Reborn R5 goes on sale in the UK from sub-£23,000, but is this finally the plush supermini to take on the Cooper? The new Renault 5 is now officially on sale in the UK from £22,295, ahead of deliveries beginning in spring.Fresh from being named both the European Car of the Year and What Car? Car of the Year in recent weeks, the reborn R5 was available early to buyers who'd signed up to Renault's 'R Pass' reservation scheme, but is now open to all.It's offered with either a 40kWh battery and a 118bhp motor on the front axle, or – for £26,995 – a more potent 148bhp motor fed by a larger 52kWh pack. Maximum range is put at 190 miles for the standard car and 248 for the range-topper.This stunning remake of the R5 was at the heart of Renault CEO Luca de Meo's bold transformation plan for the French company, revealed four years ago as a concept and now en route to showrooms almost entirely unaltered. The brand hopes this returning supermini can do what its 1970s namesake did by bringing affordable mobility to France, but this time using electric power.In business and style terms, the idea is that the new R5 does for Renault what the 500 did for Fiat and Mini did for BMW.The concept version of the 5 looked incredible, and thankfully the production car has fully retained that ‘want’ factor in visual terms despite an expedited development. When something looks that good, you really want it to drive well – and now is a good time to say the reborn 5 truly has been worth the wait.