Renault 5

The Renault 5 is a French supermini hatchback built by Renault, introduced in 1972 and produced in two distinct generations until 1996, credited with helping to define the modern European supermini segment alongside contemporaries from other manufacturers. Built with a distinctive plastic-clad bumper design and a compact, practical hatchback body at a time when small European cars were still commonly offered as three-box saloons, the Renault 5 combined youthful styling with genuine practicality, and it became one of the best-selling cars in France and a common sight across Western Europe through the 1970s and 1980s. A high-performance turbocharged variant, the Renault 5 Turbo, built with the engine relocated to a mid-rear position for rallying, also gave the model a notable competition pedigree distinct from its everyday commuter role.