Renault Zoe 50 - Have They Screwed It Up Like The Leaf Or Is It Actually A Good Refresh?!

[@peteg8920]

One thing reviewers do not consider in England is the rust proofing new cars are given. I live in Sweden and always keep my cars for years so its important when buying new or used. Here the major car magazine always tests new cars and the Renault Zoe gets maximum points. Otherwise most of the Evs have relatively poor rust proofing. So the Zoe is a good buy if you intend to keep the car and even replace the battery in the future.

[@edwyncorteen1527]

All EVs should come with Rapid DC charging and a Heat pump, Renault can get away with 22kW AC only in France where the chargers are everywhere, all RHD Zoe should include CCS, there will be many disappointed buyers who did not know they need to add this option and most dealers will not know they need to insist on adding it!

[@XavierCathyGabrielElliott]

Charger are not everywhere in France. I’m going there this summer, like every year, and I have to take a 150km detour because my usual route doesn’t have enough chargers (I just transitioned to ev)!

[@cultistofgyarloth]

My dealer informed me about CCS but left it up to me, he said many customers got along fine with just 22 kW (Switzerland). I still took the option because I believe the Zoe gives the best of both worlds. Keep in mind this is the only car with 22 kW included by default, even Tesla charges for this upgrade, and the 22 kW upgrade for Tesla is a lot more expensive than the CCS one for the Zoe. Heat pump is default as well, VW and BMW charge for this.

[@williamgoode9114]

DC cabling is more dangerous, CCS won't be the industry standard, Tesla got that right too, most DC equipment is limited to about 60v, like eGO etc

[@cjmillsnun]

@@williamgoode9114 So why does the Model 3 have CCS?

[@alanjrobertson]

100% agree re the screen - my first thought when looking at it was how dated it looked with the massive bezel!

[@williamgoode9114]

Seemed a lot of reflection even in rainy Yorkshire, smaller windows for reduced solar gain, but no car has solved the big black heat absorbing dash where the majority of heat gain occurs, less of a problem in UK granted.

[@tubularap]

0:00 - "It's raining, it's windy. I'm wet and miserable." - That is the kind of intro I have been waiting to see somewhere, once. Not kidding. Brilliant and honest !!

[@didierlemoine6771]

My sister charges her Zoe once a week with driving it around 20 miles a day

[@mike_nelson]

Thanks for your videos! Quick pointer on a typo- "but has is their". Appreciating the down to earth informative videos as always!

[@garethedwards2883]

I think it is one of the best EV's on the market but your right the CCS charging should be fitted as standard, come on Renault it's 2020.

[@euruproktos1278]

Many Many businesses use Zoe for local deliveries and they never need CCS. You want CCS? Spec it and stop complaining!

[@garethedwards2883]

@@euruproktos1278 My point is you shouldn't have to spec it therefore paying extra, it should come as standatd.

[@doggylover1958]

Agree it should be standard on any car costing this much. It isn’t exactly a budget Dacia Sandero is it?

[@craigevans6156]

Without rapid charging, it cannot be a practical long term option. The resale value alone will be affected without CCS.

[@stevecapper9321]

u can charge upto 43kwh fast charge on electric highway chargers on all motorway services on just the standard type 2 plugs I have done it on my 22kwh Zoe no problem takes about 40 mins to do it to 100 % .

[@SandyRitchie]

@@stevecapper9321 up to 43kW on the Q motor. The new Zoe 50 ONLY comes with the R motor. So if you don't spec CCS you can ONLY charge at up to 22kW maximum. If its a only car, you don't have a home charger perhaps and you don't do long trips then it'll be absolutely fine. If you want to do long trips however you'll want the CCS option (even if its proven to top out at 44kW in multiple tests) as a 2+ hours stop to charge might be a bit jarring on a long trip.

[@Zimpaz]

What do you use to plug your mic into when your outside? Phone maybe?

[@itsfahys]

@@SandyRitchie Yes a lot of people get caught out with the Old Zoe. The Faste 43AC was pretty rare in the original Zoe. I had the Zoeze40 with R Motor so could only do 22kW AC but travellin in Ireland the distances arent that great so one charge on a longer trip over lunch was fine. If i was buying a Zoe now though id have to have CCS for convenience and Resale value.

[@petecoventry6858]

It has CCS so yeahl. It's just a shame the Lane keep assist is crap - the app is crap and after 6 months it needs a shit loads of updates at the dealer!

[@markcrowley7042]

We are on our 3rd ZOE, we have a GT Line, cracking car - however I do agree re the CCS

[@TheJAMF]

11:25 Hey, that Aux input will be handy, when I connect my Rio Karma or Iriver H140. 😊

[@taztaz79]

Compared with ZE40 the 50 is lightyears better according to me.. better interior, better light, better soundproofing, display percentage charge on display and so on... im sooo happy with y ZE50....

[@bbcooter388]

Congratulations !! Courious; did you get the CCS option ?

[@Telcontarnz]

You have got better and better over the years, and are doing some of the best and honest car reviews. Well done, great review.

[@andrewdyson4255]

Thank you, I never stop learning something from your videos, blimey this week the speed limit is 70 mph.......gulp

[@mikek2218]

Meh... in this "city car" category, I'll take a Seat Mii and save some money and enjoy the greater simplicity... of course only if either of them were available in the US (which neither is). You guys have many more and better options there in the UK. I'm jealous.

[@MrMoonX]

230miles plus isn’t a city car

[@jcfallows]

August 2023 I recently bought a two year old Zoe GT LINE. Your road test conclusions were spot on! The built in 22kw charger and having a CCS 50KW Plug is very handy! The price was under £15k with only 9K miles and 3 years of warranty left! Finance 2.4% APR. BARGAIN!

