Is Chinese EV dominance inevitable? firefly vs Renault 5

SBD Automotive
Dec 4
5분 읽기

업데이트되었습니다: 5일 전

In recent years, Chinese brands have rapidly expanded their presence in the European market, leveraging competitive pricing, rich feature sets and increasingly sophisticated digital experiences. Yet the narrative of inevitable Chinese dominance is far from settled.

The critical question is whether new entrants can truly outcompete OEMs on their home turf – or whether incumbents can defend, and even grow, their share by delivering a superior, more engaging end-to-end experience.

In this insight we compare the firefly and the Renault 5 as two contradicting philosophies and credible proxies for the wider China vs European dynamic in the ever-competitive volume EV segment. Using structured expert evaluations of infotainment UX, feature set, perceived quality and overall appeal we explore where each vehicle leads, lags, and what this means for product, strategy and HMI teams planning the next wave of European vehicles.

Renault's new 5 is an early example of how European brands are starting to fight back combining accessible pricing, strong everyday driveability, fun, and a distinctly ‘French’ character with a well resolved user experience.
NIO’s newly introduced firefly, by contrast, represented a ‘born digital’ philosophy true of newer Chinese entrants – highly connected, feature-rich and visually bold, but with different UX trade-offs.

All findings are based on SBD Automotive’s independent expert HMI evaluations carried out on both vehicles in European conditions.

Renault 5 sets HMI benchmark, while firefly’s software shows strength (with UX trade offs)

	Renault 5	firefly
Design & brand expression	Strong, unified identity – retro French cues run through hardware, software and the “5” branding; feels fun, characterful and distinctly Renault	Attractive graphics and animations, but a very plain, minimal cabin with little texture or continuity; struggles to build a memorable brand character
Usability & everyday operation	Clear focus on ease of use. Critical interactions (wipers, lights, horn, HVAC) remain physical; HMI is well aligned with Euro NCAP expectations	Clean, button-light cockpit forces most functions through the central touchscreen. Multi-touch gestures and menu structure can confuse, and some basic use cases are harder than they should be
Advanced features and stability	Offers Plug & Charge and V2G plus the “Reno” avatar. Concept is strong, but 14 bugs and an inconsistent branded VPA mean the potential isn’t fully realised	Smooth, responsive OS with rich customisation and micro-interactions, but the system still shows connectivity bugs and ADAS behaviour is inconsistent

Renault 5 emerges as the HMI reference in this segment, while firefly is a promising but uneven first effort.

The R5 combines high perceived quality, a distinctive retro-modern identity and well-judged physical controls to deliver a UX that feels both compliant and characterful. firefly brings a playful, smooth OS and clever cost-effective hardware, but its minimalist cockpit, immature ADAS tuning and weak voice assistant limit its appeal versus European rivals.

Renault delivers stronger feature delight than the firefly

방법론

We assess each vehicle across eight feature components and assign a grade from D- to A+ using clear, pre-defined criteria (e.g. no feature, basic, advanced, best-in-class). ADAS, VPA, audio and experience features are scored on the depth and integration of functions rather than simple availability. These grades are converted into index scores to enable like-for-like comparison between all systems evaluated.

Renault achieves consistently higher grades than the firefly across most domains with ADAS being the only where it lags. This provides an overall stronger and more rounded feature package whilst the firefly’s proposition is ADAS-centric and unbalanced. This reflects a broader pattern we often see with European brands using delight and brand-led features to differentiate whilst Chinese brands focus more on ADAS and spec-sheet feature sets.

