Another great vlog post happy to see you're enjoying the car! Bruce seems to like the car! I believe last week's post it looked like spring there, now it's winter again!
I'm glad you got through the first week in one piece. My recent experience driving in the negative temperatures was that the windscreen washers froze up in the cold so perhaps Renault need to fit some sort of heater to the water jets as it was quite dangerous. I had to rely on snow falling and melting on the windscreen to clean it.I agree the preheating is noisy and the brakes can be a little disconcerting at times when it switches between the regen and the brake pads. I noticed how well it gripped in the snow and when I tried to wheel spin by flooring the pedal, it didn't spin at all.
Hi Ian! I’ve watched all your Zoe episodes so far (and most of your old Leaf ones!). Looking forward to seeing your comparison with the new Leaf. Great videos! Well done! I hope you become a millionaire from your YouTubing!
Thanks for following along! A Millionaire?! Blimey that would be nice - make basically nothing from these videos, good job I am not doing it for money, doesnt even cover 10% of the time it takes to do it. (Hence the patreon link). Cant wait to compare the 2...the weather is going to stop the test this week.
Good update Ian, look forward to your review and head to head challenge coming up. Seriously tempted by the Kona EV and will be hard to stop getting it first day its available to order. Going to be more than most people think I reckon.
williamlorimer060867 If you are in the cold weather red zone it will help keep your leaf battery without active battery cooling on multiple rapid charges cold.
Cool! I am getting the 22kWh to 41kWh battery upgrade this morning, will have it back later on the same day. Zoe is the most flexible charging and afdordable EV. 3 phase charging is great! For easier higher regen: use a different upper steering wheel display, hold cards button beside it. It gives a indicator bar with blue tint, all the way up is 43kW e braking for the Q version, R version has less regen. Regen also is very low with full battery up till like 90% full. Also, you can turn off, or change the pedestrian sound (which is up to 30km/h) by holding button, or shortly pressing it. It has 3 sounds, and you can also change the indicator sound, but don’t remember how.
A range test between the Zoe and the Leaf that will be good. I test drove both last weekend and as you said the leaf is better built compared to the Zoe but the Zoe is a lot cheaper which is good it’s all about getting evs on the road
Good blog Ian.. I can't wait to get my zoe.. My leaf lost 10% of its battery capacity over 3 years and only done 32k but this weather I'm only getting 60 miles and giving me lots of range freak outs.. Because of traffic etc
Yeah time is a big factor....and not something you can do anything about :) (You lost about as much as me but mine had done double the milage...time keeps on marching regardless of use)
Hey Ian great video, that thing is loud on preheat but what a nice ride! I can tell from your older videos that the new car is a bit louder. I wish they sold Renault here in the US, I think they gave up in the 80's. Keep it up!
I didn't like the look of it initially, but it's growing on me. I'm seriously considering buying one in August when my current PCP runs out. Can't afford any other EV at the moment. Just trying to arrange a test drive with the local Renault dealer, and it is proving to be a bit of a challenge!
When I was wondering about my first electric car, I thought about Zoe. Higher range and bigger battery capacity sounded promising but then I realised that it doesn’t have rapid charge. It was such a shame at the beginning but then I looked at the leaf and it looked like it’s for me cause it had everything I needed atm. I live in Iceland and this is a small country with only around 27 rapid chargers right now on the ring road around Iceland. I think if Zoe had chademo or other kind of quick charging, I would’ve gone with it. I’m really liking my Leaf but I cannot say how much can I go on one full charge. I’m running 30kw version and the range varies a lot on how I drive. During the winter we mostly have an icy and snowy roads so I’m forced to use ECO mode just to run it without slippering, but then whenever i go on regular mode, it feels so responsive and fast. The market is slowly improving the offer in electric car area and I’m already thinking about next car that I’m going to get. I would love to have a Tesla, but we don’t have any official dealer or service Center which makes It extra difficult and pricey to own. I’m hoping that Tesla will eventually come to Iceland but if not what can I get for similar price? There is jaguar I-pace coming next year which is very nice car as I could say already from concepts and informations shared to public. We don’t have Chevy bolt nor Opel ampera-e available here (for no reason) and I don’t know exactly what to look for at the market right now. I’m pretty sure that Hyundai Kona will be available but would you go for it yourself if you were able to? It tricks me a bit that it’s so hard to get anything new from the regular world at the moment :D Cheers Ian! I love your videos and you’re the reason why I went electric! Thank you!
