Renault Clio

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At a glance

Who is this car for?

Two travellers working a ten-day Budva base with daily hops to Sveti Stefan, Petrovac, Bečići and a Kotor side-trip mid-week.

• First-time Riviera visitors
• Couples
• Week-long coastal stays

This car on Budva roads

Behind the wheel

The Clio on Budva plates is almost always the Mk5 with the 1.0 TCe petrol three-cylinder and a five-speed manual, the cheapest and most common Riviera multi-day hire for good reason. The three-cylinder is a touch nasal under throttle, but Clio renters rarely lean on it. What earns the booking on a week or fortnight in Budva is a clutch light enough that summer traffic on the Slovenska coast strip never bothers the left leg, a dashboard that stays readable in full Adriatic sun at 35°C, and seats that are still comfortable on the fourth straight morning beach run. Cabin noise sits slightly higher than a Polo at 120 km/h but rear room is noticeably better.

On Budva roads

From a Budva base the Clio handles the standard daily roster without ever feeling pushed. The M2 coast road south to Sveti Stefan sits in fourth at 2,200 rpm, and the 4 km hop north to Jaz Beach is a one-gear flat cruise. The harder days, the 50 km Lovćen run via Cetinje with its 25 hairpins, the 35 km loop to Virpazar on Skadar Lake via the Sozina tunnel, the 90 km cross-border to Dubrovnik through Debeli Brijeg, all stay inside the Clio's 42-litre tank without a refuel. Four adults with cabin bags fit for a beach day, four with full cases starts to compress the boot.

Space and load

The 391-litre boot is the Clio's strongest spec and the reason it consistently beats the Peugeot 208 for Riviera multi-day work. Two adults' hard-shell cases fit without folding a seat, with room left for a beach umbrella and a small cool-bag heading to Bečići or Buljarica. Fold one rear seat and a full snorkel kit, two folding chairs and a weekly Voli shop from the Topliški Put store all fit alongside. The shape is usefully square, so tripods, tent poles and the awkward long-format hand luggage that Bečići supermarkets sell all stow without Tetris.

Best journeys for this car

The Clio's natural Budva renter is the long-stay Riviera visitor who wants the car to cost as little as possible in fuel and parking stress. Two adults on a fortnight in a Bečići apartment, alternating beach afternoons with drives to Kotor and Stari Bar, is the typical brief. It also covers digital-nomad renters using Budva as a year-long coastal base, where the running cost lands close to Montenegrin-resident levels once the daily rental is averaged out. A family of three with a child seat fits comfortably; a fourth adult is where rear comfort drops on longer legs.

Practical notes

Petrol economy hovers near 5.8 L/100 km once a Cetinje climb and a Dubrovnik return are averaged into the week, with the 42-litre tank delivering close to 700 km between fills. The 4.05 m length slips into the summer Slovenska Plaža pay zones at €2/h without drama, fits the TQ Plaza underground garage cleanly, and takes the perimeter bays around Stari Grad without scraping a wheel. Front-wheel drive with all-season tyres is fine for coastal Budva year-round; for a December push to Žabljak or a February Lovćen day in fresh snow, ask for chains at pickup since the M2 stays clear but the Cetinje road does not.

The verdict

Pick the Clio if your plan is a long Budva Riviera stay with a loose schedule of daily excursions and you want the biggest boot per euro. Skip it for a four-adult distance-heavy week or any itinerary built around motorway cruising; the 308 or Megane cover those briefs more comfortably.

Inside the car

• Bluetooth Audio
• USB Charging
• Central Locking
• Touchscreen Display