Renault Megane E-Tech facelift priced from $55,990 in Australia, arrives in 2027

Renault Australia has opened order books for the facelifted Megane E-Tech, with the updated small electric SUV due in showrooms in the first half of 2027 priced from $55,990 before on-road costs. That is $1000 more than the model's list price since 2024, but the update brings a new battery, more range, faster charging and a long list of added equipment.

A single Esprit Alpine variant replaces the old Techno grade, and customers who place a $200 online deposit by December 31, 2026, then purchase and take delivery, receive a 7kW home charging adaptor valued at $749 excluding installation. The offer is not available to government and fleet buyers.

New battery, more range and faster charging

The Megane E-Tech swaps its 60kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery for a 67kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) unit. WLTP range rises from 454km to 480km, and the DC fast-charge rate climbs from 130kW to 165kW while AC charging goes from 7.4kW to 11kW.

Renault has not announced power or torque figures for the facelifted model in the material available, so those numbers remain unconfirmed for the Australian version. The update also adds vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality for powering small appliances and a one-pedal drive mode with stronger regenerative braking that can bring the car to a complete stop.

More tech inside and out

Outside, the facelift brings new LED front fog lights, new tail-lights, new 20-inch alloy wheels and a new front bumper, styling the Megane more closely with the newer Scenic E-Tech above it. Inside, the touchscreen grows from 9.0 inches to 12 inches and now runs Google Automotive Services, including embedded Google apps such as the Gemini AI assistant. The system can forecast driving range and plan routes around charging stations, and the car supports over-the-air software updates.

A new Face ID function recognises the driver's face and adjusts the seat and exterior mirrors accordingly. Driver assistance adds a surround-view camera, semi-autonomous parking assist, safe exit warning and Active Driver Assist, which combines adaptive cruise control with stop/go and lane-centring. There is also Emergency Stop Assist, which automatically slows and stops the vehicle if it detects the driver is unresponsive or asleep.

A modest price rise for a lot more equipment

The $1000 increase over the since-2024 list price buys a substantially longer equipment list, a bigger battery and quicker charging, which makes the facelift look like better value than the raw price comparison suggests. The $200 deposit deadline of December 31, 2026, also gives buyers a reason to commit early, though the charging adaptor offer excludes fleet and government customers.

The Megane E-Tech sits below the Scenic E-Tech in Renault's electric line-up, and the facelift's styling and tech bring it closer to that newer model. Renault Australia has said it is in the middle of revitalising its model line, and this update is part of that push.

Voting blocs in the European Parliament accounting for 55 per cent of the chamber have agreed to a deal that would replace the EU's 2035 ban on new combustion-engined cars with an 87.5 per cent CO2 reduction target, according to a document seen by Bloomberg.

The proposal would leave the remaining 7.5 per cent of new-vehicle emissions to be offset by purchases of green steel, rather than requiring a full 100 per cent cut. It is not yet law: the Parliament, European Commission and European Council must agree, and each member state must then pass the legislation.

What Parliament's bloc has agreed

The reported coalition runs from the centre-right to the centre-left and covers 55 per cent of the European Parliament, enough to carry a position if it holds. Under the current rules, automakers must cut CO2 from new cars by 100 per cent by 2035, which in practice ends sales of new petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid models.

The Parliament's stance is not the same as the Commission's. In December 2025 the Commission resolved to set the 2035 target at 90 per cent, with the remaining emissions offset through synthetic fuels and green steel production. That gap between 87.5 per cent plus green steel and 90 per cent plus e-fuels is the space where the final negotiation will happen.

France and Germany line up behind 90 per cent

This week French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed a common position on the question. Following Germany's preference, they propose a 90 per cent reduction in new-car CO2 by 2035 with no further offsets required.

In return, Germany has agreed to push for made-in-Europe public procurement rules. For vehicles bought by government agencies, 10 per cent of high-voltage batteries would have to come from European sources and 70 per cent of other components would have to be made in Europe.

That trade is the most telling part of the story. The two largest member states are not simply arguing over a percentage; they are trading a softer emissions target for local-content rules that would steer public fleet money toward European supply chains. For drivers, the practical effect of any of these versions is that new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars could remain on sale past 2035, which changes what is likely to be on forecourts in the 2030s.

Why the target is being softened

The Commission came under pressure from automakers and some member states to lower the reduction target. The stated reasons are slower-than-expected uptake of electric vehicles, stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers and the high cost of developing new EV architectures.

Those pressures explain why three different numbers are now in play at once. A 100 per cent cut is the law as it stands, 90 per cent is the Commission's and the Macron-Merz position, and 87.5 per cent plus green steel offsets is where the parliamentary majority has landed. Each figure implies a different volume of combustion-engined cars still being sold in 2035, and a different amount of investment pushed toward e-fuels, green steel or battery-electric platforms.

What is still unresolved

No final figure has been agreed between the EU's institutions, and it is not settled what the various arms of the EU and its largest member states will sign up to for the 2035 new-vehicle emissions target. Until the Parliament, Commission and Council converge and member states pass the legislation, the 100 per cent reduction remains the rule on paper.

The sources do not say when a trilogue agreement or a vote might happen, and no timetable for member-state transposition has been announced.