Thanks for the information! The Zoe does have quick charge (I have the Q90 - so accepts up to 43kw of power). Have you looked at the Hyundai Kona? Looks very good!
Ian Sampson oh wow, they told me that it could charge only on the maximum speed of 22kw... well my fault. And yeah! Kona looks awesome plus the bigger battery pack sounds even better with this huge range. Have you heard anything about pricing?
It's in dutch i fear. sdwaterland.nl/deelauto We pay € 540,= per car per month to make the Zoe's available, Users pay about € 15 to € 20 per day to use one of two cars (€ 1,50 per hour) I like them both. I like the smaller footprint of the Zoe.
I think the Zoe looks a better car than the new Nissan Leaf (only because I'm a first gen Leaf driver) Can't wait to watch your special comparison video. Enjoy your Zoe :)
If you press the brake slightly, you will get much more regen, but only until 15kmh. Then the friction brakes kick in. Watch the kw consumption meter on the dash, and you will see it regen much more when you apply the brake. I think the heater sucks when driving at minus celcius, preheat works fine, but the ZE app doesn't work for preheating (only to show the charge). How do you think the heater works while driving?
well I have actually found the heating really good (with eco of of course) - it heats the cabin up as quick as my leaf did. Perhaps they updated it in some small way?
"I think the heater sucks when driving at minus celcius" Agreed. Over the past few days, the heater in mine has been little more than tepid, even at max. Also I've never got the pre-heat to work from the app, only from the key.
ianlorenc Which version of Zoe do you have? I am wondering if they have changed something as the heating in mine gets hot real quick even in these temperatures (and also APP has not let me down once) - somethings off somewhere with yours.
What Car magazine dated 24 Jan - 22Feb winter tested the new Leaf against a Zoe and electric Golf. Heaters on and drive like an ice car. All cars in convoy swapping the drivers around at intervals. Result - Leaf 108 miles, Zoe 131 miles, Golf 93 miles.
Test driving the Leaf at the weekend. The PCP is really good compared to the Zoe. The GFV on the zoe after 3 years is only 6k, the Leaf is 10K. Really makes the monthly payments similar between the 2. Oh and a 6 month wait for the Zoe too
Cash price I am referring to Cheapest I have seen a new leaf for is £20500 v £16k for the Zoe. If some PCP deals out there that come in at the same price for both then it leaves just range to some degree :)
I find 'roll out' a lot longer than the Leaf (when letting go of the throttle and brake - if letting of throttle AND using the brake you can make it almost the same as the Leaf). But its only different, hardly a negative.
Great episode. That car is definitely not my cup of tea though for its size, quality, performance and... I don’t know but I seem to dislike Renault for some reason. I’m glad you like it and its doing well for you though
Yeah renault name doesnt inspire many people with confidence, but I am giving them a chance....you never know in 4 years it might have a glowing review :) So far so good, defying expectations so thats good! I prefer first hand experience to hear say. (And whatever experience that gives - good or bad - then at least I personally know)
Ian Sampson I bought a Clio years ago and it lasted 14 years, it was tinny as well but gave it away in the end. The only thing wrong with it was the heater matrix but not economic to repair so got a new car, so they can last.
We had a couple of Scenics years ago that soon rattled, but our 4 year old Captur has been great. We bought the Captur as it was one of the few cars that would fit a passenger comfortably behind a 6 ft driver without having a huge footprint or costing the earth. So we have changed our mind about Renault and love our Zoe ( but it is the first week of ownership! )
If you study reliability reports in recent years, Renault have improved a lot. They have put a lot of work into deveoping the Zoe and as they are part of Nissan, share a lot of the technology so they would be silly to sell a car that was not going to be good. What they need to do is make sure their customer service doesn't let them down when there are issues.
goodchappy Link with Nissan ahh yes. I had a Nissan Almera 02 reg for 100,000 miles without issue whatsoever, one of those ice cars with zillions of moving parts which increase the risk of a failure. I bought a Nissan leaf 16 reg and it has been the new car with the most faults I have ever owned, with the least amount of moving parts. Nissan are losing their reliability halo in my opinion, from my experience.
such beautiful weather. I miss snow so much. Yeah the Kona Electric is unbelievable and that'd be my dream car unless Kia builds a Stinger EV, sadly Norway gets all the good stuff first and the Kona won't come to the U.S. for at least another year. Norway is crazy though especially when you consider how cold it is there that 52% of all new cars sold there are hybrids, plug-ins, and electrics and 35% of that are full electrics.
