound generator, switched on by hand, to warn pedestrians of its silent approach.142 It was an electric microcar from a major carmaker.

The best-selling plug-in of 2012

It went on sale in France and Germany in March 2012, and elsewhere in Europe a month later.14 The car and its battery were sold apart: the Twizy Urban 45 cost €6,990, and the battery was rented for €50 a month; in France the rent ran from €30 a month for up to 2,500 km a year to €50 beyond 7,500 km.12 In the first half of 2012 France registered 1,551, 1,212 of them Twizy 80s, which was 89 per cent of the heavy-quadricycle market and 28.5 per cent of every electric vehicle sold in France.1 By the end of the year 9,020 had been sold, 9,015 of them in Europe, and the Twizy was Europe’s best-selling plug-in vehicle of 2012.12 Renault’s Twizy Way car-sharing trial put 50 in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines that June, and from October side windows could be fitted.14

Renault made the DJ David Guetta its ambassador. Twizys appear in his videos for Where Them Girls At, The Alphabeat and Rest of My Life, and in Play Hard by French Wikipedia’s account, and there was a Cathy & David Guetta edition of the car.42 It was also licensed as a free download for the computer game The Sims 3.1

The fall

The first year was the best. In 2013 sales fell by two-thirds, to 3,025 by English Wikipedia’s count or about 3,300 by German Wikipedia’s, and Renault cut production to about 2,500 a year.14 In Euro NCAP’s tests of quadricycles in 2014 the Twizy 80 earned two stars.12 Germany, the Twizy’s best market with 3,728 cars by October 2014, then lost it for most of a year: the car had to be homologated again under the European Union’s Regulation 168/2013, orders stopped in June 2016 and resumed only in March 2017, and the new cars, delivered from June 2017, can be told by their orange charging cable instead of a blue one.14 Worldwide, only 853 were sold in 2017.4

It found other work. The micro-van version, the Twizy Cargo of June 2013, had one seat and a lockable box with a tailgate in place of the passenger: 180 litres and 75 kg by English Wikipedia, 156 litres by German.14 The police in Bonn have used Twizys since 2016, and the Paris fire brigade uses them, with lights and sirens, for reconnaissance.52 In 2015 Scoot of San Francisco ran Nissan-badged Twizys as the Scoot Quad, and in September 2014 the Chinese maker Zhejiang Litong launched a look-alike, the Rayttle E28.12

A Formula One Twizy

Renault Sport could not leave it alone. Its Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept of April 2013, in the line of the Espace F1 of 1994, carried a kinetic-energy recovery system of the kind used in Formula One, which raised the power from 17 hp to about 97 hp for up to 14 seconds at a time, in six selectable stages.167 It had wings, side-pods, Formula Renault 2.0 tyres and a Formula Renault 3.5-type steering wheel, weighed 564 kg (1,243 lb), and reached about 110 km/h (68 mph); a rain light in the diffuser showed when the boost was working.16 Its acceleration is given as about six seconds, to 60 mph by one source and to 100 km/h by another.67 GoAuto says it was revealed at Valladolid on 28 April 2013 and was demonstrated at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed in July; AutoGuide says it would appear at the World Series by Renault meeting at Aragón the same weekend.76

Busan, and the end

In 2019 production moved from Valladolid to Renault Samsung’s plant at Busan in South Korea: in March, to meet demand in Asia, by English Wikipedia’s account, or in mid-2019 by German Wikipedia’s.14 The move left a long gap. German dealers could take no orders that summer, and when ordering reopened in February 2020 the wait was four to five months.4 The battery could now be bought with the car, in Britain from 2020 and in Germany, from about March 2021, only that way.14 By May 2022 a Twizy 45 cost €11,450 in Germany and a Twizy 80 €12,150.43

In July 2023 Renault announced that production would end that September. It had sold 33,340 Twizys in 55 countries; its main markets at the end were France, Germany, South Korea and Italy, and Germany alone took about 6,000.153 French Wikipedia has Korean production running on into early 2024, but its account of the two plants is muddled, and the other sources end the car in September 2023.25 Its successor is the Mobilize Duo, a tandem two-seater from Renault’s Mobilize brand, presented in October 2024; electrive put it at 20 cm longer and 8 cm narrower than the Twizy, to be sold by subscription and long-term rental.45 auto motor und sport said there was no direct successor, but that the Duo came “ziemlich nah dran am Original”, pretty close to the original.3

