Renault Modus (04-12) - Review

Review by David Ross on
If you want a more practical version of a small hatchback, but don't need a people carrier, then the Renault Modus could be the answer. It's based on the Clio but is more versatile with extra rear passenger space. It combines features you wouldn't necessarily expect to find on a small car, with some clever solutions to carrying large and bulky items. It was also the first small car to achieve a five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests. Unfortunately it's not quite big enough to be truly practical and alternatives, such as the Nissan Note, are better value. If you like the idea but need more space, the Grand Modus is a good choice.
3 out of 5

Other Renault reviews

3.5 out of 5

Running costs

The Modus starts at a few thousand above the basic hatchback price level, but a discount should be forthcoming as sales had had a relatively slow start. They should also be cheap to insure and fuel consumption is good on petrol models and better on diesels.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,227 - £1,705 *

Diesel

£943 - £1,068 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Two years/18,000 miles.

Warranty

Thee years/60,000 miles

Road tax (12 months)

£20.00 - £215.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

4 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
    107
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
    185
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Modus is an environmentally friendly model and it's the diesel models that have the lowest emissions - less than 129g/km of CO2 in some cases which makes then cheap to tax. Both 1.2-litre models are frugal - averaging 48mpg but the diesel manages an impressive 63mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2