[@smithy4121]

We had pretty much decided to buy the Zoe from looking on the Internet due to the price and range until we went and actually sat in it. My hubby who is close on 6 foot tall thought the driving position was OK. I'm 5' 5" and when I sat in it the 1st thing I said to the salesman was how do I raise the seat. He told me I couldn't and I said I'd need a booster seat to see over the the steering wheel (I have a bad back so I don't exactly sit up straight). Then when we got in the back I realised there was no way my 14 year old would be able to fit in as I couldn't fit my feet under the seat and her feet were as big as mine. I don't think they should he selling a car without rapid charging tbh either. We kept our leaf for a bit longer and got a hyundai ioniq on lease thanks to a deal you shared on twitter so thanks for that. We love the ioniq for comfort, space, range and things they include as standard.

[@cannygrowabeard]

Lack of CCS as standard will make second hand searches of these a bloody nightmare (similar to the battery lease versions of the ZE40). Also am I right in assuming that without the CCS, you are stuck with 7.2kW charging or do those cars get 22kW three phase Type 2 charging?

[@akacicaa]

22kw ac is standard.

[@Tron-Jockey]

For my Leaf I removed the false floor and purchased a new matching rim with full spare tire, scissor jack and lug wrench (all on eBay for a very low price). Made my own foam cut outs to make it look factory. Now I need to come up with a slightly modified false floor to cover it. The Zoe looks to have a boot deep enough to do the same.

[@RealHIFIHelp]

Joke is on you mate, the Nissan Leaf is actually the best EV in terms of stability/maintenance, yes it has it's flaws. And when choosing the lowest models, offer the best price on the market overall. Tesla only wins in regards to driving fast, features and other irrelevant things, yes they have a bigger battery and better cooling and a better network. But who cares when the Leaf car only costs 1/3 - ½ of a Tesla, and you will own the Leaf for 10-15 years, while the broken Tesla with staked maintenance bills will usually be sold at around year 5. Plus the fact that Tesla is the new Skynet: meaning that it is unsafe in terms of security because you constantly are on the net and they can track you, plus that you can be hacked while driving, plus that if the screen goes black you lose you speedometer and most other functions in the car like A/C. Tesla does a lot of cool and innovative stuff, but they are not the considered best that most people envision them to be, they simply take to many shortcuts, and you are left with an Apple experience. Shinny on the outside, but half crap on the inside. And if you ask for help, you get the option to buy a new car. I don't think that an EV from EV will ever be good, much like Hyundai, just bad quality at the core. But it could maybe change one day.

[@nickieredshaw7835]

We just brought ze50 gtline ccs , and got good deal off .done 1800 miles in under 5 weeks and cost less than 1p a mile on electricity so can’t knock it’s Efficiency had 190 miles in bad weather at 60-65 mph on motorway with 26 left and had upto 260 range in mixed town and a roads keeping to speed limits with upto 5.8 miles per kWh , had 210-260 ranges so better than wltp , which is good . Enjoying every moment first ev tried a few others and like you say for miles per £ it’s great . Family of 4 and everyone happy in Zoe . Going on long trips in summer holidays so it will be test of boot , but had £127 of shopping over week and with floor in the back fitted it all in so that’s good for small car. Saving 150-200 £ in first month in fuel. So all in all were happy with our first ev !

[@timsmith5339]

They are definitely limited to 87mph. My 88 bhp Zoe has the same top speed too, as does the 110. I'm sure mine could beat 100mph if it was let loose. It's not a problem though, it's a long time since I felt the need to max out every vehicle I have and 87 is more than I'll ever need.

[@michaeldawson6309]

Thought I would give 3 things I like about this car and 3 things I dislike. Like. Range Style Soft dash materials Dislike Paying extra for CCS That small screen Fixed seats Mike

[@andyjamo1961]

All new Zoe’s come with CCS 50kw DC charging as standard

[@jelomaxjoiner]

Totally with you on sat nav screen , it looks like an afterthought, oh we need a screen stick it on top , as for no rapid totally wrong, should be standard

[@yourcrazybear]

@Richard Wood Atleast the screen in Tesla cars are not blocking the air vents like the Renault does. Plus you really can't integrate a screen of that size within the dashboard.

[@watcher24601]

The new Zoe is a nice refresh with the upgraded interior and bigger battery. Shame the CCS is an option and at a time when new 150kw chargers are being installed, why does it max out at 45kw DC. For similar money I'd probably get the Corsa E, for the extra tech and charging...or wait for the next Zoe I also don't understand why popular features available with the previous model have been taken away such as the button to open the charge flap, or the central armrest and storage.

[@Tom55data]

CCS charging - requires few electronics as you are just directly charging the DC batteries with a DC charger that just pushes as hard as the car says it can take - does not cost £1000. There are protection circuits, but they are simple/cheap. That is different from AC charging which require high power inverters, cooling and electronics - that is what I would expect be £100's of pounds for. So yes, this is standard stuff from the car manufactures.

[@levenkay4468]

At a minimum, a DC charging inlet requires another contactor relay and extra high-voltage wiring. It's not trivial, and depending on where the battery terminals have to go, it may involve a fair length of high voltage/high current cabling. But I agree it's not something that should cost a thousand pounds either.

[@williamgoode9114]

Does this battery have thermal management, cos a very high rate of charge for an extended period can over heat it, Tesla are precooled before charging

[@edwinsmith9617]

William Goode Yep it has active cooling (unlike the Leaf)

[@redpillnibbler4423]

Thinking of buying a 2014 v.low mileage Zoe at a good price - your opinions please?

[@NigelWickenden]

As I can't afford a TM3, I'm happy with my 64kWh Hyundai Kona. 200 miles at 70MPH in temps of -3C with heating & aircon on.