Side view of a white and grey tandem two-seater with a patterned door, on a stand with blue circuit graphics.
Plate I · 2010 A pre-production Renault Twizy in profile at the Paris Motor Show, France, in October 2010.Photo: Mic, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Two blue and black seats one behind the other inside a narrow car, seen through the open door.
The tandem seats of a Renault Twizy, the passenger’s behind the driver’s, in Zetel, Germany, in April 2011.Photo: Peter Dierickx, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Yellow and black open racer with slick tyres and a front splitter on a grey turntable.
The Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept, with its wings and racing tyres, at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A row of green and white tandem two-seaters plugged in along a kerb below turf-roofed buildings and a steep hillside.
Renault Twizy rental cars of the eMobility eTour charging at Geiranger, Norway, in October 2018.Photo: Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nissan New Mobility Concept

2010– · a record on this page

Nissan’s Twizy was the same car with a different badge, built by Renault at Valladolid and styled by Nissan as the NISSAN New Mobility CONCEPT.81 English Wikipedia dates its announcement to November 2010, within the Renault–Nissan alliance.1 Its real work began in Yokohama. On 10 October 2013 Nissan and the city launched Choimobi Yokohama, which Nissan called Japan’s first one-way car-sharing scheme with a large fleet of ultra-compact cars, under the Yokohama Mobility Project ZERO; Hitachi built the booking system and Mitsui Fudosan Realty provided the stations. The service opened the next day with 30 cars, for a one-year pilot meant to grow to about 100, and the cars ran under the transport ministry’s certification scheme for ultra-compact mobility.8

We are delighted that our efforts have realized Japan’s first ultra-compact car sharing program.

Toshiaki Otani, senior vice-president of Nissan, in Nissan’s press release of 10 October 2013.8

English Wikipedia adds that the cars were registered as kei cars, on yellow plates, that more than 2,700 people signed up in the first month, and that 45 were registered by the end of October 2013.1 Japanese Wikipedia says that before 2013 cars of this kind were approved case by case, with relaxations: some rules for four-wheelers, on headlamps and crash safety, were eased, two-wheeler standards applied instead, and the cars were confined to set areas.9 Mechanically it was a Twizy 80; whether the Japanese cars were held to a lower speed has not been found, and nor has what became of the fleet when the scheme ended.

White and black tandem two-seater with a yellow Japanese plate in a marked bay on a city pavement.
A Choimobi car-sharing Nissan New Mobility Concept, on yellow kei plates, in its parking bay in Yokohama, Japan, in July 2014.Photo: Piotrus, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pictures

More photographs, old and new

The car 17

  • White and black tandem two-seater with blue trim parked on block paving among dealer cars. Opens a larger view

    1 A white Renault Twizy in Düsseldorf, Germany, in September 2012.

  • Orange and black tandem two-seater with a British plate parked at a kerb, seen from the front. Opens a larger view

    2 An orange and black Renault Twizy in Portugal Street, Westminster, London, England, in March 2015.

  • White and black tandem two-seater with dark wheels parked by a wall, trees and buildings behind. Opens a larger view

    3 A white Renault Twizy in Rue du Docteur Vincent, Challes-les-Eaux, France, in October 2017.

  • Side view of a white tandem two-seater with company lettering and a green plug graphic, parked by a white van. Opens a larger view

    4 A white Renault Twizy in a sponsor’s livery on Sylt, Germany, in July 2012.

  • Side view of a light blue and black tandem two-seater parked on cobbles in front of a stone wall. Opens a larger view

    5 A light-blue Renault Twizy in profile on cobbles in June 2021.

12 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Side view of a white and black tandem two-seater with silver wheels parked by a pale house wall. Opens a larger view

    6 A white and black Renault Twizy in profile in a Munich street, Germany, in June 2013.

  • Rear of a white and black tandem two-seater with a TWIZY badge, parked by a green railing. Opens a larger view

    7 A white Renault Twizy from the rear three-quarter in Rue du Docteur Vincent, Challes-les-Eaux, France, in October 2017.

