This time next week I’ll be testing a Twizy, the little electric runabout from Renault that crosses a scooter with a supercar (well, it does have two seats and scissor doors, just like a Lamborghini).

OK, so Twizy might lack a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 0-60 time, indeed it runs out of puff at 50mph, but it offers things no supercar can. It’ll squeeze through tiny gaps in traffic and it will be super-easy to park.

This week the mainstream motoring press have been fooling around with Twizys in Ibiza, so before I jet off to test their second-hand leftovers I thought I’d see what they have to say.

Used car bible Auto Trader gave the Twizy an overall score of 3.7 out of 5, labelling it “severely compromised in terms of practicality” but “great fun”. Interestingly, Auto Trader also dubs the Twizy a “coupe”.



AutoExpress, purveyor of rendered speculation, gave the Twizy 3 out of 5 and provided a fact filled but very neutral review. The “harsh” ride came in for criticism, though the handling was praised, while stowage space was found wanting. “We’d like more pockets up front for phones and other odds and ends,” was the strongest opinion voiced.

Autocar tends to put a tape measure across everything but it doesn’t give the Twizy a star rating. It called it “weirdly thrilling” to drive but criticised the “mercilessly firm” and “wooden” suspension. Despite caveats, the little runabout seemed to get a fairly strong endorsement: “If the Twizy makes sense in your life, then do it. It’s fabulous.”

New car bible What Car? plumped for 3 out of 5 stars and said the Twizy is “far too firm at any speed, and particularly painful over urban potholes”. A lack of storage space also came in for criticism. The word “fun” is conspicuously absent, but the throttle sensitivity is deemed “nicely judged” and the steering “surprisingly well-weighted”. The verdict? “It does a good job of slotting into the space between mopeds and cars – but it’s far easier to see it appealing to those in the market for a two-wheeled vehicle.”

Unsurprisingly, a pattern emerges. When I slide behind the wheel of the Twizy next week I can expect an engaging but impractical little urban racsal with a very firm ride. I think I might bring a cushion.