Renault Zoe’s battery can be switched off

The battery pack in Renault’s latest all-electric car can be switched off remotely by the firm. While the finer details of when batteries would be disabled – as the ultimate penalty for not paying the lease or when the car is stolen – have to be finalised, the system is in place in the Zoe, which will be on sale from July.

The all-electric supermini, with a claimed range of up to 150km before recharging, starts at €17,490, with the monthly lease on the battery beginning at €49 based on an annual mileage of less than 5,000km. Increase the mileage and the monthly costs increase.

Renault says the Zoe is competitively priced against diesel supermini rivals, while the monthly battery lease is less than you would pay to refill the tank in rival diesel cars. It's the fourth all-electric Renault on the market .