Why Aussies Aren't Saying 'Oui' to French Electric Cars from Renault & Peugeot

French electric cars are failing to spark interest in Australia, with many Peugeot and Renault fans down under worrying how long the brands can survive without selling EVs in any serious volume.

Renault Megane E-Tech
Image by - Neerav Bhatt

The announcement a few days ago of a handful of seriously over priced Peugeot E-308 hatchbacks being available for purchase, has capped a disappointing year for French EV passenger electric cars in Australia.

Peugeot's Australian distributor Inchcape is offering the available 14 Peugeot E-308 electric hatchbacks via participating Peugeot Dealers for a shockingly high driveaway price of $65,990.

Peugeot e-308
Image by - Peugeot

To give an idea of how underwhelming that offer is, the competing small French hatchback Renault Megane E-Tech has managed a meagre 230 sales in Australia across the first 10 months of 2024, with a mid-year $10,000 price cut to $54,990 plus on-roads not changing woeful monthly sales numbers.

Another French passenger EV which was on sale in Australia this year, the Peugeot e-2008 GT had a huge price cut from $64,086 to $39,990 driveaway which succeeded in clearing stock, as well as making existing owners feeling faint as their resale value plummeted.

Peugeot E-2008 GT
Image by - Neerav Bhatt

One of the main reasons all three French EV's have failed to gain the approval of Australian car buyers is high prices considering the range on offer.

• Peugeot e-2008 GT 328km WLTP range
• Peugeot E-308 400km WLTP range
• Renault Megane E-Tech 454km WLTP Range

Besides offering a very short range for the initial asking price, the Peugeot e-2008 GT lacked interior space since it was based on an ICE car body. It also had a dated-looking infotainment system and only a reverse camera.

Furthermore, the first-generation Peugeot e-2008 GT sold in Australia was released at the same time as the newer, much improved second generation was introduced in Europe, leading to awkward comparisons by potential buyers.

The Renault Megane E-Tech has been a very popular car in France; in fact, it was the best-selling battery electric car there in mid-2024.

However the Megane E-Tech version that was sent to Australia demands a premium price despite having many features cut out from the Euro specifications list such as replacing Android Automotive infotainment with a basic in house OS, only 7.4kW AC charging, no remote access app, a poor quality reverse only camera and a small central screen.

In comparison to the initial e-2008 GT price, there are countless more compelling modern electric SUVs on offer to Australian buyers.

It's also no wonder the Megane E-Tech hasn't sold many units, as buyers who want a small premium EV hatchback have been snapping up the Tesla-like, well-packaged Volvo EX30 while buyers who want a small value-for-money EV hatchback with a RWD balanced dynamic driving experience have been buying the MG4.