Can this European brand beat China in the new car price game? New 2026 Renault Twingo electric car poised to take on the likes of BYD Dolphin, MG4 and GWM Ora

Renault’s fourth-generation Twingo light car has been shown off in a close-to-production form at the 2025 Brussels Motor Show, with a seriously competitive target price.

The true-to-original styling for the electric car should have fans of the original Renault Twingo excited, but the announcement that its entry price will still be below the originally promised €20,000 (A$33,100) means there’s potential for the Twingo to be more than a niche Euro offering.

For reference, some of the most affordable electric cars on sale in Australia are the BYD Dolphin (currently $29,990 before on-roads), the GWM Ora ($35,990 drive-away) and the MG4 ($39,990 DA).

Part of the plan, and the reason for its expected low entry price, is that Renault is partnering with a Chinese manufacturer (so far unnamed) to develop and build the new Twingo. As such, it could debut as early as next year thanks to the speed and resources of the assisting OEM.

Of course, the Renault Twingo isn’t confirmed for Australia — and it might never be.

According to CAR magazine in the UK, the Twingo isn’t locked in for right-hand drive production as it’s set to cost around £1 million (A$1,974,700) to engineer it and so it might not make it to the UK where the model has a bit of a cult following.

Given Australia shares its driving side of the road with the UK (but not so much its excitement for small French cars) the chances of the Twingo EV landing in Oz are slim.

2026 Renault Twingo concept

Still, Renault’s Ampere electric sub-brand is developing the new electric Nissan Micra and another model for Mitsubishi — which will both be related to electric Renaults.

The Twingo is to be the third electric retro Renault reboot after the Renault 4 and 5 — both likely for Australia — and the engineering underneath it could be used in models that do eventually hit our shores under any cars from the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance in the future.

2026 Renault Twingo concept

Renault says the Twingo will have a “best-in class” power consumption efficiency of 10kWh/100km, though its technical specifications are yet to be finalised as the model is still not production-ready.

To give context on the efficiency, if Renault can achieve that number the Twingo would be able to travel 450km from the same 44.9kWh battery capacity that take a BYD Dolphin 350km in the WLTP combined cycle.

2026 Renault Twingo concept

In terms of design, quirky features inside and out that could make it to the finalised model include three small air intake scoops on the bonnet, magnets on the back of the headrests for rear passengers to mount devices, and colourful trims and shapes inside that nod to the original Twingo.