  • Rear of a white tandem two-seater with an ‘Ich fahre mit Strom’ sun sticker, parked between vans. Opens a larger view

    8 A white Renault Twizy from the rear three-quarter in Düsseldorf, Germany, in September 2012.

  • White tandem two-seater with Police lettering and blue stripes driving past spectators behind barriers. Opens a larger view

    9 A Belgian police Renault Twizy in the National Day parade in Brussels, Belgium, in July 2016.

  • Blue and black tandem two-seater driving along a street past a silver Smart and shuttered shops. Opens a larger view

    10 A blue Renault Twizy driving through Rome, Italy, in April 2016.

  • White and black tandem two-seater parked in a marked bay by a planter and a shopfront. Opens a larger view

    11 A Renault Twizy parked at Sion below the Col du Sanetsch, Switzerland, in August 2019.

  • White tandem two-seater marked Cruz Roja Española with a roof light and a box on its tail, parked by a wall. Opens a larger view

    12 A Spanish Red Cross Renault Twizy on the Calle Real de la Alhambra, Granada, Spain, in June 2014.

  • Blue and black tandem two-seater with Domino’s lettering connected to an orange charging cable, scooters behind. Opens a larger view

    13 A Domino’s Pizza delivery Renault Twizy on charge in a car park in August 2019.

  • Orange and black tandem two-seater with yellow reflective stripes and Feuerwehr Wuppertal lettering, people around. Opens a larger view

    14 A Wuppertal fire-brigade Renault Twizy at a public event in Wuppertal, Germany, in June 2014.

  • White and black tandem two-seater with a roof light driving along a colonial street with coloured houses. Opens a larger view

    15 A police Renault Twizy on a cobbled street in Campeche, Mexico, in May 2021.

  • Rear of a narrow white and grey car with a red tail lamp and a German plate, on cobbles by a brick building. Opens a larger view

    16 A white Renault Twizy from directly behind on Sylt, Germany, in July 2012.

  • Red and black tandem two-seater with Scoot lettering and blue wheels parked at a kerb. Opens a larger view

    17 A red Scoot Networks car-sharing Renault Twizy in San Francisco, United States, in July 2015.

Inside and details 5

  • Blue interior with a white steering wheel, a front seat and a rear seat behind it, framed by the open door. Opens a larger view

    18 The blue tandem cabin of the Renault Twizy Z.E. Concept through its open scissor door at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Germany, in September 2009.

  • Steering wheel with a Renault badge, a small digital display and pedals, seen from the driver’s seat through the screen. Opens a larger view

    19 The cockpit of a Renault Twizy from the driver’s seat in August 2015.

  • Black steering wheel with a Renault badge, a small digital display and grey dashboard panels. Opens a larger view

    20 The dashboard and steering wheel of a Renault Twizy through its open door in Düsseldorf, Germany, in September 2012.

  • Close view of a Twizy’s nose with a flap open and a coiled pale blue cable plugged into the socket. Opens a larger view

    21 A charging cable plugged into the nose of a Renault Twizy at the Geneva Motor Show, Switzerland, in March 2013.

  • White and black tandem two-seater with its door raised upward, parked among cars under bare trees. Opens a larger view

    22 A Renault Twizy with its scissor door swung up in a car park in Germany in February 2016.

Variants and relatives 13

  • Side view of a white and black tandem two-seater with DRIVE ME! lettering in a marked bay by a wall. Opens a larger view

    23 A Choi-mobi car-sharing Nissan New Mobility Concept in its parking bay in Yokohama, Japan, in July 2014.

  • White and black tandem two-seater with Nissan badges and DRIVE ME! lettering on a white gallery floor. Opens a larger view

    24 A Nissan New Mobility Concept, the Twizy-based car, in Choi-mobi ‘Drive Me!’ livery at the Nissan Global Headquarters, Yokohama, Japan, in March 2014.

  • Rear of a white tandem two-seater with a Nissan badge and a New Mobility Concept plate on a dark floor. Opens a larger view

    25 A Nissan New Mobility Concept from the rear three-quarter in a Nissan showroom in Japan in March 2013.

  • Rear of a red tandem two-seater with a Dutch plate, seen from below on a grass slope against blue sky. Opens a larger view

    26 A red 2013 Renault Twizy 80 from the rear three-quarter on a grassy bank in December 2021.

  • Blue and black tandem two-seater with Alpine and 36 35 lettering parked on gravel by a blue building. Opens a larger view

    27 A Renault Twizy in blue Alpine livery at the Le Mans 24 Hours, France, in June 2017.

8 more picturesFewer pictures
  • Black tandem two-seater with red dot graphics and red wheels on a white turntable under pink light. Opens a larger view

    28 The Renault Twizy by Cathy & David Guetta at the Geneva Motor Show, Switzerland, in March 2013.

  • Yellow and black tandem racer with slick tyres, a rear wing and side pods, visitors around the turntable. Opens a larger view

    29 The Renault Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept on a turntable at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Germany, in September 2013.

