Renault Master E-TECH interior, dashboard & comfort

There are no obvious clues inside the Master E-TECH to differentiate it from the standard diesel model. The only differences are the addition of a gear selector instead of a manual gearstick (you can get a diesel automatic Master, but they’re rare), and a set of blue coloured dials in the instrument cluster.

These instruments feature a big speedometer with a battery capacity meter to the left and an energy flow meter to the right. This has a needle which races from left to right, depending on whether you’re accelerating and using battery energy or braking and sending energy back into the pack.

Apart from that, it’s pure Master van fare inside. There are plenty of hard-wearing plastics, the fabric seats are designed for numerous entries and exits, and there’s plenty of storage and holders on offer to help you keep on top of working life. There’s three-abreast seating in the cab, but shoulder room is good if you’re travelling three-up.

Renault Master E-TECH dashboard

The Master E-TECH’s dashboard is simply laid out and easy to read, with three dials and a pair of digital readouts set within them. The display to the right shows gear selection and whether any doors are open, while the one in the centre dial is the trip computer.

This shows mileage, trip, battery range and records how much energy has been used, while it also displays a mileage countdown to the next service. It’s easy enough to read, but looks rather old-fashioned with its orange lighting. The centre console features the gear selector, climate controls and stereo, while above this is a pull-out clipboard attached to the dashboard. There are storage trays on top of the dash, plus a big glovebox and huge door bins.

Equipment, options & accessories

The Master E-TECH chassis-cab and platform-cab variants come only in entry-level Start trim level, while the panel van comes in better-equipped Advance spec. The former gets basic kit such as a DAB radio, hill-start and trailer assistance, manual air-conditioning, a height and lumbar-adjustable driver's seat, electric front windows, power-adjustable door mirrors and a driver's airbag.

Advance adds a fully adjustable suspension-type driver's seat, a pivoting seatback table with a storage compartment, a 12V power socket in the load area, automatic headlights and wipers, 16-inch styled steel wheels, a wide-view mirror, rear parking sensors and anchorage points in the load area.

Infotainment, apps & sat nav

The basic two-speaker stereo features DAB, Bluetooth phone connection and a USB port. This is handy, because that allows you to use your smartphone with Renault’s R&Go app that gives you eco driving tips and information, while a cradle allows you to use your phone or tablet as a sat nav.

On the panel van, the R-Link system is mounted in position where the rear-view mirror would normally sit, so it’s actually quite intuitive to look at. It’s controlled via the buttons on the dashboard, but while it’s not the most user-friendly system, it at least has TomTom sat nav with live updates for the first three years.

Fleet users might be interested in Renault’s 'Easy Connect For Fleet' telematics. The Master E-TECH is fitted with a control unit as standard, and provides secure data transfer between the van and control, so that fleet operators can monitor their vehicles in real-time. This will help with logistics, vehicle tracking, route planning and charging management, hopefully cutting costs even further.