Our 15 plate Zoe is going in again for a diagnostic. In this weather battery loses 15% overnight and is down to 35% after a 28 mile round trip!! Like the car generally but range in this cold weather is atrocious.
The only 'good' thing is it affects almost all EV's (unless the battery is being heated before departure - which of course cost money in electric) - I found with the Leaf it would smash the range in the sub zero conditions. Roll on 300wh cars :) (mind you it would still smash the range lol)
My Zoe makes exactly the same fan noise I've had it a year now and I've done nearly 6000 miles. No rattles yet.. How do you find the lights? - I bought some high intensity bulbs because I didn't think they were much good. I did have some steaming up issues if I got into the car when I was wet in the summer. I didn't always leave the climate control on and now it is always on so I don't know if that solved it or it was due to the silica gel sacks I put under the seats. If you take it easy 180 miles is within easy reach in the Summer but in the winter you may struggle (the power consumption improves after ten miles or so in the winter once everything has warmed up but I think you'll be stopping to charge unless it is over ten degrees by the time you make your journey).
Hello Ian Why did you go for Q90 instead of R90, you mention that you will newer use rapid charger so why q90? It has 5 % shorter range and new ZE40 does not alow 43 kw charging anyway.The highest a have seen is 34 kw for ze40 battery, please test yours with canze and test if can ze is working ok, some users report's that q90 have problems with canze.
Resale will be a lot easier - when people her 'its the quick charge version' its better to the ear than 'no its the slower charging version' - secondly - on paper there is 5% but users are reporting hardly any difference at all in range. Interesting about the charge rate, will keep an eye on it.
The Zoe is really ticking all the boxes for us. However it looks as if Renault have put the prices up! Also our experience with with two Renault dealers in the last few weeks has been far from encouraging - they showed next to no interest in selling the car. That said I remain optimistic and hopefully we will find a dealer who is prepared to sell us a Zoe at a fair price.
No it should in theory be a lot better - based on people experience they are only getting 50kw and then second one is 22kw it will take more than one charge at 43kw, we will see :)
Had really wanted to know how this car performs in the snow/cold weather we are having in the UK so thanks for the upload (hoping after much research to get a Zoe this summer). :)
brilliant. i had been meaning to ask. From my point of view, the car makers don't market this (I guess its common on all new cars) and other EV owners just assume its always there. for us mere diesel drivers, we don't know
How reliable is the over the air remote preheat with your zoe, mine is getting worse with the Leaf , I think that there is a direct correlation between how cold it is and the time of day I.e. high demand outstripping the server capacity, it has been particularly bad with this extremely cold weather.
So far it has been about 4 times faster than the Nissan app and has never failed to remote start the pre heat. You are right, I have been complaining to nissan since day 1 that on peak periods their app simply does not work.
Ian Sampson and a cheaper car as well so no excuse there Nissan either. It is even worse having the facility and it not working than not having it at all, you can plan the time to scrape if you don't have it but are faced with being late after being confronted with it not working just before you are leaving.
in the Leaf vs Zoe "Driveoff" you mewntioned performance is a Leaf thing noit a Zoe.But I would wonder how efficient they both are at 70mph on a motorway. Will the Leaf lose power quicker thus losing range? the Zoe has a speed limit of 140 kph by the way. but at 120 ( 75mph?) I wonder if the Leaf would do better than 22kW an hour. Also i am assuming you will charge to 80% in a drive off and not to 100%?
Dear Ian, Congratulations on your new car. What is your honest feeling about the new car over the leaf except for the extra range? (something about interior, drive experience and handling0
Hi Ian good to see your enjoying your new motor, I'm scheduled to get mine on the 7th (couple of weeks earlier than expected). Quick question, I'm going to be in the same boat as you for first few weeks (3.5kwh charging). How long are you experiencing the charge taking at this slow rate?
Dave, rate will most likely be 2.4kw if you are using the same as me (10amp). 0-100% is 24hrs. But usually plug in 8pm and its done by 8am (as not hitting 50% charge usually)
Thanks for the info, turns out I'm on a looped supply with my neighbour. UK power networks to sort it out. In the meantime chargemaster have fitted me with a 3.5kw charger, which they will swap over to 7kw at no cost to me when supply ready. Oooh what a palaver.