  • White and black tandem two-seater with a blanked plate parked on wet tarmac among SUVs. Opens a larger view

    30 A white Korean-market Renault Twizy in a car park in South Korea in December 2023.

  • Rear of a white tandem two-seater with a red tail lamp and a blanked plate, parked on wet tarmac. Opens a larger view

    31 A white Korean-market Renault Twizy from the rear three-quarter in South Korea in December 2023.

  • Rear of a yellow and black open racer with a large wing, a red tail lamp and Renault Sport lettering. Opens a larger view

    32 The Renault Twizy Renault Sport F1 concept from behind, showing its rear wing and diffuser, at the Geneva Motor Show, Switzerland, in March 2014.

  • Rear of a grey tandem two-seater with a small plate, parked on a dark road by a hedge. Opens a larger view

    33 A Renault Twizy Urban 45 from behind in April 2017.

  • White and blue tandem two-seat concept with glowing orange honeycomb lights and its door swung up, on a show floor. Opens a larger view

    34 The Renault Twizy Z.E. Concept with its scissor door raised at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Germany, in September 2009.

  • Rear of a white and blue narrow concept car with a pink honeycomb tail lamp and a TWIZY plate. Opens a larger view

    35 The Renault Twizy Z.E. Concept from directly behind at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Germany, in September 2009.

Period photographs 2

  • Grey tandem two-seater with glowing blue line graphics and its scissor door raised, a man looking on. Opens a larger view

    36 A pre-production Renault Twizy with blue circuit-pattern graphics on a Renault stand in December 2010.

  • Rear of a dark grey narrow car with a red tail lamp and blue line graphics, visitors at the edge. Opens a larger view

    37 A pre-production Renault Twizy with blue circuit-pattern graphics from behind on a Renault stand in December 2010.

Picture credits (37)
  1. 1 M 93, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
  2. 2 Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0
  3. 3 Anthony Levrot, CC BY-SA 4.0
  4. 4 Bin im Garten, CC BY-SA 3.0
  5. 5 Cjp24, CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. 6 Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0
  7. 7 Anthony Levrot, CC BY-SA 4.0
  8. 8 M 93, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
  9. 9 Domaine public, CC0
  10. 10 Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz, CC BY-SA 4.0
  11. 11 crash71100, CC0
  12. 12 Elliott Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0
  13. 13 Guillaume Vachey, CC0
  14. 14 Atamari, CC BY-SA 3.0
  15. 15 Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0
  16. 16 Bin im Garten, CC BY-SA 3.0
  17. 17 Antoine Imbert, CC BY 2.0
  18. 18 Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0
  19. 19 KarleHorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
  20. 20 M 93, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
  21. 21 Clément Bucco-Lechat, CC BY-SA 3.0
  22. 22 KarleHorn, CC BY-SA 3.0
  23. 23 Piotrus, CC BY-SA 3.0
  24. 24 TTTNIS, CC0
  25. 25 TTTNIS, Public domain
  26. 26 PabloLinoCalleBoulicaud, CC BY-SA 4.0
  27. 27 David Merrett, CC BY 2.0
  28. 28 Clément Bucco-Lechat, CC BY-SA 3.0
  29. 29 Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0
  30. 30 Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0
  31. 31 Damian B Oh, CC BY-SA 4.0
  32. 32 Lukasdesign, CC BY-SA 3.0
  33. 33 Nxr-at, CC BY-SA 4.0
  34. 34 Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0
  35. 35 Overlaet, CC BY-SA 3.0
  36. 36 Panayotis Vryonis, CC BY-SA 2.0
  37. 37 Panayotis Vryonis, CC BY-SA 2.0

Variants

Two speeds, and some specials

The Twizy family
VariantYearsWhat differsHow many
Twizy Z.E. Concept2009The Frankfurt show carOne
Twizy 452012–⁠23Light quadricycle (L6e), 45 km/h, licence-free: from 14 in FranceNot published separately
Twizy 802012–⁠23Heavy quadricycle (L7e), 80 km/h, heated windscreenNot published separately
Twizy Cargo2013–⁠19One seat; a lockable box with a tailgate in place of the passengerNot published
Twizy Renault Sport F12013A KERS from Formula One, wings, side-pods and racing tyresOne concept
Nissan New Mobility Concept2013–Nissan badges; registered in Japan as a kei car45 registered by October 2013

Specification

The production Twizy, 2012–⁠23

Motor and battery

MotorAsynchronous AC; single speed, reverse by switching the motor42
PowerTwizy 45: 4 kW over 30 minutes, 7.6 kW peak; Twizy 80: 13 kW (17 hp) as marketed12German Wikipedia: 8.5 kW continuous, 12.6 kW peak for the 80
Torque33 Nm (45); 57 Nm (80)42
Battery6.1 kWh lithium-ion from LG Chem modules, about 100 kg, under the front seat14
ChargingA 3 m spiral cable in the nose; 220–240 V, 10 A; 3.5 hours to full142

