Renault Twingo (2012 – 2014) Review

It was decided to keep things as simple as possible when the updated Renault Twingo was launched in 2012. There was just one engine and one trim, although there were plenty of options to personalise the car just like you could with a Fiat 500. Other rivals included the Citroen C1 and sister car the Toyota Aygo. Read on for our full Renault Twingo review.

The first-generation Renault Twingo never made it to the UK, but its blend of cute styling and a practical cabin made it popular on the continent.

The second-generation model arrived in 2007, and offered more of the same, but with sliding rear seats to maximise interior space. It struggled to find fans in the UK, so Renault facelifted it in 2012 with the aim of giving it more appeal.

The French company had steadily reduced the number of variants on offer and when the model was revamped, there was just one trim level and engine to choose from.

That means this Renault Twingo is powered by a 75PS 1.2-litre petrol, which isn’t particularly remarkable.

It has enough pep for city streets, but refinement is unimpressive and the drive itself could be better. The handling is fine with plenty of grip and agility thanks to the light weight, but the steering feels spongy and the gearchange action could be better.

Thankfully the 1.2-litre engine is reasonably clean and economical, with emissions of 108g/km and an official consumption figure of 60.1mpg.

Those figures make it affordable to run, but many used car rivals, such as the cheaper Hyundai i10, manage emissions of below 100g/km and are even more efficient.

Unfortunately, the Renault Twingo’s practical layout isn’t enough to make it a wise buy. The single trim available offers a good level of standard equipment including air-conditioning and cruise control, but it’s still not a patch on other city cars like the superior Volkswagen Up and Hyundai i10.

Both are more appealing to drive, better built and available in a wider range of trim levels.

Fancy a newer generation Renault Twingo? Read our review here.

The Renault Twingo may look cheeky, but sadly there’s little character in the way it drives.

While it is light and agile, so can be fun on a twisting road, any enjoyment is diluted by spongy-feeling steering and an imprecise gearchange.

Refinement isn’t great, either – the cabin is loud and buzzy at higher speeds, while both wind and tyre noise are audible at anything over 30mph.

On the plus side, the ride quality is good – speed bumps and potholes are absorbed well.

The suspension only begins to show its lack of sophistication when the car is pushed particularly hard though corners, when body roll becomes a problem.

The car also wobbles and bounces over very rough, broken surfaces, but for town and dual-carriageway use, it’s very good.

This updated Renault Twingo model from 2012 is only available with one engine choice, which is a 75PS 1.2-litre petrol.

It’s a decent enough engine, with adequate performance in urban environments and respectable claimed fuel economy of 60.1mpg – but it lags behind the competition.

There’s none of the character you get with a Fiat 500’s Twinair engine or the pep of a Citroen C1’s.

Push the Renault Twingo’s motor harder and it just gets noisier, with no real benefit to the speed you’re travelling at, although it will just about cruise on the motorway without making much of a din. But you’ll be too distracted by the wind noise to notice.

The Renautl Twingo ticks the basics for safety, so you get four airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes and Isofix mounts in the two rear seats.

However, there’s no ESP traction control, or any of the latest tech such as lane assist or automatic emergency braking.

It’s a small car, but the Renault Twingo is able to tow an unbraked trailer of up to 350kg.

Anything more than that would be too taxing, given that it tips the scales itself at a featherweight 950kg.

The Renault Twingo might be a small car, but it has an impressively practical cabin.

The back row of two seats is mounted to runners, so it can be slid forward or backward, depending on whether you need load space or rear legroom.

Renault has cleverly fitted adjustment handles that are accessible from the boot, so you don’t need to clamber around to adjust the seating.

They also tumble forward entirely to give almost 1000 litres of boot space, which is very impressive for such a small car, and makes it suitable for carrying flat packs or going on a camping trip.

Although by no means providing estate car capacity, it does impress with its practicality.

The steering and seat adjustment ranges aren’t huge, but it’s still fairly easy to get comfortable and the seats themselves offer a decent amount of support. Storage space up front could be better, but that’s a problem shared with many small cars. 

Thanks to the adjustable rear bench, the Renault Twingo is suitable for carrying adults in the back row, but there are only two seats and access isn’t great because of the three-door layout.

The dashboard and centre-mounted instrument binnacle are finished in a hard yet durable plastic, but some of the minor controls like those for the air-conditioning feel quite flimsy.

As you would expect, the cabin now feels quite dated.

The audio system in the Renault Twingo comes with Bluetooth and USB connectivity as standard.

This means it can also be used as a docking station for an iPhone and iPod Touch, and an iPod-compatible radio was an option.

There are not that many Renault Twingos of this generation on the market, but prices are bolstered by its 1.2-litre petrol engine being able to drive into low emissions zones with no penalty.

It’s also a decent first car for new drivers, so prices for a model with around 60,000 miles on the clock begin at £2500.

For lower-mileage examples with plenty of optional extras fitted, you can pay up to £3700.

This Renault Twingo impresses with its low running costs.

The company claimed combined fuel economy of 60.1mpg, and our Real MPG data shows you should get very close to that with an expected 59mpg.

Carbon dioxide emissions are also decently low at 108g/km, so road tax comes in at £20 per year at the time of writing, which is good news for drivers on a budget.

Other running costs are equally low, including insurance that sits in group 9, while servicing and maintenance should be pretty cheap at an independent garage.

The Renault Twingo Dynamique was the only model available. This brought  ‘Luxe Carbon’ seats, cruise control and a speed limiter as standard.

You also get a stereo with Bluetooth connection, air-conditioning, electrically adjusted door mirrors, a sliding rear bench and alloy wheels.