[@GavinScrimgeour]

Nigel Wickenden that’s the info I was after - thanks 👌🏾

[@wobby1516]

Nigel Wickenden Me too, the kona electric is a great car, but would love the model Y.. Roll on next month and Ernie ££££

[@jasongreen2306]

What kind of price difference do you have? In New Zealand a Kona lists at $78900 and TM3 is $81700

[@NigelWickenden]

@@GavinScrimgeour I was getting 3.2 miles per kWh from a car that had done 4,500 miles. The bonnet had frost on it as there's no ICE to warm it up. My BIG mistake was putting the seat cooler on when I started the journey. After a while I realised and put the seat heater on.

[@1905934]

In Canada the Kona is more expensive... How good is the Kona supercharging network?

[@kjelllindberg6987]

It has some stupid flaws that any potential buyer should know about. And the biggest stupidity is that it could be fixed with firmware, but Renault just does not care. If you live in a warm climate (never below 7 degrees C) these complaints/issues do not apply to you. When it is cold, you can not control the traction battery heating. So if being on a journey when it is below -5C your maximum charging speed is 7kW even at 20% SoC. To get full charging speed the traction battery needs to be above +7C. The heating of the cabin can not be controlled during charging. A workaround exists, heating can be turned on thru the app. But the temperature will still be drop to about 10C if it is below -10C outside. The heating/cooling thru the app is limited to 10min, no matter what, but it can be repeated every 10min manually... So it is not sufficient in low temperatures as it will not heat up the cabin or the traction battery enough when it is below +5C in 10min. The supplied single-phase 230V cable is strict 10A only and has no adjustments neither in the charging cable nor in the car settings, it is always maximum charge speed and always to 100% SoC.

[@DashDrones]

Love my Zoe, no CCS on it but who cares as all the public 'slow' chargers are 22KW in Ireland which is perfectly adequate 👍

[@subevo35]

Went for the mg zs ev . More space for the the money.the retractable panoramic roof is Amazing as is the electric sunblind.ccs as standard.

[@pcr8918]

Yet to see Doug DeMuro do a review in the rain - or even in Yorkshire! Keep them coming👍

[@jacopo.scarpellini]

You probably have realised by now that the Zoe only charges at 45kW on CCS, while the e-208 can charge up to 100kW, so the smaller range is more than compensated by the better charging speed

[@SirHackaL0t.]

Even a Tesla generally has at least one Knob in the car. ;)

[@davidsworld5837]

do you mean the driver ???????

[@GedUK]

@@davidsworld5837 Yes. That was the joke.

[@davidsworld5837]

@@GedUK sorry i killed your joke

[@andymccabe6712]

@@davidsworld5837 D'oh!!

[@stepheng8779]

No CCS, blanked switches, yours for 30 grand. They're having a laugh 😂 Wireless charging for phones another car sales myth, what they mean is wireless charging for Apple and Samsung phones.

[@smithy4121]

My hubbys Huawei phone charges wirelessly on our hyudai ioniq so does my Samsung and the kids iPhones.

[@stepheng8779]

@@smithy4121 yeah I said Apple and Samsung were sorted. I can vouch that Xiaomi, OnePlus don't work in our Kia Niro plug-in & the Xiaomi didn't work in the new e-niro or Soul-ev during a short test recently. And before anyone says yes the phones are capable.

[@michaeldawson6309]

Think the point here is £30K is not peanuts its a significant purchase for most 'normal' cars. So I am of the opinion it should feel premium and it should not cost a lot to add some soft plastic and design the interior like you care. Nahh even though I initially thought I may like this its just not good value. I'd rather pay a little more for a little more quality. But come the revolution when all new cars are EV's say in 5 years time there will be some cracking vehicles on the market and I can't wait until all the manufacturers start trying to out do each other. I expect an EV in 2025 to have 300+ range as standard with rapid+ charging, and a quality finish that is better than cars in 2020. I also would expect them to be in the price range £15K and upwards or less for a real small basic car as after all a car in 2025 will be a skateboard with an electric motor and a battery not that difficult to manufacture :-) If I could have a wish for 2021 I would love to see an EV the size of the original 2 door SMART with 200 miles range for about £15K as a 2nd car but maybe I am dreaming but once battery costs become commodity it should be possible. I live in hope.

[@williamgoode9114]

@@michaeldawson6309 the smart car was the car that saved Tesla, that was Elons' first big collaboration,and it could be again, slightly higher, so all the battery pack fits under, and by then we'll have pronged slide in charging where the tow bar used to be, rather than gasoline type plug in fuel ports, with cables and hoses. The car will self port, like summon, no need to get out in rain or snow, same as automatic trailer hitch.

[@andymccabe6712]

Well, that's a LOT of phones.......!!

[@petecoventry6858]

3:15 Not as disappointed as me some wanker in a Leaf sat on a rapid using AC pulling his 6.6KW for 9 hours. When there was a perfectly good double 7KW post next to it. That said I had to show some woman how to charge her car on Friday as was trying to get the Chademo into her Zoe :/

[@bluetideuk]

I just got rid of my Zoe ze40. Lack of maintenance to locals chargers and the ones that did work I couldn’t use due to the Zoe’s fussy charging parameters. Ended up having to regularly sit at a rapid charger for an 1hour+ (not even reaching 100%) just to be able to run the car. If I was to get another ev in the future proper rapid charging will be a must especially with some charging networks (ie instavolt) only supporting ccs and chademo. Would I choose a Zoe with ccs I’d still say no due to Renaults fussy charging string my experience if another car can charge on it the Zoe should be able to too.

[@taztaz79]

You can open the charging lid with the unlock button on the key fob. There is no filler floor in ZE50. Mine does not have one.

[@yosyp5905]

The false floor in the boot is an accessory. Every reviewer says you can't open the lid with the fob, and I haven't read anything on the manual. Are you sure you're talking about the ZE50?

