Customers wanting the new Renault Zoe electric hatchback will be able to place orders from the middle of this month, the French company has confirmed.

The zero-emission supermini, which has been updated for 2020, will come with a starting price of £18,670 once the government’s £3,500 Plug-In Car Grant for electric vehicles has been applied. However, that figure will not include the monthly fee for leasing the battery.

Alternatively, customers will be able to buy the car and battery outright for an extra £7,000. Those plumping for that option will get a 100,000-mile, eight-year guarantee on the battery, which is a 52 kWh unit providing a range of up to 245 miles, depending on which motor it is paired with.

As standard, the new Zoe comes with the R110 motor, which serves up 107 bhp, although there is also a new R135 motor available, producing 134 bhp. While the lowlier unit manages the sprint from 50 to 75 mph in 9.3 seconds and can return 245 miles from a single charge, the more powerful version cuts the 50-75 mph time to 7.1 seconds. Renault hasn’t confirmed the difference in range between the two motors, but it seems likely that the more powerful, higher-end models will not get quite as far on a charge.

The basic ‘Play’ model, though, is only available with the R110 motor, but it does get LED headlights, air conditioning and a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. You get a 10-inch digital display in place of conventional dials, too, and there’s keyless entry, cruise control and automatic lights and wipers.

Moving up to the ‘Iconic’ trim level opens up the option of the R135 motor, although the starting price of £20,170 only buys you the R110 motor - and that’s before you’ve paid for the battery. However, the Iconic does come with 16-inch alloy wheels, wireless phone charging and rear parking sensors. In addition, the Iconic gets seat upholstery that’s 100 percent recycled and a range of safety systems, including lane departure warning, lane-keeping assistance and traffic sign recognition.

At the top of the range, however, is the GT Line, which is offered only with the R135 motor and comes with a starting price of £21,620. That car gets a larger 9.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, reversing camera and front parking sensors, plus blind-spot monitoring and two-tone diamond-cut alloy wheels.