Renault’s key delight drivers

Retro-French design cues integrated into the UI and physical details
“Reno” avatar + micro-animations create a playful, likeable persona
Lowest priced car with Plug & Charge and V2G, adding unexpected functional delight

firefly strengths and limitations

Modular magnetic accessories and flexible storage deliver practical, physical convenience
Digital HMI and avatar less cohesive and less polished than Renault 5
Fewer genuinely surprising or emotionally engaging delight features in the core UI

Renault consistently scores higher on PQ

Perceived Quality methodology

We assess the in-vehicle HMI focusing on execution quality and emotional engagement
Expert evaluators rate the condition of each HMI element on 17 attributes using a 1-10 absolute scale
Attributes grouped into visual, tactile, auditory, and overall feature set
Each vehicle is assigned a benchmark score which it must exceed to be viewed as “acceptable PQ”
Segment expectations are calibrated against example OEMs to anchor ratings in real world benchmarks

This chart mirrors wider EU-China benchmarking where Chinese entrants often match or exceed incumbents on operating system smoothness and spatial harmony (due to the minimalist approach), but lags on materials and basic feature execution.

Renault scores consistently above segment expectation with an average score of 8 whilst firefly averages less at 6.5
Renault meets all 17 attributes with no below-expectation scores.
firefly drops below 6 on 4 attributes: output HMI, material quality, delight features, and basic/hygiene features
firefly has a few strong spikes but its fundamentals (branding, materials, basic features, delight) are weaker and more variable

PQ enhanced by Renault custom ‘easter eggs’

Easter eggs in the R5 include small, hidden design details that owners can discover over time. They create a moment of positive surprise, reinforce brand identity and signal that extra care has been taken in the vehicle design. This layered storytelling is still rare among Chinese brands, where effort is concentrated in the screen rather than the physical environment.

The examples below support the branding and delight PQ attributed to make the car feel more considered and “designed for me”, increasing emotional attachment and the sense of quality beyond the base materials. Whilst the ‘born digital’ philosophy of the firefly feels modern, the lack of easter eggs impacts the brand story, touchpoints, and customer engagement.

Europe fights back: Renault edges firefly in real-world HMI

The Renault 5 shows that Chinese dominance is not a given. In this analysis, the European incumbent delivers the more balanced and emotionally engaging HMI with higher perceived quality, stronger brand storytelling and better alignment with Euro-NCAP-driven usability expectations, even if stability and voice execution still need refinement. The firefly demonstrates the Chines brands’ software strength with a smooth OS, playful micro-interactions and feature-rich ADAS. But it falls short on cabin cohesion, basic ergonomics and everyday use-cases.

The wider lesson is that “big screen + bold UI” is not enough. In the volume EV segment, customers still notice material quality, physical controls and thoughtful details as much as digital spectacle. Incumbent European brands that combine solid UX foundations with distinctive identities, like Renault does here, can defend and even grow share against new entrants; Chinese newcomers must evolve beyond the generic, buttonless template to truly resonate with Western buyers.

What European OEMs should take away

Double-down on cohesive brand stories in HMI – Renault’s retro French cues and easter eggs materially lift perceived quality and emotional appeal
Maintain hybrid physical-digital controls for critical tasks; this is both a UX and regulatory advantage vs fully touch-driven Chinese cockpits.
Fix the basics: stability, bug-rate and VPA integration can still undermine otherwise strong designs

What Chinese entrants should take away

Software strength is not enough; invest in materials, tactile quality and physical touchpoints to avoid feeling “cheap but digital”
Move from generic “Chinese minimalism” towards clear brand character (voice, graphics, easter eggs) that can compete with European heritage cues
Tune ADAS and VPA to Western expectations and edge cases, not just spec-sheet competitiveness.

**Adam Jefferson** Senior UX Expert SBD Automotive

"The next wave of mass-market EVs will be led by brands that blend China’s rapid software iteration with traditional OEMs’ strength in product quality and UX discipline. SBD Automotive’s benchmarking and development support is built precisely for this need. We deliver independent cross-market benchmarks covering UX, feature execution, and perceived quality across HMI, ADAS, and connectivity. These insights translate directly into actional targets, design direction and validation plans spanning the full product lifecycle - from early vision and target definition to supplier selection and in-market verification."