French automaker Renault has opened the Australian order books for the Megane E-Tech Esprit Alpine, an electric hatchback with a range of up to 480 kilometres which will start from $55,990 before on-road costs.
Renault confirmed earlier this year that the facelifted Renault Megane E-Tech would arrive in Australia next year as the Esprit Alpine variant, and it is now open of pre-orders ahead of local showroom arrivals due in the first half of next year.
The new Renault Megane E-Tech Esprit Alpine has undergone sweeping styling changes and added a range of additional luxury features on top of a major upgrade to the infotainment system.
“Earlier this year we announced Renault Australia was in the middle of revitalising its model line-up and the new Renault Megane E-Tech Esprit Alpine is a part of that,” said Glen Sealey, Renault Australia general manager.
“We know Australia is one of the most competitive new-car markets in the world, but we also know there are discerning buyers who appreciate a car with distinctive design, excellent road-holding, intuitive cabin controls, well-calibrated advanced safety systems, and generous electric driving range for its class.
“We are opening the order books early so we can allocate cars fairly across the dealer network to minimise waiting times and get people into their cars sooner.”
The MY27 Megane E-Tech features a new and larger 67-kilowatt-hours (kWh) lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, an upgrade to the 60-kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery of prior models. This lifts the car’s maximum driving range from 454 kilometres to 480km (WLTP).
Recharging is also faster with maximum DC fast-charging capacity increasing from 130-kilowatts (kW) to 165 kW, now enabling a 15 to 80 per cent charge to take only 24 minutes. AC charging has also increased from 7.4 kW to 11 kW. It will also offer vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability.
New exterior styling includes a new front-end appearance with new LED daytime running lights, new LED headlights, a new front bumper with gloss-black accents, as well as new taillights and redesigned Esprit Alpine 20-inch wheels.
Inside, power operated front seats feature memory and massage functions for the driver as standard, as well as a new infotainment system with a 12-inch touchscreen integrated with Google Automotive Services, and a nine-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system. Accompanying the new Google OS is wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Upgrades to the car’s driver safety technology such as Active Driver Assist, which includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane-centring, emergency stop assist, a 360-degree ‘surround-view’ camera, hands-free parking tech and occupant safe exit warning, all now as standard.
Other features coming with the new Megane E-Tech include facial ID drive recognition, which recalls a driver’s personal settings, as well as a ‘one pedal’ driving mode that delivers a more responsive deceleration and improved energy recovery. A range of colour options are paired with two roof options.
Customers can from today place down a $200 online deposit for the new Renault Megane E-Tech Esprit Alpine on the Renault Australia website or visit a Renault showroom to order a vehicle from one of the first shipments – though production and delivery lead times still apply.
For those who do put down an online depot before 31 December 2026 and subsequently complete the purchase and take delivery of the vehicle, Renault will provide a FoxESS L-series 7kW EV charger valued at $749, though this excludes installation which will be at the customer’s expense.
You can find The Driven’s detailed EV sales data here: Australian electric vehicle sales by month in 2026; by model and by brand.
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