Hi Ian, Enjoying your blogs. Could I ask your advice as someone looking to get into an EV. I am looking at the Zoe and the best price I have been given on Carwow for the Glacier White i-Signature Nav Quick Charge Auto Signature Nav is £20,380 for cash or £19,316 on PCP. Do you thing this is a good price? Thanks
Did u lease the battery, both , and how many miles on lease? , I have 23000 , 3 years , 22.4 kw 43 ac version ,lease battery 7500 per year , no noises , badge replaced twice, now got new badge front , boot aero foil replaced under guarantee, no major problem , wearing well . Great car , don’t , never used app . Great car , upgrade? 4 years, 5 years?, battery still ok , over 60 in this weather, better since BMS was sorted in nov 2017 , not sure what Renault were doing ???, truth lies, story mystery
wow, that's long waiting. I guess it is too late to ask if you are going to swap e-nv200 for one with bigger battery when it comes up :) Probably not doing anything about that one for few years?
When we get a full month of weather like the weather we are going to have over the next 48hrs then a £500-£600 set of tires, a jack / ramps and the tools will be purchased (and cones to put around the vehicle whilst the jobs done as cant do it on a sloped drive). Trouble is now campaigners are calling for tires to have a life span of just 5 years, which means they basically will be new when they get binned (hopefully that rule wont come in!)..or I could move to a country where snow tires are needed each and every year....hmmmm...norway is calling :)
Ian Sampson . Agreed but £270 would get a set and a friendly tyre place will usually swap them for about £50. Maybe worth thinking about if you’re planning on keeping it for a few years - they work better in the cold and wet as well.
I'm very impressed with this presentation Ian. I can't wait for the next 100, best of luck to you.
Cheers Chris!
Another great vlog post happy to see you're enjoying the car! Bruce seems to like the car! I believe last week's post it looked like spring there, now it's winter again!
Crazy how much our weather goes up and down, go to love this little island ;)
I'm glad you got through the first week in one piece. My recent experience driving in the negative temperatures was that the windscreen washers froze up in the cold so perhaps Renault need to fit some sort of heater to the water jets as it was quite dangerous. I had to rely on snow falling and melting on the windscreen to clean it.I agree the preheating is noisy and the brakes can be a little disconcerting at times when it switches between the regen and the brake pads. I noticed how well it gripped in the snow and when I tried to wheel spin by flooring the pedal, it didn't spin at all.
There should be anti freeze in the washer fluid to stop that happening. Yeah it does seem to grip well in the snow!
Yes there is antifreeze but the nozzles kept freezing up. I used to the same problem with a dreadful Toyota Yaris I owned 10 years ago.
Wow that is a little odd. Mine seemed to keep giving out water over this latest cold snap thankfully.
Hi Ian! I’ve watched all your Zoe episodes so far (and most of your old Leaf ones!). Looking forward to seeing your comparison with the new Leaf. Great videos! Well done! I hope you become a millionaire from your YouTubing!
Thanks for following along! A Millionaire?! Blimey that would be nice - make basically nothing from these videos, good job I am not doing it for money, doesnt even cover 10% of the time it takes to do it. (Hence the patreon link). Cant wait to compare the 2...the weather is going to stop the test this week.
My old one didn't start rattling until about 22 months old around 13500 miles. Picked up new Zoe today!!
Congrats on the new Zoe!
for the rear bump to save it getting scratched with the dog , you can get it clear wrapped or get a rear bumper boot guard to stick on.
Cheers. For now the dog cover from the boot has a flat that comes over the back, I unfold it each time!
Good update Ian, look forward to your review and head to head challenge coming up. Seriously tempted by the Kona EV and will be hard to stop getting it first day its available to order. Going to be more than most people think I reckon.
Yeah Kona is really interesting, cant wait to see what they have done.
Thanks Ian. Amazing review. Ill sure keep watching your channel for new vids. Cheers.
Cheers! Hit the sub button and also the bell button to get notified :) Thanks for watching!
Great looking car, would definitely suit my family, when the old car dies I think I’m going for Zoe, thanks Ian
What car do you have at the mo?
Ian Sampson Honda Civic diesel but it’s getting to that age that’s going to start costing ££!
The 50kWH version fits me perfectly as a retired bloke. Those others you mentioned are MUCH more expensive.
Glad you are enjoying your Zoe.
Thanks!
Was going to buy a new leaf yesterday but Mother Nature put a stop to that I’m right in the middle of the red zone bloody snow will try at the weekend
Hope it goes well!
williamlorimer060867 If you are in the cold weather red zone it will help keep your leaf battery without active battery cooling on multiple rapid charges cold.
