Christopher Sharp drove one of the UK’s best selling cars earlier this year (Image: Christopher Sharp)
I’ve been reviewing and testing cars on and off for around three years now and in that time there’s been cars I’ve wanted to drive for all manner of reasons. Some of them because they just interest me, some because they’re topical, but others because they’ve won so many awards I wanted to see what the fuss was about.
Earlier this year there was one car that fell into that third category. Fortunately, at the Goodwood Media Day I was able to find out if it was worth it; and it was so good I ranked it above a Rolls Royce in the rankings of the 11 cars I drove.
The Renault 5 Christopher drove (Image: Christopher Sharp)
The car in question was the Renault 5, a car that was recently announced by the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) as the best-selling electric car in the UK for July with 1,805 registrations. It beat the Kia EV3 that had 1,691 registrations and the Jaecoo E5 with 1,291 registrations.
When I drove one earlier this year the car had, at the time, won multiple awards including the UK Car of the Year 2026, What Car? Car of the Year 2025 and Top Gears Car of the Year for 2024.
Although it had some quirks, the flurry of stalks around the steering wheel looking like the beating wings of an insect, to drive it was impeccable.
It really was a car that, at road speeds, rotated around your hips. Furthermore, it pulled off a trick I’d only experienced in the Hyundai Santa Fe SUV which is to say it was a big car that felt like a small one on the move.
On Britain’s potholed bumpy roads it was all the cliches of driving incredibleness, from the first turns I could see why people had fallen for its French charm.
Alright, it wasn’t the most powerful of the cars I drove that day, and it wasn’t rear-wheel drive either, but it was as sublime to drive as it was practical inside.
Recent data on the sales of electric cars has been considered promising (stock) (Image: Getty)
The Renault 5’s sales performance comes as the SMMT announced that Britain’s new car market grew by 11.7 percent in July with the growth in sales driven by the sale of electric cars.
In a statement following the release of the figures, the SMMT’s Chief Executive Mike Hawes said: “July’s record EV performance is a great achievement, reflecting industry’s huge investment in zero emission mobility.”
However, while the new car market for electric cars continues to burgeon, other experts have said focus should also turn to the used electric car market to help improve the uptake of zero emissions vehicles.
In a statement celebrating the latest SMMT figures, but highlighting the importance of the used car market, the Managing Director of AA Cars James Hosking said: “Continued growth in new car registrations should also support the used market.
“As more motorists change their vehicles, additional part-exchanges will return to dealer forecourts, improving the supply of younger used cars that has remained constrained in recent years.
“That should give second-hand buyers more choice, but value will remain critical. Consumers are comparing models, fuel types and total ownership costs more carefully, so dealers will need to price competitively and give buyers confidence that the vehicle represents good long-term value.”