Renault Zoe 2020 R135 - Europe's Tesla... sort of (ENG) - Test Drive and Review

Renault Zoe is an electric supermini based on the Clio platform. It debuted in 2012, and featured modern design on the outside, and some Clio switchgear on the inside. All this added up to a feeling of freshness, but at the same time it was a safe choice. Many people say they’d love a truly modern interior, but are easily put off by anything that feels unfamiliar.
Over the years Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf topped the European EV sales rankings. Only in 2019 Tesla Model 3 stole their crown. Perhaps yet another facelift will help Zoe get back on top. Early 2020 was promising for the French EV.
Renault Zoe now has 52 kWh batteries, and offers a theoretical range up to 395 km. Zoe comes in two versions: R110 and R135. The former has 108, and the latter 135 hp. The less powerful version needs 11.4 seconds to reach 100 km/h from standstill, and it has a top speed of 135 km/h. In the more powerful version these figures are 9.5 and 140 respectively. This test car is the R135.
↔ Renault Zoe dimensions:
✔ length: 4087 mm
✔ width: 1787 mm
✔ height: 1562 mm
✔ wheelbase: 2588 mm
✔ boot/trunk: 338 L
💲 Renault Zoe starting price: 22 000 euro
💲 Renault Zoe price as tested: 38 940 euro
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#MarekDrives #RenaultZoe #EV
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[@josephgambino7527]

Thanks from New Jersey for all your efforts in making quality reviews and especially for the extra effort in doing them twice both in English and in your native Polish. Joe

[@MarekDrives]

Salute! :)

[@pcjtech]

Crazy having to pay extra for faster charging when it comes as standard on most other Electric cars.

[@MarekDrives]

This is a facelift of a facelift of a car that was launched in 2012. Back then you also had to pay extra for ChaDeMo charging in the Nissan Leaf, which this is related to.

[@maartenzeeman2303]

It's weird how this varies per country. I thought I was just the UK where you had to pay for CCS, but now I've learned it's the same in Poland, while its standard on every Zoe in the Netherlands. Which is a smaller country so you would think it's less of a necessity...

[@MarekDrives]

@@maartenzeeman2303 spec and pricing policy usually varies from country to country. In Poland they had to make a base model cost less than 125k pln to be eligible for a government EV grant (which didn't happen in the end). Perhaps in NL the Zoe strongly competes against another model that has CCS as standard, and that's why? Or the target group lives in blocks of flats, rather than in houses with a driveway and a charging socket?

[@upsilonnolispu6958]

@@maartenzeeman2303 You have to pay in France as well (1000€)

[@tipazas]

Looks like now many are excited about Honda e, hope to see it on your review.

[@TEVAssociation]

Congrats ..always happy to share ev reviews ..too bad this affordable ev not sold in North America

[@TheSynecdoche]

That is because they would be totally useless in North America. Too small, too little range, sensitive to cold winters. And relatively expensive. Chevy Bolt is much better.

[@cameron20020]

50kw fast charging? that should be good, especially seeing as the pack is actively cooled.

[@elektrowojtek9475]

I own one since 2 weeks. My biggest complaint so far are the lack of armrest, adjustable lumbar support and seat height. Other than that it's a very nice vehicle with rocket-like low speed acceleration ;)

[@MarekDrives]

Totally agree

[@mickcox5825]

I added a arm rest for around £150 and is much better although you do lose one cup holder by doing that

[@jdavison8551]

ElektroWojtek agree with you. Might let a few psi out to soften ride and get a aftermarket armrest. Few minor niggles with Zoe, but overall, I really enjoy it after 6 weeks.

[@nevco8774]

Most internet sources praise the unique onboard 22 kW AC charger of Renailt Zoe. It is especially useful in France and Norway where there are plenty of public AC chargers, and some are free. Also there is never a waiting line to use an AC public charger, everybody waiting to use a CCS charging station. In plus, in those countries it is cheap to install a such 3 phase wiring at home to support a smart charging device working with on board Zoe charger. Tesla tried to use 2 coupled AC chargers of 11 kW with Model S but the idea failed in the USA where a home to have such capacity needs rewiring costing 6000 USD. Thus Tesla is using one onboard charger and sadly never brought onboard double chargers to Europe. This fact makes lots of customers to prefer Zoe in Europe especially in tight urban environment in countries where 3 phase domestic current is ubiquitous.

[@MarekDrives]

What if one doesn't live in France or Norway? :)

[@savasgenc1877]

@@MarekDrives to be honest, the most of Zoes will be sold in France.

[@MarekDrives]

@Savaş Genç good for the French, but if someone lives elsewhere, they can also watch this review to help make up their mind.

[@DennisBloodnokPhotographyVideo]

The increase in range of this 50kw/h version of the Zoe (when compared to the 22kw/h original Zoe) makes this a much more viable car for the average person. But, here in the UK, the Zoe currently starts at over £30,095 (which is around 33,000 Euros) for a small city-car, this is very expensive. Especially when you consider that the Ford Fiesta currently starts at £21765. We do need to reduce the price of battery-electric cars if car owners are to be persuaded to switch from petrol and diesel cars.

[@rocketdreamer]

Quoting W123 is a glimpse of Beethoven in this boomboomboooooming world... Djnkuje barzo!

[@DennisBloodnokPhotographyVideo]

Instead of the ZOE and Mini, I would be interested in the Vauxhall Corsa (Opel Corsa if you are in Europe).

[@nevco8774]

Is it a better proposition to buy a used one after sharp depreciation? I feel like 40000 euro is kind of too steep for this vehicle.

[@zexxonije]

40k euro is definitely too much

[@g00dfeeling]

Fiat 500e for stile and VW ID3 for practicality. e208 for both.