Cool! I am getting the 22kWh to 41kWh battery upgrade this morning, will have it back later on the same day. Zoe is the most flexible charging and afdordable EV. 3 phase charging is great!
For easier higher regen: use a different upper steering wheel display, hold cards button beside it. It gives a indicator bar with blue tint, all the way up is 43kW e braking for the Q version, R version has less regen. Regen also is very low with full battery up till like 90% full.
Also, you can turn off, or change the pedestrian sound (which is up to 30km/h) by holding button, or shortly pressing it. It has 3 sounds, and you can also change the indicator sound, but don’t remember how.
Man the battery upgrade is going to be a mega change for you! Will be like a new car!
Can't wait for that video. Hopefully you can do it .
Looking like its off for this week...cant even get out the drive :(
Really interesting, I look forward to your future specials - thank you
Thanks for following along Leo
A range test between the Zoe and the Leaf that will be good. I test drove both last weekend and as you said the leaf is better built compared to the Zoe but the Zoe is a lot cheaper which is good it’s all about getting evs on the road
Good blog Ian.. I can't wait to get my zoe.. My leaf lost 10% of its battery capacity over 3 years and only done 32k but this weather I'm only getting 60 miles and giving me lots of range freak outs.. Because of traffic etc
Yeah time is a big factor....and not something you can do anything about :) (You lost about as much as me but mine had done double the milage...time keeps on marching regardless of use)
Hey Ian great video, that thing is loud on preheat but what a nice ride! I can tell from your older videos that the new car is a bit louder. I wish they sold Renault here in the US, I think they gave up in the 80's. Keep it up!
Its a real shame they stopped. This would sell truck loads.
Really like the look of the Zoë. Definitely consider one next year.
Personally I think it looks pretty cool :) Yeah give one a long test drive if you can!
I didn't like the look of it initially, but it's growing on me. I'm seriously considering buying one in August when my current PCP runs out. Can't afford any other EV at the moment. Just trying to arrange a test drive with the local Renault dealer, and it is proving to be a bit of a challenge!
When I was wondering about my first electric car, I thought about Zoe. Higher range and bigger battery capacity sounded promising but then I realised that it doesn’t have rapid charge. It was such a shame at the beginning but then I looked at the leaf and it looked like it’s for me cause it had everything I needed atm. I live in Iceland and this is a small country with only around 27 rapid chargers right now on the ring road around Iceland. I think if Zoe had chademo or other kind of quick charging, I would’ve gone with it. I’m really liking my Leaf but I cannot say how much can I go on one full charge. I’m running 30kw version and the range varies a lot on how I drive. During the winter we mostly have an icy and snowy roads so I’m forced to use ECO mode just to run it without slippering, but then whenever i go on regular mode, it feels so responsive and fast. The market is slowly improving the offer in electric car area and I’m already thinking about next car that I’m going to get. I would love to have a Tesla, but we don’t have any official dealer or service Center which makes
It extra difficult and pricey to own. I’m hoping that Tesla will eventually come to Iceland but if not what can I get for similar price? There is jaguar I-pace coming next year which is very nice car as I could say already from concepts and informations shared to public. We don’t have Chevy bolt nor Opel ampera-e available here (for no reason) and I don’t know exactly what to look for at the market right now. I’m pretty sure that Hyundai Kona will be available but would you go for it yourself if you were able to? It tricks me a bit that it’s so hard to get anything new from the regular world at the moment :D
Cheers Ian! I love your videos and you’re the reason why I went electric!
Thank you!
Thanks for the information! The Zoe does have quick charge (I have the Q90 - so accepts up to 43kw of power). Have you looked at the Hyundai Kona? Looks very good!
Ian Sampson oh wow, they told me that it could charge only on the maximum speed of 22kw... well my fault. And yeah! Kona looks awesome plus the bigger battery pack sounds even better with this huge range. Have you heard anything about pricing?
We have two ZOE's Q90 in a sharing scheme since last week.
I have a Leaf for my own usage.
My experiences match yours.
Regene: just let it roll.
I do miss the stronger regen under harsh braking, but as I say, guess its just 'different' :)
Whats this sharing scheme you talk of?
It's in dutch i fear.
sdwaterland.nl/deelauto
We pay € 540,= per car per month to make the Zoe's available,
Users pay about € 15 to € 20 per day to use one of two cars (€ 1,50 per hour)
I like them both.
