Renaults Failed European electric vehicles (EVs) remain forbidden fruit for Australia as they do not meet the same strict safety regulations that have applied to various other brands in recent years.
Although some electrical renewal has been initiated with the introduction of the Scenic E-Tech, Renault Australia is still unable to launch the brand’s smaller electric vehicles – most notably the Renault 5 E-Tech hatch – as they do not currently comply with an Australian Design Rule (ADR) regarding rear seat child restraint anchorages.
In particular, the Renault 5 (and probably also the Renault 4 E-Tech and the newer Twingo E-Tech) does not comply with ADR 34/03 (anchorages for child restraint systems), which requires a top tether anchor point in every rear seat equipped with a seat belt.
This was confirmed to the media at the Scenic’s local launch, with Renault Australia General Manager Glen Sealey stating: “The problem with the Renault 5 is ADR compliance. It’s the rear seat child restraint system.”
Daily Sparkz You can save thousands on a new car. Click Here to get a great deal.
It is far from the first time that a manufacturer has had to contend with ADR 34/03, which came into force on November 1, 2019 for all newly launched vehicles and from November 1, 2022 for all vehicles for sale.
Lastthe Deepal E07 “Multitruck” was recalled due to the lack of a center seat anchor, while BYD was forced to halt deliveries of its Atto 3 EV in 2022 for the same reason. Honda also launched its second-generation HR-V small SUV here as a four-seater, rather than developing a solution specifically designed for Australia.
In addition, Tesla launched its updated Model 3 sedan here despite it being non-compliant, and while the company later paused sales to fix the problem, Mr Sealey said the compliance costs for the Renault 5 would be prohibitive for the French brand to follow suit.
“Renault tends to do things right and pretty well and so compliance is taken very seriously,” he said.
“I can tell you that the compliance cost for the back seat alone is about three million euros (~A$4.9 million), so this is a test of getting the back seat right and making sure that twice the force is required at that single stopping point.
“It’s not a problem, it’s just a matter of meeting a standard. And meeting the standard comes at a cost.”
Mr Sealey denied such costs would kill an Australian business model for the Renault 5 E-Tech, but also pointed out that his brand currently sees no need to introduce any further electric vehicles in Australia beyond the existing Megane E-Tech, Kangoo E-Tech and Scenic E-Tech models.
“We never kill a case, we always leave the door open,” he said. “But we have three electric vehicles in a market that is 1.2 million and less than 10 percent (of sales share) is electric, there is no need for a fourth, fifth or sixth car.”
“Putting a car on the market with high compliance costs at a very high price is not necessarily going to work in a market that is quite crowded today.”
In fact, electric vehicles accounted for just 8.3 percent of the 1,241,037 vehicles sold in 2025, down from a 7.4 percent share in 2024. Renault contributed just 4,569 to total sales.
“We’re standing there today with Renault 5, we’ve got Megane E-Tech, we’ve got Scenic E-Tech, we’ve got Kangoo E-Tech, and that’s three models for a small brand where electrification is under 10 per cent in the market today. So we’re well covered,” Mr Sealey said.
“What we need to do is evaluate this market. If electrification reached 40 percent tomorrow, Renault 5 would be a much easier undertaking.”
The exception to European Renault electric vehicles thwarted by ADR 34/03 is the wild Renault 5 Turbo 3E, which can be ordered in Australia direct from the European factory – albeit for more than $300,000. This exclusive electric performance hatch is clearly recognizable as it has no rear seats at all.
Regardless, Mr Sealey says the Renault 5 E-Tech is a “great branding exercise” for the French manufacturer, being Europe’s best-selling small car electric vehicle in 2025 and one of the continent’s most popular electric vehicles overall.
“This car is well known, it is well thought out, it wins many awards in Europe. However, there is a cost to bringing it to market and that has to be taken into account. It has to work,” he said.
“Every car we make has to work for the (manufacturer) – be profitable – or it’s not worth it. It has to work for the dealer network, but most importantly it has to work for the customer. So if you have (a manufacturer) offering and a dealer offering that doesn’t work in the market, then leave it alone.”
When it comes to ADRs, several brands have previously criticized the Australian government for issuing specific regulations that differ from those abroad.
Mitsubishi has criticized several ADRs, including ADR 34/03, while Nissan cited this regulation as one of the reasons for the delayed launch of its Ariya electric SUV.
However, in late 2024, the Australian government announced a review of how ADRs could be harmonized with other markets and how the local homologation process could be streamlined to reduce costs and shorten the time it takes to certify a vehicle for sale locally.
Despite public feedback on the review, which closes on January 24, 2025, the results have yet to be published.
MORE: Deepal follows BYD, Honda and Tesla in being caught by Australian regulation
MORE: Discover the Renault 5 E-Tech showroom