[@Marginal391]

9:27 It doesn't have heated seats though ... Thank you 🙂

[@Neatspejamasis]

For the price there are more sensible choices. Especially where are no tax reductions or incentives for EVs.

[@alex40990]

i choose Zoe

[@martian9999]

The range ain't the problem. The charging speed is. You can't go on a long trip (i.e., more than 500 km) with a Zoe because the batteries are not liquid-cooled. Therefore, your charging speed is severely throttled (they "rapidgate") when the batteries are hot. If you want your maximum daily radius to be 600-1,000 km, then stick to a fossil car, or buy a Tesla, a Kona, an eNiro, or an e Soul. (Or wait for the ID.3, and hope and pray VW is no longer a lying, cheating company.)

[@nevco8774]

Or buy a preown Audi Etron which provides decent space, towing and fast charging to almost 100% of the battery.

[@martian9999]

@@nevco8774 interesting idea! But Etron is thirsty. And pre-owned, it's hard to know how healthy the battery really is. And at least in Germany, there are none under €59k.

[@nevco8774]

@@martian9999 Yet according to TeslaBjorn in Norway Audi Etron is most commonly bought car after Tesla Model 3.

[@reinulf656]

7:05 How unintelligent does Renault have to be! Outrageous!

[@LancerGLX80]

What about the driving feeling? Technical numbers are always good but did you have an emotion driving this car? I heared people driving the T and they told that the car has many issues but they don't care and are very happy because of the good feeling to drive this car. I mean the combination of noises, compfort, acceleration, style, practicality, quality feeling... Thinks you can't set up in numbers. Maybe it is only a personal thumb up or down or family yes but single no.

[@MarekDrives]

What driving feeling? It's a shopping cart.

[@mister_jon_jon]

Park it outside my house. Thanks.

[@flylikeabird9479]

that's all somehow uninteresting, as many Zoes are known as electric cars with bad reliability concerning their onboard charging device and poor goodwill and support of Renault then. I don't understand why so many people wanted to buy this problem-car, maybe because they didn't know before and it looks so cute. And if you buy the battery, it's rediculous expensive and leasing it causes huge problems if you want to sell the car early because you hate it with it's poorly working charging device, you're struggeling then with your battery leasing contract

[@Verbindungs]

No, nope, I can't see these cars yet. For half the price you get a Clio 100 CV without the range anxiety and a seriously lot of change back for combustible.

[@BillyNoMates1974]

I did try to get one of these on two different occasions here in the UK but the same dealership had forward orders for 35 Zoe's and a long wait. So I saved some money and got a Duster Techroad edition with 150 Bhp instead. ended up having more fun and it goes like stink for a 1.3l turbo

[@piglet5287]

Is that the same Renault engine they put in some Mercedes A Class?

[@BillyNoMates1974]

@@piglet5287 yes but in the Mercedes A class it's 160 Bhp and in the Dacia Duster either 130 Bhp or 150 Bhp. 150 Bhp is for the top of the range model which the Prestige and Techroad editions have. The engine was co developed between Nissan, Renault and Daimler goes very well in a car that only weighs 1200 Kgs

[@piglet5287]

@@BillyNoMates1974 thanks for the info

[@BillyNoMates1974]

@@piglet5287 no probs. I had to do a bit of digging to find this info out too

[@jacquesduplessis8944]

Better range

[@mejksik1332]

I never heard that funny accent ever .. he trying to be more english than Duke of Edinburgh

[@mariop8101]

Have to pay for the leasing of the batteries even if the car is parked for 6 months, it's cheaper to buy a Tesla.

[@MarekDrives]

If you don't drive it, don't buy it/lease it in the first place :)

[@mariop8101]

@@MarekDrives But I need a car, adapted to me. I can't drive your car or my father's car it's impossible and illegal. I don't want to pay more just to have an adapted vehicle at my door, when I need to get out. And there's one thing called covid 19, only get out if needed.

[@banpowel9784]

They eat electricity on the motorway, and that's doing a cruising speed of 70mph, one has to drive at 60mph to get decent range, awesomely boring 😴motorway cars. Clean diesel euro 6, are way ahead in terms of pure driving pleasure, and the ability to cruise effortlessly at 70mph, whilst using minimal fuel.

[@sinanspearhead]

The biggest problem of E.V. is elektro-magnetic-field(EMF). We'll sit in this emf cage for hours long and have some serious diseases by the time and it'll be very late for the 'last regret'!

[@MarekDrives]

You can always get a couple of rolls of tin foil :)

[@sinanspearhead]

For those who want to die sooner:) Motto: 'If you want early die, drive an e. car"

[@robinjohansson6937]

I think eletric cars are cool but like you say, the EMF is way to high. It can’t be good for your body to sit day-to-day in this high electromagnetic field. Ofc it will affect your body in a long time range. If somebody doesn’t think it will affect them then you need to stop being naive. The biggest problem with electric cars in my opinion is that one family in Sweden owns the majority of the power supply in over 150 countries with Investor -> ABB. The cost for charging a car will be really expensive the day we stop using cars with a combustion engine. And ofc the Western oligarchs are at the front of this ”green agenda”. So with that said I will not buy an electric car.

[@AliHijazi]

38k euros?!! I don't want to hear the silence of electric cars

[@erniac4569]

I prefer tesla

[@dadys31]

Hyundai Kona killed Renault Zoe

[@alfac4746]

Ok, this new yoghurt pot is better than the previous one. French should stop making cars. Designs are childish. They'll never understand what quality is. The excuse was a cheap price. It can't even be it anymore.

[@paulbuant5802]

Dont worry PSA beat record sells with 208, 2008, 3008 and 5008

[@debdutnandi8507]

Then which country should make cars ?