I like the smaller footprint of the Zoe.
interesting! seems like a good deal
Ian Sampson if you go Dutch it should be half price lol.
I think the Zoe looks a better car than the new Nissan Leaf (only because I'm a first gen Leaf driver) Can't wait to watch your special comparison video. Enjoy your Zoe :)
Weather is looking like its going to intervene in it happening this weekend, we will see, lets hope it heats up and we can get on with the special :)
Ian Sampson it's looking like a bad weekend for most of the country. Fingers crossed you can film something :)
Well done keep them coming.
Cheers David
Another enjoyable video. Keep them coming. :-)
Thanks Carlton!
Hopefully you don’t get any rattles. I’ve reached 24000miles in 12 months in the ZE40 Q90 and still no rattles.
Cool! Good to hear.
Your dog is adorable
R08Tam awww thanks!
If you press the brake slightly, you will get much more regen, but only until 15kmh. Then the friction brakes kick in. Watch the kw consumption meter on the dash, and you will see it regen much more when you apply the brake.
I think the heater sucks when driving at minus celcius, preheat works fine, but the ZE app doesn't work for preheating (only to show the charge).
How do you think the heater works while driving?
well I have actually found the heating really good (with eco of of course) - it heats the cabin up as quick as my leaf did. Perhaps they updated it in some small way?
"I think the heater sucks when driving at minus celcius"
Agreed.
Over the past few days, the heater in mine has been little more than tepid, even at max.
Also I've never got the pre-heat to work from the app, only from the key.
ianlorenc Which version of Zoe do you have? I am wondering if they have changed something as the heating in mine gets hot real quick even in these temperatures (and also APP has not let me down once) - somethings off somewhere with yours.
Ian Sampson, I drive a Q90 40, build end of 2016. Will take it to the dealer to have a look at it.
Ian Sampson 2016 R240
What Car magazine dated 24 Jan - 22Feb winter tested the new Leaf against a Zoe and electric Golf. Heaters on and drive like an ice car. All cars in convoy swapping the drivers around at intervals. Result - Leaf 108 miles, Zoe 131 miles, Golf 93 miles.
im looking forward to the mini e specs. I just hope it will be worth the wait.
Test driving the Leaf at the weekend. The PCP is really good compared to the Zoe. The GFV on the zoe after 3 years is only 6k, the Leaf is 10K. Really makes the monthly payments similar between the 2. Oh and a 6 month wait for the Zoe too
Cash price I am referring to Cheapest I have seen a new leaf for is £20500 v £16k for the Zoe. If some PCP deals out there that come in at the same price for both then it leaves just range to some degree :)
That’s right Ian, the Zoe does’t regen that strong: here is a tip; go off the throttle earlier and the effect is the same as with a Leaf!
I find 'roll out' a lot longer than the Leaf (when letting go of the throttle and brake - if letting of throttle AND using the brake you can make it almost the same as the Leaf). But its only different, hardly a negative.
Great episode. That car is definitely not my cup of tea though for its size, quality, performance and... I don’t know but I seem to dislike Renault for some reason. I’m glad you like it and its doing well for you though
Yeah renault name doesnt inspire many people with confidence, but I am giving them a chance....you never know in 4 years it might have a glowing review :) So far so good, defying expectations so thats good! I prefer first hand experience to hear say. (And whatever experience that gives - good or bad - then at least I personally know)
Ian Sampson I bought a Clio years ago and it lasted 14 years, it was tinny as well but gave it away in the end. The only thing wrong with it was the heater matrix but not economic to repair so got a new car, so they can last.
We had a couple of Scenics years ago that soon rattled, but our 4 year old Captur has been great. We bought the Captur as it was one of the few cars that would fit a passenger comfortably behind a 6 ft driver without having a huge footprint or costing the earth. So we have changed our mind about Renault and love our Zoe ( but it is the first week of ownership! )
If you study reliability reports in recent years, Renault have improved a lot. They have put a lot of work into deveoping the Zoe and as they are part of Nissan, share a lot of the technology so they would be silly to sell a car that was not going to be good. What they need to do is make sure their customer service doesn't let them down when there are issues.
goodchappy Link with Nissan ahh yes. I had a Nissan Almera 02 reg for 100,000 miles without issue whatsoever, one of those ice cars with zillions of moving parts which increase the risk of a failure. I bought a Nissan leaf 16 reg and it has been the new car with the most faults I have ever owned, with the least amount of moving parts. Nissan are losing their reliability halo in my opinion, from my experience.
such beautiful weather. I miss snow so much. Yeah the Kona Electric is unbelievable and that'd be my dream car unless Kia builds a Stinger EV, sadly Norway gets all the good stuff first and the Kona won't come to the U.S. for at least another year. Norway is crazy though especially when you consider how cold it is there that 52% of all new cars sold there are hybrids, plug-ins, and electrics and 35% of that are full electrics.