[@kevfquinn]

On range difference with the e-208 - that additional 30-40 miles covers the distance between service stations, so gives you the extra backup for when the Ecotricity CCS chargers at your chosen recharge motorway station are broken or occupied.

[@doggylover1958]

Which is most of the time.

[@PaulMansfield]

The problem with the e-mini is it's only three doors.

[@adriancarey7848]

"the stereo", down to earth man👍 agreed screen an after thought. Whats the point of 110 or 135. 135 and 200 maybe.

[@jeremylister89]

Good review. My 2007 Mégane has a huge glove box and covered storage between the front seats, drivers seat height adjustment and it's comfy reliable and very cheap to run. As you say Zoe has poor storage. Big negative for me. No seat height adjustment? Wow what an omission! Bad. Prefer manual handbrake (fun, trust, feel, serviceability), and spare wheel. As I do carry sheet material, can you get 2.5 metre boards inside (passenger footwell to rear hatch)? In too many ways EV credentials apart, it's a significant downgrade on my 13 year old basic car. Looks like a case of Renault having different opinion to me on what the essentials are.

[@edwinsmith9617]

You listed a bunch of things that a smaller car can’t do. You want and need a bigger car so don’t look for a hatchback?

[@jeremylister89]

@@edwinsmith9617 apart from car length (Mégane 2 vs Zoe is about 8 inches), the items I mention are achievable in a Zoe sized car.

[@markosullivan6444]

Your videos are always entertaining as well as informative. I've clicked the bell icon as I look forward to seeing your videos in my notifications. You deserve more subscribers!

[@David-bl1bt]

Maybe a lot of people just don't 'get' the Yorkshire sense of humour.

[@whocares264]

MG5 EV longer range cheaper bigger faster and longer range ....rapid charging included

[@jonathanmeazza427]

No good without CCS, also when reselling it I wouldn't even look at a car without CCS as you need that capability for unexpected journeys.

[@hugocass8381]

On the face of it, £1k extra for the CCS option is a bit ripe, but look at leasing costs and you'll see that the CCS equipped car is actually less money per month to lease compared to the base car, presumably because of better residual values. Only a small proportion of new car sales in the UK are to people paying outright, so you should really be talking about leasing/PCP etc costs as well as list prices.

[@iro-huncarguy8367]

Ik it's no comparison, but my 2007 Seat Altea xl doesn't have blanked out buttons. It's a base model but the limited rebel plus version. Still, this looks nice though. I really like the refresh of the inside

[@stevemick1957]

Forget about good range in winter, we are down to around 116 miles when temp hits zero !

[@darrenj4310]

Purchased ZE40 NEW whilst waiting for ZE50 ccs to be made.The ZE50 is leagues ahead.I average about 4 miles to a kw so 200 miles range with varied driving.The CCS charges at 43kw to 60% and about 30kw from 60-90% it then drops to about 20kw from 90-100%. You can add about 100 miles in 30 mins. The CCS is ESSENTIAL even if it costs £1000 because ALL Zoes are a pain to charge on AC, especially if the battery is cold.(Typically the ZE40 would only charge at 14kw on a AC rapidcharger & 21kw ( warm). The ZE50 with CCS is perfect for the current UK charging network.I would not even consider the new mini , honda , golf , i3 , leaf as their owners have told me they are only good for around 100 miles! I get 180 miles at a constant 70mph on the motorway in the ZE50.(3.6miles/kw). Driven gently 5 miles/kw is possible achieving 245 miles.I have completed 1500 miles in the ZE50 and cannot fault it. Drives much better than the last Zoe and the dash is a big improvemnt with the ipad style touch screen with apple car play allows you to mirror apps like Spotify & Google maps onto the screen.Reversing camera image goes full screen on display! Front parking sensors are very handy when approaching a charge point as Zoe charges from the front and allows you to get close. Dealers will discount if you ask £32k List /paid £26k after grant.Oh, and the car came with a fully fitted 7kw homecharger with 5metre cable attached fitted by BP chargemaster and costs just £1 per hour to charge at home and adds 30 miles per hour.These chargers can cost £1000 if fitted seperately but all new zoes come with this free of charge if you own your own driveway.

[@benpaynter]

Totally agree about CCS. Just seems nuts not to have it on every model as standard. Although you didn't mention that it can take 22kwh from a type 2 which I wish more cars had.

[@swedishsaabguy1808]

Also need to factor in that it isnt watercooled battery pack, much like the leaf. So batterylife might be an issue over when the car has a few years on it. Maybe the MG ZS ev first gen is a safer car, with ccs standard and watercooled battery.

[@CarCapture]

a GRAND for CCS? That's criminal

[@davidsworld5837]

if you don't get ccs on the car it will be harder to sell when you want to get a new car. but a grand is so much for really a pit of plastic

[@MrKlawUK]

I’d guess on a PCP it may be ‘free’ - as the resale value would be heavily impacted by not having it, so it may go straight on the GFV and not affect your monthlies? Does seem a bit tight though

[@David-bl1bt]

Ow much! .......Shocking

[@doggylover1958]

At £30,000 it should have everything as standard. What a rip off.

[@cjmillsnun]

I have to agree with you about CCS. It should be standard. Other than that it is a huge improvement over the ZE40

[@craiglawrence5211]

Considered the ZE50, but MG ZS is more car for less money if you want CCS. Yes the range is lower, and there's no 22kw Type 2, but finding one of those is harder than finding 50kw CCS.

[@antwnpowell]

Not on the continent- type 2 accelerated is pretty common - have a look at france with electromaps

[@EngineeringNibbles]

The MG ZS is made in China (and India I believe), the Zoe in France, your pick for where you want your money to go but I highly suspect some of the price difference comes from this

[@craiglawrence5211]

@@antwnpowell For clarity I am speaking about the UK perspective. I am not likely to be driving around the continent but the missus does have family in Scotland, where there are CCS aplenty. Even on the continent it looks likely that CCS is the de facto standard for rapid charging and like EVM points out, it would surely not cost Renault £1k to add it to the Zoe as a standard option.

