Future Renault Clio will continue with hybrid power

• Next Renault Clio to retain petrol hybrid option
• To sit alongside electric Renault 4 and 5
• Expected on sale in 2026

The next generation of Renault Clio will still offer petrol-powered models when it arrives in 2026, the French manufacturer has confirmed.

That’s according to Renault’s Chief Technology Officer, Gilles Le Borgne, speaking to Carbuyer at the recent Munich Motor Show. Renault is going all-in on electric vehicles from 2030, but with the Clio due for replacement prior to that date, it will continue to offer petrol-based hybrids in the interim.

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Even with Renault currently working on a pair of all-electric superminis in the form of the reborn Renault 4 and Renault 5, it’s not overlooking the Clio – now in its fifth generation, having first arrived on the scene in 1990. The car is still enormously popular across Europe and will continue to be a part of the maker’s range as the electric age dawns.

“We are working, as we speak, on the next generation of Clio,” Le Borgne told Carbuyer. “And that car will have some ICE engines because it will be on sale before 2030.”

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Electric power may still be offered in the Clio, as the new car’s underpinnings will share similarities with the all-electric Renault 5 – but Le Borgne didn’t go into detail on whether Renault will offer both hybrid and EV power in the next Clio.

Visually the next Clio is likely to adopt some of the styling cues that debuted on the new Renault Rafale hybrid SUV, while inside both the design and materials will be updated – they’re already strong points in the current Clio – and the new car will adopt the Android-based infotainment system found in the Megane and the new Scenic.

Its hybrid engines may be developed by a company formed by Renault and Chinese carmaker Geely. The pair launched a joint venture in late 2022, incorporating 17 existing factories, five development facilities, and more than 19,000 staff. Petrol hybrids are still very much on the menu for the new company, in part to continue developing products for regions such as China, North America, and Latin America, which may not have committed to fully electric transportation as soon as Europe.