WELL, here’s a cute little supermini from Renault.

The Fiesta-sized Zoe is continuing the French manufacturer’s purple patch when it comes to design and could do very well.

And there’s one other thing – it’s fully electric.

It seems that, slowly but surely, manufacturers are starting to realise that electric cars don’t have to ‘look like electric cars’ – it is actually possible to make an electric car look like a normal vehicle and not a spaceship.

And, looks-wise, Renault seems to have pulled that bit off.

If electric tech makes sense anywhere then surely it is here, in a small city car.

The Zoe drives very well. Electric power makes for swift, near-silent acceleration and the Zoe is no slouch. It also puts some juice back in the battery when you decelerate.

It’s fun to drive and handles well, as you’d expect from a car in this segment.

It comes in three trim levels – Expression, Dynamique Zen and Dynamique Intens. Even on the basic car you get cruise control, front electric windows, sat nav and a touch screen. The next spec up adds 16in alloys, a better stereo, parking sensors, auto wipers and lights and other bells and whistles.

I drove the top-spec Intens, which gives you a rear parking camera as well.

Inside looks good and would appeal to younger drivers and rear space isn’t too bad for a small car, while the boot is a good size.

Then we come to the eternal question hovering over fully-electric cars at present – range.

Depending on how hard you drive it, real-world range is around 80 miles. Now, if like me, you live in Poole and work in Bournemouth, you could probably get a week’s commuting out of the Zoe with no problems.

But if you want to go to London at the weekend you’re going to be in a bit of a bind.

So the issues are still there, but with more rapid-charging posts springing up around the country, a bit of planning means the longer journeys are possible.

In truth though, if you were buying a petrol or diesel Polo or Fiesta, you’d be buying it knowing that it’ll spend a lot of its time on short journeys.

So the Zoe is probably one of the best examples of electric so far – a good looking supermini that is ideal for city living without the fuel costs or carbon emissions. Imagine if everyone drove them in a busy city, the air would be so much cleaner.

Electric cars are still far from being a real alternative if you do long journeys, but the Zoe is another big step into the mainstream, especially when you consider that the range starts at £13,995 after the government’s incentive That means, although there are monthly battery leasing costs starting at £70, there’s no premium associated with this technology anymore.

Renault could be onto a winner with this one.

Find out more at westovergroup.co.uk/Renault.