[@craiglawrence5211]

@@EngineeringNibbles Judging from the anti-chinese sentiment on most Indian MG ZS videos on youTube I suspect it is only made in China. You may be right that I am unfortunately benefiting from lower and non-unionised labour costs in China though I would expect a sizable amount of the difference comes from the smaller battery pack. edit: There is local assembly in Thailand and India.

[@EngineeringNibbles]

@@craiglawrence5211 I quite highly doubt the ~10kwh difference makes up more than 2,000£

[@didierpuzenat7280]

About CCS, this car can charge at 22 kW AC, and you can find *many* places in France with 22 kW and even 44 kW AC charging, even in the middle of nowhere, because an AC "charger" costs a ridiculous price compared to a DC one. And with 22 kW you can charge while eating or shopping or (...). Just to compare no new Tesla can charge at 22 kW AC, the maximum is 11 kW. At the end of the day you only need CCS for long trips *but* most people you are buying a Zoé also have an ICE family car for long trips. And finally, even with CCS, I am afraid you cannot do long trips in France and many other European countries because of the poor CCS network. So I definitely understand the interest of saving 1000 €. And if you plan to buy an EV that will be the only car of the family, a car for every days and for long trips... buy a Tesla model 3 SR+. However, I agree that for some countries, where CCS networks are well developed (eg UK and north of Europe) Renault should at least advise clients to take the CCS option.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I hope they improved the battery management and longeivity of the battery.

[@petearmstrong2778]

CCS at that rip-off cost goes to explain why EV cost so much more than the ICE version. Max profits now until EV becomes the mass sale version.

[@andyjamo1961]

Great review, having just bought the new Zoe Riviera I was told that all new Zoe’s are supplied with CCS 50KW rapid charging as standard now. The dealer Richard Sanders Kettering explained that only 10% of Zoe’s in recent times didn’t have the CCS option so from about June 21 it became a standard fitment. Strangely it lost the light over the drivers vanity mirror and inductive smartphone charging though

[@krispyai4229]

A car review 🙂 Good stuff.

[@trumptypumpty]

Great review Andy, you're bang on regarding ccs charging particularly when we look at what's happening with ev's over the next couple of years and beyond.

[@stuartkirby4654]

I have updated from the ZE40 after 3 years and now have the ZE50. The main reason is the extra range and slightly faster charging. I generally drive no more than 150 miles and then need a rest. The highway code says you should rest after 2 hours which is about 120 miles. In my old ZE40 the car would have little extra range in case of a detour or a charger not working but the new one has about another 50 miles which means this problem is solved! Only need better infrastructure now. Should have at least 12 chargers at each service station not 1 or 2! By the way, the new Zoe still has a button to press to remove the vacuum cleaner noise (when at low sleed) and make it silent. I was delighted when discovered it!

[@style11guru]

I'm soon to swap from a 22kwh 2014 rapid charge Zoe into the new GTline, that's for me the best upgrade option. If I'd had a 40kwh Zoe I'd probably be happy for another couple of years, but triple range and newer gadgets is a winner.

[@bbcooter388]

Are you getting the CCS Charging?

[@bazoo513]

Very complete, very reasonable. I agree with everything except for the desirability of AUX audio input - I _do_ use those.

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

Are you over 50?

[@bazoo513]

@@ElectricVehicleMan It shows, eh? :o) I collect (well, hoard) ancient HiFi portable thingies.

[@DogsBAwesome]

I plumped for a Corsa E Se Nav, Renault have been making Ev's for a fair while but like Nissan their tech has fallen behind. The zippyness of the Corsa-E which has the fastest 0-60 of all the new Corsa models made it a better option and the price was right thanks to reasonable dealer discount.

[@stud196761]

Yes please try Hyundai ioniq electric

[@Blueburger1]

Big mistake by Renault the car is dated in appearance will be out of date in 12 months and No one will buy it over the id3 You can’t polish a turd

[@rico4229]

There will be a lot of people that disagree.. it's a better looking car than the leaf and a lot of other cars. Also the ID3 isn't available yet so isn't an option.

[@stuartrichardson5699]

hired oneto try it out , dont think EV IS for me yet , buying a EV is out of the question . Heavy traffic , a cold day was the acid test needed 2 recharges in a 75 mile round trip with awful traffic .Nice car , nice to drive very comfortable .The infrastructure for EV is not there even in Brighton ..The maximum charge I got was a range of 200 miles on a cold battery with the ccs charging. ...There is no way I could use a EV for work ...we all have to be patient

[@sleekitwan]

