Used Renault Megane Hatchback 2008 - 2016 review

The Renault Megane has been around since 1995 when it replaced the Renault 19, and went on to spawn several different body styles, including the taller Renault Scenic, longer estate, sportier coupe and, er, breezier cabriolet. In this review we’ll be talking about the five-door hatchback version of the third-generation Megane, which arrived in the UK in 2008 with a range of petrol and diesel engines.

As with previous Meganes, this version obtained a full five-star rating in Euro NCAP’s industry standard crash tests at launch, although this was subsequently reduced to four stars when retested in 2014 under tougher conditions.

Renault also took the unusual step of prioritising a big boot over space for rear-seat passengers, so there’s appreciably more room for luggage or baby buggies than you get in a Ford Focus or a VW Golf of the same vintage. However, if you want to carry a tall rear passenger or perhaps a rear-facing child seat on an Isofix base in the back seats you wouldn’t want the person in the front to be too much taller than 5ft, and even then, head room is a little tight.

Interior quality is a mixed bag, with the main dashboard feeling quite plush while some of the other panels and control are a little flimsy. Renault’s music system is also fiddly to use, and programming the optional TomTom sourced sat-nav can be tricky because its controls are located by the handbrake.

As for the driving experience the Megane does a solid enough job of being composed and comfortable without ever threatening to offer much in the way of fun. The range of petrol engines earlier in the Megane’s life included a 1.6-litre with 99bhp or 108bhp, a 1.4-litre turbo with 128bhp, or a 2.0-litre turbo with 178bhp. A smooth and punchy 115bhp 1.2-litre TCe turbo was added to the range in 2012.

On the diesel front buyers of early cars can choose between 1.5- and 1.9-litre engines with power outputs ranging from 84bhp to 128bhp. These were later joined by a 1.5-litre dCi with 108bhp or the 1.6-litre dCi with 128bhp.

In 2014, the Megane received a more modern grille design in line with Renault’s other cars. Shortly after this GT models were re-launched with more powerful 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines, uprated suspension and sportier looks, but even in this guise the Megane is no hot hatch to drive.

One of the worst things about the Megane for those buying one new is the heavy depreciation it suffers. For used car buyers, however, this makes it much more affordable than most of its rivals. You can pay as little as £1200 for a high-mileage third-generation Megane, and something close to £2500 will get you an early, low spec car that hasn’t been to the moon and back.

The more interesting cars start from £3000, which will either buy you a 2009 Megane with less than 70,000 miles on the clock, or a 2012 model that has covered a six-figure distance.

Increasing your budget closer to £5000 will buy you anything from a 20,000-mile 1.6-litre petrol from 2010 to a post-facelift 2014 car with 90,000 miles on the clock and the top-spec 1.6-litre diesel engine.

With £7000 to spend you can buy a low-mileage post-facelift car with almost whatever engine takes your fancy. The market tops out at about £11,000 for a late and very low mileage car, but if you’re spending that kind of money you’ll be better off looking at a fourth-generation Megane instead.

One of the reasons for the popularity of the 1.5-litre diesel is that road tax won’t cost anymore than £30 per year. Indeed, find a car with this engine that also has stop-start fitted and the sub-100g/km CO2 output ensures you won’t pay a penny.

Most other engines range from £135 to £190 per year to tax, with the exception being the GT models at up to £240 per year.

As far as fuel consumption goes, the standout model is the 1.5-litre dCi, which managed up to 80mpg in economy-optimised Eco guise. However, in the real world this engine returns more like 55mpg, which is about the same as the more powerful 1.6-litre dCi, and 5mpg more than the earlier 1.9-litre diesel.

As with their diesel counterparts, the petrol engines aren’t as efficient in real world driving conditions as the official test results suggest, with all models hovering between 30-35mpg.

You also need to factor in that all engines require a new timing belt every five years or 60,000 miles at a cost of £500 or more if you want it done at a main dealer.

Minor services (which should be carried out every 12 months or 10,000 miles regardless of what the handbook says) cost from £140 for petrol Meganes or £190 for diesels, although again you’ll be able to reduce costs by going outside the dealer network.

In terms of engines, unless you need the longer range from a tank of fuel that comes with a diesel we’d lean towards petrol power. The 1.2-litre TCe is tempting here, but in reality the vast majority of Meganes are fitted with the 1.6-litre VVT unit, making it the logical choice.

Renault offered a frankly bewildering number of trim levels over the Megane’s lifetime as well as numerous special editions such as the iMusic, Knight Edition and Limited, all of which can represent great value on the used market.

Even entry-level Extreme models (later called ‘Generation’) are fitted with air-conditioning, a CD player and electronic stability control, so are hardly sparsely equipped. Features such as alloy wheels, Bluetooth and USB connectivity can be found on most models above this, and a healthy supply of cars also include sat-nav (denoted by ‘Nav’ or ‘TomTom’ in the trim name). Rather than looking at a particular spec level therefore, our advice when it comes to the Megane is to search based on engine and mileage, and then choose a model with your preferred options.

Our favourite Renault Megane: 1.6 VVT Dynamique

You can’t talk about the family car market without mentioning the VW Golf, but while it might have a more upmarket image than the Megane you’ll pay a lot more for a car of an equivalent age, specification, power output and mileage.

The same is true, albeit to a lesser extent, of the Ford Focus, although opting for one of these over the Renault will also buy you a more involving driving experience and much sharper steering response.

Conversely, the Peugeot 308 and Citroen C4 are similarly cheap to buy but not quite as good to drive as the Renault Megane.

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