Body and chassis

BodyOpen-sided, with a roof and windscreen; scissor doors without windows optional14
SuspensionMcPherson-type struts front and rear2
BrakesDiscs on all four wheels, no ABS42
SafetyDriver’s airbag; four-point belt in front, three-point behind14
Storage31 litres behind the passenger, and two cubbies in front42

Dimensions

Length2,320 mm (91 in)122,338 mm in some lists
Width1,190 mm (47 in)121,234 mm in some lists, perhaps with mirrors
Height1,460 mm (57 in)12
Weight445 kg (45); 473 kg (80), with the battery2474 kg for both by English Wikipedia

Performance and running

Top speed45 km/h (28 mph) or 80 km/h (50 mph)12
0–45 km/h9.9 s (45); 6.1 s (80)2
Range120 km (45) and 100 km (80) homologated2Renault’s real-world figure about 80 km; 50 km driven hard
Price new€6,990 plus battery rental (2012); from €11,450 with the battery in Germany, May 2022143

How many were built?

Sales, with their sources

33,340 sold by June 2023Renault publishes sales, not production. Its last count, 33,340 in 55 countries by June 2023, reached the press through electrive, and auto motor und sport rounds it to 33,400. Cars sold in the last months, and any built in Korea after that, are not in it, so the final total is a little higher; no end-of-run figure has been found.

  1. 33,340sold in 55 countries by June 2023Two sources agree

    electrive, from Renault; auto motor und sport gives about 33,40053

  2. 29,118sold worldwide by December 2019One source

    English Wikipedia1

  3. 18,592sold in Europe by December 2016, 96.1 per cent of the world totalOne source

    English Wikipedia1

  4. 14,160sold by October 2014One source

    English Wikipedia1

  5. 9,020sold in 2012 alone, 9,015 of them in EuropeTwo sources agree

    English and French Wikipedia12

  6. 3,025sold in 2013One source

    English Wikipedia; about 3,300 by German Wikipedia14

  • Two sources agreetwo good sources give the figure
  • One sourcea good source, alone
  • Unconfirmeda lead only, not yet checked

Famous for

Three points

  1. One behind the other

    A tandem two-seater from a major maker, in the line of the 1950s Kabinenroller.

  2. Best seller of 2012

    Europe’s best-selling plug-in vehicle in its first year, with 9,020 sold worldwide.

  3. No licence needed

    The Twizy 45 could be driven at 14 in France with a moped-type licence.

On screen

Confirmed appearances only

Survivors and collecting

Today

The car is recent, and no count of survivors has been found. French Wikipedia links a Fan Club Renault Twizy, but no formal register is known.2 German Wikipedia gives the buyer three things to check. Many used cars still have a rented battery, which the new owner must take over or buy out, as has been possible since 2018; the first chargers often failed from overheating; and the 12 V auxiliary battery is prone to failure from overcharging. As a quadricycle the Twizy also missed Germany’s purchase bonus for electric cars.4 Where the Twizy F1 concept is now has not been found.

Yellow and green chequered tandem two-seater marked Ambulance, parked on cobbles next to a large ambulance.
A Quad Medical Renault Twizy ambulance beside a full-size ambulance in Covent Garden, London, England, in November 2019.Photo: Matt Brown, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Numbered as in the text

No road test of the period was read, and Renault’s own press material was not reached. The history rests on the English, German and French Wikipedia articles and on two reports of the end of production. Sources are given as plain text; the links are on the Credits page.

  1. English Wikipedia, Renault Twizy, read in full. Used as a lead.
  2. French Wikipedia, Renault Twizy, text and infobox. Used as a lead.
  3. “Renault Twizy Produktionsende 2023”, auto motor und sport, July 2023, read in full.
  4. German Wikipedia, Renault Twizy, read in full. Used as a lead.
  5. “Bye-bye Twizy”, electrive, 17 July 2023, read in full.
  6. “Renault Twizy Sport F1 Concept is Race Ready With KERS”, AutoGuide, 25 April 2013.
  7. “Renault teases with more sporty concepts”, GoAuto, 29 April 2013.
  8. Nissan Motor Co., “Nissan and City of Yokohama launch Japan’s first ever car sharing program with ultra-compact EVs”, press release, 10 October 2013.
  9. Japanese Wikipedia, 「超小型自動車」 (ultra-compact vehicles), the passage on vehicles before certification. Used as a lead.