! DEMAND PRICE PARITY WITH EQUIVALENT ICE VEHICLES ! No, I don’t know who to make the demand of either, but...my wife bought a Renault Clio 0.9 tce, and it was middle-spec and slightly lower profile tyres etc, and cost let’s say £13,000 including a service plan thing that preserves your warranty for 3 years. We looked at a Zoe at the time, but they weren’t a patch on the 2020 EV (2015 range about 100 miles?). So,we could buy one Clio for us and one spare for our daughter that just passed her test, with enough money left over to buy all the petrol for one of them, for a year, for the £26k to £29k cost of this Zoe you are moderately enthusiastic about. I love the Zoe, but your obs regards CCS is pointing out the tip of the relative pricing iceberg. I think the Road Tax is ten quid per annum - I pay £150 for the 20-year-old Clio we have. That’s £150 more road tax than a £50 k Tesla performance car that weighs three times as much. But, we all know taxation is nuts. Observe at a meta-level what’s happening - less affluent people are being made to buy petrol cars and pay 20 x the per mile tax in the UK that EV owners can buy into. Poor people are buying the older ICE cars that were not designed to work around or fit with the Road Tax system, which of course, is outmoded by EV advances, and nobody in the EV world wants to talk about Taxation on their cutting-edge daily drivers . I wouldn’t either, because any money you save may well be gobbled up by insurance premiums or tyre costs. If say model 3 owners were also subjected to a new taxation regime that say made them pay what tax I pay on a tiny Clio from the year 2000, they’d pay another £500 to £750 a year give or take. The average Tesla insurance cost in the USA apparently is four grand $US ! This unresolved tax matter that likely has a burgeoning dossier in the Treasury expanding daily, is a matter creating doubt that may make people lean towards leasing (I see your other vid on that subject). I doubt cheap small EVs will be hit - but does a car costing nearly THIRTY grand retail, deserve to have a discount of thousands handed to the buyer, when it’s almost not a choice now. EVs have become capable and are tipping into mainstream - by 2023 I think test-driving EVs as part of a buying project for normal people, will be an everyday occurrence, only held back by the insane retail pricing policy of making polluting vehicles really really cheap. Lastly, I think we should realise just how little the ICE vehicles have changed. Ignoring Aircon, because it lamentably hammers energy/fuel consumption and was not common back in 1990, I had a company car a Rover 214, a compact family car based on a DOHC 1400cc 4-cylinder Honda model. It gave over 50mpg on long runs, and had a couple of airbags I think, and drove really well once 4k miles later you’d run it in! Tight engines those Hondas. Fast-Forward to now - 30 years on, we have that slightly more cramped Clio turbo 3-cylinder and it gives 44mpg on long runs, no aircon usage. Pick any modern compact family car you like, below 1400cc - does a petrol one beat the Rover 214 from yesteryear, and handle, accelerate etc, decently? I say not. The truth is, ICE vehicles have been changed in terms of tech, but nothing can beat the fundamental inefficiencies of the fossil-fuel design. Question: why did the EV revolution not happen before? Answer, because just like trains the auto-oil cartels bought up in the USA in the 1930s, the same cartel has been buying patents and lobbying hard to keep alternatives to the planet-destroying gravy train at bay. GM etc bought the USA rolling stock among other moves, and the USA bought into their advertising blurb about personal transportation being hiways not railways. Hence a dearth of US railway facilities. Ever Ready, were never going to revitalise their battery designs based on flashlight (torch) sales, it was going to take a profit-driver to do that. The oil-auto cartel must be fighting a colossal rearguard action as we speak, that is the root of much of the pricing nonsense pointed out in the video surely? Thank you for the piece, this ought to be one of the more important EVs, unless of course, the VW e-up derivatives are perceived at ten grand less, as a more sane way to travel!

[@frymate1261]

But the thing is batteries do not cost £7k-12k more than the petrol equivalent, it costs £1k maybe 3K at most, but auto manufacturers do not want to stop selling the fossil fuel vehicles as they make the most profit and I bet they get money from the fossil fuel companies as well. I bet Nissan, Renault or VW can sell a 250 mile electric car for about the same price as a petrol NOW! The only reason why Tesla can’t sell a 250 mile electric car for £20-25k because I need to build loads of big factories while the other automakers already have the factories and workers and machines to do it all.

[@bumbleo8993]

How can this be justified on cost. Thirty grand!!!

[@andyjamo1961]

All EV’s are about £10k more than a similar sized ICE car but in the case of the Zoe I got £9500 off using car wow which includes the Govt £2500 grant so my Zoe Riviera actually cost £25.5k which is an EV bargain with 200 plus mile range

[@blobstrom]

I have said on a few other videos and reviews of the Zoe that it's rapid charging is too slow at only 50kW max, the e-208 can charge at 100kW so even though the Peugeot cannot travel as far on a charge, in the race to 80% battery you'll be on your way quicker in the Peugeot than the Renault.

[@edwardpurkis1084]

If you can find a 100kw charger, how many public chargers are 100kw? And the 100kw is a best possible situation max limit, not very often in the real world will the pug and corsa get over 80kw charging speeds.

[@danderso76]

You will if you can find a CCS charger that goes upto 100kw.

[@blobstrom]

Richard Wood from what I have seen in a test the 208 and Zoe both starting at around 10% battery after about 25 minutes the 208 is at 67% and the Zoe 42% and after 36 minutes the 208 is at 80% and the Zoe at 58%. Yes there’s not many 100kW chargers yet but they are getting there and new faster chargers being put in all the time. I think most new £30k+ EVs will have faster than 50kW charging and the Zoe with an optional CCS 50kW charging is going to get left behind if they’re not careful. Let’s not forget this is Peugeot, Vauxhall & DS first real EV and it’s based on a ICE car. Renault like Nissan have been doing this for a long time. Nissan may have faster charging with their 62kW version but it will still rapidgate. I feel Renault need to step it up

[@williamgoode9114]

Should we point out that for all intents and purposes humans are right handed, and if you drive on the left you have to operate the screen with your less coordinated digits, no quick fix for that, unless the Brits conform to driving like America and Europe and Asia etc etc

[@andymccabe6712]

@@williamgoode9114 unless you're me - I'm left handed .......!!!

[@errcoche]

The Chevy Bolt in the US has CCS as an option ( still seems to be true for the upcoming 2022 model year ). I bought a used Bolt and was careful to make sure it had CCS. I haven't used the CCS yet but it's there for a potential 180 mile trip from West Palm Beach to Orlando. I can't see me ever leaving the state of Florida in the Bolt. You never really fully deplete and fully recharge so I would tend to put one stop range at something like 170% of total range, so maybe 340 miles for the Zoe, especially as you are traveling at highway speeds and getting less efficiency. What seems really weird with the Zoe is giving you 22kW AC charging that you will never be able to use and not giving CCS. Replace the 22kW rectifier with a more modest 10kW unit and then put the savings into the CCS. This will hurt them IMO.