Yeah only in California though. Where I live, no dealerships have the plug in or ev versions of cars that are supposed to be nationwide :(
Our 15 plate Zoe is going in again for a diagnostic. In this weather battery loses 15% overnight and is down to 35% after a 28 mile round trip!! Like the car generally but range in this cold weather is atrocious.
The only 'good' thing is it affects almost all EV's (unless the battery is being heated before departure - which of course cost money in electric) - I found with the Leaf it would smash the range in the sub zero conditions. Roll on 300wh cars :) (mind you it would still smash the range lol)
My Zoe makes exactly the same fan noise I've had it a year now and I've done nearly 6000 miles. No rattles yet.. How do you find the lights? - I bought some high intensity bulbs because I didn't think they were much good. I did have some steaming up issues if I got into the car when I was wet in the summer. I didn't always leave the climate control on and now it is always on so I don't know if that solved it or it was due to the silica gel sacks I put under the seats. If you take it easy 180 miles is within easy reach in the Summer but in the winter you may struggle (the power consumption improves after ten miles or so in the winter once everything has warmed up but I think you'll be stopping to charge unless it is over ten degrees by the time you make your journey).
Nice looking car!
Thanks!
Hello Ian
Why did you go for Q90 instead of R90, you mention that you will newer use rapid charger so why q90? It has 5 % shorter range and new ZE40 does not alow 43 kw charging anyway.The highest a have seen is 34 kw for ze40 battery, please test yours with canze and test if can ze is working ok, some users report's that q90 have problems with canze.
Resale will be a lot easier - when people her 'its the quick charge version' its better to the ear than 'no its the slower charging version' - secondly - on paper there is 5% but users are reporting hardly any difference at all in range. Interesting about the charge rate, will keep an eye on it.
The Zoe is really ticking all the boxes for us. However it looks as if Renault have put the prices up! Also our experience with with two Renault dealers in the last few weeks has been far from encouraging - they showed next to no interest in selling the car. That said I remain optimistic and hopefully we will find a dealer who is prepared to sell us a Zoe at a fair price.
Contact the dealer in the description - Ben will do you a deal :)
Many thanks I'll drop him a line
Hi Ian great video...appreciate your car is 40kw model but is it r110 model or Q90 fast charge? What do you reckon re winter range with your Zoe?
Ian, if your Zoe is the Q quick charge type accepting the 43 kW charge then presumably it won't be much slower to charge than the new 40 kWh leaf?
No it should in theory be a lot better - based on people experience they are only getting 50kw and then second one is 22kw it will take more than one charge at 43kw, we will see :)
Had really wanted to know how this car performs in the snow/cold weather we are having in the UK so thanks for the upload (hoping after much research to get a Zoe this summer). :)
Awesome, glad it helped! Congrats on the Zoe ;)
good video. Does the Zoe have hill hold for a few seconds ?
I.E. take your foot off the brake and the car doesnt roll backwards
It sure does :)
brilliant. i had been meaning to ask.
From my point of view, the car makers don't market this (I guess its common on all new cars) and other EV owners just assume its always there.
for us mere diesel drivers, we don't know
How reliable is the over the air remote preheat with your zoe, mine is getting worse with the Leaf , I think that there is a direct correlation between how cold it is and the time of day I.e. high demand outstripping the server capacity, it has been particularly bad with this extremely cold weather.
So far it has been about 4 times faster than the Nissan app and has never failed to remote start the pre heat. You are right, I have been complaining to nissan since day 1 that on peak periods their app simply does not work.
Ian Sampson and a cheaper car as well so no excuse there Nissan either. It is even worse having the facility and it not working than not having it at all, you can plan the time to scrape if you don't have it but are faced with being late after being confronted with it not working just before you are leaving.
in the Leaf vs Zoe "Driveoff" you mewntioned performance is a Leaf thing noit a Zoe.But I would wonder how efficient they both are at 70mph on a motorway. Will the Leaf lose power quicker thus losing range? the Zoe has a speed limit of 140 kph by the way. but at 120 ( 75mph?) I wonder if the Leaf would do better than 22kW an hour.
