Not an EV, but huge on range: the small Renault Clio covers up to 1,450 km without stopping

Renault has added a new dual-fuel Eco-G 120 version to the Clio range. The hatchback runs on petrol and on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), with a claimed range of up to 1,450 km — a figure most electric cars currently struggle to even get near.

The powertrain is built around a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo engine with direct injection, already familiar from the new Captur and Symbioz. In the Clio its output has been raised to 120 hp, 20 hp more than on the previous Eco-G 100 version. Torque stands at 200 Nm — 30 Nm up. The transmission is a dual-clutch automatic.

This isn’t the sporty Clio: 0–100 km/h takes 9.8 seconds. The point of the version is somewhere else. The car has two separate tanks: 39 litres of petrol and 50 litres of LPG. The LPG cylinder is 25 percent bigger than before (up from 40 to 50 litres), and that’s mainly what delivers the extra range.

Claimed consumption is 6.5 l/100 km on LPG and 5.4 l/100 km on petrol. For the owner the real-world saving depends not just on consumption, but also on the price gap between petrol and LPG in their country. The wider the LPG refuelling network on your route, the more sense the Eco-G 120 makes.

The price in France starts from €21,900. Notably, that’s the same as the Clio Evolution TCe 115 EDC with the regular 115 hp petrol engine. So Renault doesn’t charge a premium for the dual-fuel version, even though on range it’s clearly more practical.

The main question before buying is the LPG infrastructure. If gas stations are within reach close to home and along long-distance routes, the Clio Eco-G 120 looks like a rare case where a regular combustion car gets near-«diesel» range without you having to switch to a heavier crossover.