[@andymccabe6712]

It's a bit unfortunate that you love real buttons and knobs so much - as you bought a Tesla.......! I'm with you completely though - I think touch screen everything is RUBBISH.......!!!

[@AdamJermaneJones]

You make AMAZING car reviews. You cover the stuff that ACTUALLY matters. Thanks

[@alaneasthope2357]

No CCS. That's like having a fossil car with syphon tubing and a mint. 🙂

[@bbcooter388]

Super FUNNY !!!!!

[@davidelliott5843]

Why do manufacturers insist on shoving a fuse box under the steering/glovebox. Access is terrible and you end up grovelling on your knees in the mud trying to find a fault. AND you always need the pointy pliers that you left in the garage. Why oh why do they not have push button breakers in a box under the bonnet? My house had them 20 years ago.

[@Odinscrow1962]

Great video. I’m pleased I located your content. The information will benefit many including myself. My first Motability car will be in 4 - 7 months. ❤

[@Chriswsm]

Is it wise to have telephone numbers displayed on the tablet style console? You can guarantee people will try them.

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

They’re both scammer numbers from memory so knock yourself out!

[@tedgreagsbey3654]

Just for info, that front area with the key symbol is NOT to charge the key fob but is where you place the fob if the battery is flat in the fob. It's a standard 2032 button cell. Agree CCS should be standard. Pre conditioning and charge flap opening were standard on the old Zoe, but I think Renault have gone for a "standard key fob" across their range. I think the only version that has a "false floor" are those that have the Bose sound system. Oh! no mention of the totally crap My Renault app and the the fact that you cannot pre condition the car with either the app nor the in-car system. Helpfully the car and the app say its "working", NOT. This will be available "real soon now" via OTA and an app upgrade. For transparency I do own a ZE50. The lack of seat height is not a problem for me.

[@henne2k]

Also a big downside is, that CCS just up to 50kw 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@slartybartfarst9737]

Cracking good test, agreed no CCS not good

[@LiamE69]

Swings and roundabouts of the charging. Most cars don't come with 22kw AC charging. Places like Ireland and France have 22kw charges everywhere, in the UK not so much.

[@alanhowemusic2457]

What a very high price EV this is. Renault are just using the battery range as a reason for the £30,000 price tag. At the end of the day this is just a basic city car. No height adjustment on the front seats and front seat head restraints can’t be removed as they are part of the front seats. The rear windows can’t be wound down and let’s face it the only way 260 mile range can be achieved is on a summers day at at least 22 degrees C. Come winter where temperatures will be below 5 degrees C you will be lucky to achieve 160 miles on a full charge. The other disappointing feature that isn’t standard is the fast charging feature called CCS. If you want this it can be fitted at an extra charge costing £1,000. Come on Renault £30,000 for a basic city EV, you must be joking.

[@klaushaunstrupchristensen7252]

Fine test of the Zoe. But just keep in mind that hot as in hot hatch belongs on a track. On the road you need comfort and stability. Hot hatches with stiff springs and even stiffer anti roll bars are fun 5% of the time and a nuisance 95% of the time.

[@wakkadakkaify]

your reviews are becoming more and more tesla influenced :D

[@Jimmy_Jones]

Well you're always going to compare it to your car.

[@tommyjakobsen5504]

the Problem with this Zoe ZE50, is they have removed the side airback in both sides.. thats WHY it get "0" stars in NCAP, that car is a scandale.

[@gianfavero]

To be honest I'm very happy to have saved 1000€ and the complexity of the ccs. Had the car for a year never needed to charge in such a rush that a 22kw charger wouldn't be enough.

[@andyjamo1961]

It will effect retail value though as the cars without CCS charging option will always be worth less without it & be less desirable

[@jackieforget5606]

I purchased a Renault Zoe in May 2019 and I was so disappointed. I am wondering whether other owners had similar experiences. In a tropical climate A/C is as essential as heating in a cold one. Well it did not work from day1. After several attempts to solve the problem, the agent obtained a free replacement of the condenser from the manufacturer. To this day it still does not work. Right from the start the tyre pressure sensor also kept issuing a warning to « Check tyre pressure » which invariably ended up being correct. The agent always managed to reset it so that it did not show up any more. Sometimes the whole system blocked saying STOP ! The car had to be towed away. Recently I was told that the sensors had to be replaced and when i had paid for it, the warning still cropped up. The agent is finally submitting a request to Renault to change the whole tyre pressure monitoring system. Moreover, the domestic charger that comes with the car was working on and off and stopped charging after 4 years. The Agent was not able to replace it so i do not avail of a portable charger any more. The screen is dark and reflets so much that the camera iis useless for reversing. I resort to mirrors and stick my head out of the window to reverse or park as in the good old days. I have read about this defect in the media. Of the 10 cars i have owned this is by far the worst buy. I may have been unlucky and fallen on a particularly faulty Zoe. or are there many others like me ? I am all the more disappointed by my first electric car that for many years it has been a dream for me to own one.

