Renault “wouldn’t say no” to an electric Espace

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Renault's UK boss says brand would be open to reinventing the OG people carrier as an electric model using next-generation platform

GE

George East

6 August 2026 · 4 min read

As Renault continues to win over the European EV market, its UK managing director, Adam Wood, tells EV Powered why an all-electric Espace could be the next step in its electrification strategy.

In recent years, the electric MPV has become an emerging trend on the EV landscape. Spearheaded by van-based fare such as the Citroen E-Berlingo the segment has expanded to include the Volkswagen ID Buzz, Ford E-Tourneo and Kia PV5, with Hyundai’s Staria set to arrive here by the end of 2026.

An Espace, then, revived as an EV makes sense for Renault’s electric era of plenty. Hear us out. After arriving in 1984, Renault’s first-generation MPV went on to become a hit with the British and European public.

Sensibly priced, the Matra-built people mover could lug a family and all their ‘stuff’ in trad, squishy French-car comfort. With its wedgy design, it looked good, too. But by the early 2010s, SUVs had become the body style to have and the Espace – as well as the MPV at large – was considered an unfashionable thing of the past.

While the Espace was withdrawn from sale in the UK in 2012, it remains on sale on the Continent but isn’t the force it once was.

Around the time the Espace left our shores after almost 30 years, Renault had also lost ground as a brand. Yet all of that changed with the ‘Renaulution‘ electrification plan announced by former CEO Luca de Meo in 2021.

The Renault 5, the first car born from de Meo’s bold EV strategy, has been a runaway success, scooping award after award across Europe following its 2025 debut. As recently as July this year, the ‘R5’ was named the UK’s best-selling EV. Last month, the French firm was also announced as the country’s top-selling EV retail manufacturer thanks to the R5, its SUV sibling the Renault 4, plus the impressive Megane and Scenic EVs.

Following its many EV accomplishments, Renault could easily emulate Tesla and do… absolutely nothing with its line-up, rest upon its laurels, and get overtaken by its competitors.

Yet Renault isn’t the House of Elon. Instead, Renault is looking to launch 12 new vehicles by 2030, with the focus very much on electrification.

Key to this plan is the introduction of its RGEV Medium 2.0 platform, which Wood describes to EV Powered as “a genuine game-changer in terms of electric capability”.

“It’s 800-volt architecture,” the Renault UK MD explains. “So, we’re talking about electric ranges up to around 800 kilometres (500 miles) alongside the introduction of range extender (REX) technology, which takes us up to about 1,400km (870 miles).

“With this next generation of platform, range anxiety is a thing of the past – we’re talking about something that’ll give us a 10%-80% charge within 10 minutes, so that really is exciting. In terms of the actual specific models that will form part of that platform, it’s a little bit early to talk about them.”

Unsurprisingly, Wood won’t be drawn into discussions of plans for a future electric Espace. He does, however, confirm that a reinvention of Europe’s first mainstream MPV is something the higher-ups at Renault’s HQ are open to.

A comeback for the OG people-mover would, however, come with one specific caveat: Renault won’t simply pull a much-recognised name from its back catalogue and stick it on whatever the next EV off the line is – very much the opposite to Ford’s approach to the new Capri.

“We certainly wouldn’t say no [to a revived Espace], but when we rejuvenate or revive iconic names of the past, it has to have modern relevance – it’s not simply a blanket strategy of doing it for the sake of it,” Wood emphasises. “Our plan is to bring accessible, joyful, practical, ubiquitous electric ability for people, and that’s a real need of today.”

While a return for the Espace as an EV remains pure speculation for now, the initial signs from Renault are positive, and if anyone can ace the electric MPV, surely it’s Renault.