Also i am assuming you will charge to 80% in a drive off and not to 100%?
Do you have a date for the comparison between leaf and Zoe ?
Very likely to happen due to the main issue with the new Leaf sadly, cant get hold of one!
Dear Ian, Congratulations on your new car. What is your honest feeling about the new car over the leaf except for the extra range?
(something about interior, drive experience and handling0
Video to follow on this when I test drive the new leaf :)
Hi Ian good to see your enjoying your new motor, I'm scheduled to get mine on the 7th (couple of weeks earlier than expected).
Quick question, I'm going to be in the same boat as you for first few weeks (3.5kwh charging). How long are you experiencing the charge taking at this slow rate?
Dave, rate will most likely be 2.4kw if you are using the same as me (10amp). 0-100% is 24hrs. But usually plug in 8pm and its done by 8am (as not hitting 50% charge usually)
Thanks for the info, turns out I'm on a looped supply with my neighbour. UK power networks to sort it out. In the meantime chargemaster have fitted me with a 3.5kw charger, which they will swap over to 7kw at no cost to me when supply ready. Oooh what a palaver.
Excellent.
Thanks!
Hi Ian, Enjoying your blogs. Could I ask your advice as someone looking to get into an EV. I am looking at the Zoe and the best price I have been given on Carwow for the Glacier White i-Signature Nav Quick Charge Auto Signature Nav is £20,380 for cash or £19,316 on PCP. Do you thing this is a good price? Thanks
Philip - contact ben in the description - he should be able to help you out - mention the blog ;) Let me know!
Did u lease the battery, both , and how many miles on lease? , I have 23000 , 3 years , 22.4 kw 43 ac version ,lease battery 7500 per year , no noises , badge replaced twice, now got new badge front , boot aero foil replaced under guarantee, no major problem , wearing well . Great car , don’t , never used app . Great car , upgrade? 4 years, 5 years?, battery still ok , over 60 in this weather, better since BMS was sorted in nov 2017 , not sure what Renault were doing ???, truth lies, story mystery
Own outright Its the iQ90 ;) Yeah I plan on keeping it 3-4 years ish
If I had 40kwh leaf - we would be talking about side by side, mile for mile - trip comparison
Very goodlooking car.
I think so also 😄
They still haven't fitted your new charger.
Nope - April sometime all being well.
wow, that's long waiting.
I guess it is too late to ask if you are going to swap e-nv200 for one with bigger battery when it comes up :) Probably not doing anything about that one for few years?
How much the heater draw?
About 1.5kw I THINK
Ian Sampson wow that's really efficient I drive bolt ev it start at 7 kw and than drop to 4 to 5 kw it draw a lot
Does your car have Android Auto?
Alam Rahman not as standard, but it’s possible to get it installed.
is the battery owned or leased .
Fully owned (See rest of Zoe playlist on my channel to see collection).
I think it looks like a mouse from the front it looks cool
Mark Williams Jean Semeris, the car's designer said he used a mouse as the basis IIRC.
😊👍
Good job you didn’t get those snow tyres ;-)
When we get a full month of weather like the weather we are going to have over the next 48hrs then a £500-£600 set of tires, a jack / ramps and the tools will be purchased (and cones to put around the vehicle whilst the jobs done as cant do it on a sloped drive). Trouble is now campaigners are calling for tires to have a life span of just 5 years, which means they basically will be new when they get binned (hopefully that rule wont come in!)..or I could move to a country where snow tires are needed each and every year....hmmmm...norway is calling :)
Ian Sampson . Agreed but £270 would get a set and a friendly tyre place will usually swap them for about £50. Maybe worth thinking about if you’re planning on keeping it for a few years - they work better in the cold and wet as well.
Imagine if I did last time....those wheels at tires wouldnt fit the Zoe, lol, off I would have to go and get another set ha ha
Frog Vs mouse range test lol leaf Vs Zoe
ha ha
Bet you trade it in in two years.
Fool cell sorry Fuel Cell Mirage How much and how do we arrange payment to the winner of the bet?
Leaf Vs Zoe range test
Nobody should be doing a car less than a 60 kilowatt
In a year or 2 this will be the case.
Wow she is noisy
She has a mouth on her for sure :)