SCENIC'S STILL ON TOP OF THE PODIUM

Twenty-seven years ago, the Renault Scenic won the European Car of the Year contest. A worthy winner, I thought at the time.

Fast-forward to today and again the Scenic is Car of the Year, but it couldn't be more different from the one that the company launched in 1996.

That Scenic was a compact people carrier which made great use of its interior space. And naturally it came with a choice of various petrol and diesel engines.

Today's Scenic is only electric. Also, it isn't a people carrier. Renault insists: "It is just a car. The customer will decide upon his or her own definition of what it is." Which is fair enough.

Whatever the interpretation, the Scenic E-Tech is most certainly a very good car.

We're driving an Iconic long-range version in Midnight Blue with a Black Diamond roof. It's a good-looking car from the outside and it doesn't disappoint when you climb aboard either.

Being the Long Range option, it's fitted with a 87kWh battery.

Also available is a 60kWh unit which is available in the cheaper models.

Renault quotes the official WLTP range as 369 miles, which is more than adequate and beats most rivals.