[@LakesGeek]

Happy with my gen1 for now, but would love the upgrade sometime for CCS. Just feels that current EVs are out of my reach price wise - it was a bit unusual that the price was roughly "that of a reasonably priced automatic" Odd with the blank switches. Seems to be part of the retro look they're going for with the knobs. As for camping and lanes, pah! I may not chuck it around like a rally driver or take all the luggage of Rarity, but those are some of my primary uses and I find it great! CCS being an (expensive) option... yyyyeah. That annoys me no end. Sure the first owner might only be a town driver but what about the next owner? It's a green vehicle - don't make it potentially useless to vast numbers of people (considering rapid sites are dropping AC) "Just to annoy Craig" Hahahaha

[@andyjamo1961]

There are blank switches because most of the controls are on the touch screen, if you don’t have the winter pack then the heated seat & steering wheel switches will be blank in any case

[@timsgtms1222]

If you pay 30k for a small car it's a rip off as the car should be no more then 17k in my opinion as I understand batteries are expensive but engines gearbox ect but I'm not against battery cars as it's a good thing but it seems to me car manufacturers are ripping us off as it's such a shame as 30k is a lot of money to pay

[@timsgtms1222]

Also there is not enough infostucter and all car manufacturers need to get it right ie where is all the electricity come from if 50% get one as that too needs to be addressed will it be more power stations built to take the load??? All this will need more thaught and the people will need about 400 miles distance so think about this how about 3rd world countries how can they sort this out everyone just think as this will take years in development also how about people living in flats and street parking with no drives is there going to be electricity lines all over the pavement also as you know what happens if a person parks out side your home sorry to sound a bit negative

[@TheLongonot62]

@@timsgtms1222 With concerns about urban vehicular air pollution stretching back to the 60's, what do you suggest that the answer is? To continue burning fossil fuels? Infrastructure: How about every 13 amp power outlet? I live in a flat and have an EV. Just charge it at local public charging points............for free. Granted, where I live there are plenty of those and I would never suggest purchase of an EV without doing your research, as they are not the right choice for everyone.

[@TheLongonot62]

Battery costs, the fact that the tech is new (lots of R&D cost) and the need to spread this, are all factors. No engine and gearbox by the way, but electric motor and control, systems also had to be developed. It is easy to forget that we are at the end of 100 plus years of development of internal combustion engines and drive trains, which is reflected in the cost. There is actually very little profit in EV manufacture, currently. However electric vehicle running and servicing costs are extremely low.

[@PNH750]

How do I know that my Zoe was designed by the French........it has a guillotine in the glove box!!! Can't understand the storage spaces at all. None of them will take the car Manual (A5 size) apart from the back of the passenger seat. But why is there not one of these slot bags on the drivers seat? The rear parking camera is useful but a forward facing & recording camera should be standard these days along with fast charging. Especially for nearly £30,000.

[@theyjustwantyourmoney4539]

They still haven't fixed the back leg room ? Reno is disappointing thats why I stick to the Leaf

[@keithgeorge7338]

Is it worth buying a type 2 cable to plug into untethered chargers? Does anyone use them very much?

[@dadjv1926]

Always a useful standby. I have used mine when I needed a top up out in the wilds of central Wales, plugged in for free while enjoying a meal and a read of the paper. Also useful at some National Trust properties!

[@MrMoonX]

The cars with CCS have better future value, so on a lease or PCP it makes no difference, in the case of my lease it made it £10pm cheaper to have CcS

[@christhesoundman]

I've just seen that they've carried on with one of my biggest complaints about our Clio. The internal front door handles are right at the front end of the doors. If it's a bit windy then you've got all that leverage of the door's length working against you. Even 6 inches further back would make a big difference. The handle design also means that as you operate the mechanism the handle isn't a strong thing to hold on to. There's that other handle further back alongside the electric window controls but that's not where your hand naturally falls.

[@marcusevjourney566]

Great review. The Zoe is a great small car, but it is overpriced. When the VW ID.3 comes out, they will have to offer big discounts on the Zoe. CCS should be standard.

[@danderso76]

You can get good discounts already, I paid under £26K for the GT line with CCS.

[@davidelliott5843]

Discounting already means depreciation will be in lead ballon territory.

[@danielstefanovic2604]

Id3 is way overpriced to at least the launch version where you need to pay 4000 pounds for a higher trim to get essential stuff like backup camera, at least here in Norway.

[@euruproktos1278]

If the ID3 comes out, not when.... 😂 why everyone thinks that car will be amazing without ever seeing one, truly baffles me...!

[@Kenny177245]

Hey EVM, Love your reviews. I drive this car and have not been triggered at all by any of the comments. You just give really great trusted reviews and recommend your videos to people. Keep up the great work!

[@davidburns5027]

I do like a turny knob!!

[@euruproktos1278]

To all commenting on CCS not as standard: there are businesses and self employed people (health industry) that only use this car in a local, limited area; about 30% of the Zoes go in such use. It makes no sense at all to fit it with CCS for such purposes. For all others that want CCS, spec it, what’s the problem?!?! I never understand why people complain about this, it’s not like you have to beg or anything. Please do grow up!

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

You think paying £2500 for CCS is justified? Every other manufacturer includes it as standard for a reason. If we follow your logic, then why not make everything optional, like air conditioning or electric windows. You’re saying if 100% of people don’t use it often then don’t make it standard. Welcome to the real world.

[@euruproktos1278]

@@ElectricVehicleMan If 50% of the people would not find air con useful, it would be an option. Truth be told, you didn't mention Zoe's asset, the 22kW AC charging which, for the majority of the buyers was enough in the past. There's no other EV that has 22kW AC charging capability and for me that's where I do 90% of my charging (my Zoe has CCS), because it's ubiquitous. That's why Renault discontinued the 43kW AC capability on ZE40 towards the end, because the number of orders was too small. In the end, to be honest, if Renault got it so wrong with pricing and specifications, people will not buy the car, Renault would suffer losses and Tesla would win all EV orders; hurray. But it looks to me that in mainland Europe, somehow, Renault is best-seller with the Zoe, so they must be doing some things right!? And they've been selling Zoe like hot cakes since the beginning, so it seems that the market accepts it. Ah, your personal opinion that your car should have everything as standard, sure, that's your opinion, but that doesn't mean that a business (cost conscious) would be interested in paying for stuff it does not need. Frankly, CCS you need for your 1-2 times a year 1000 mile trip, which honestly rarely happens for the vast majority (people are at work about 280 days and they tend to not travel much during the weekends either); if, for me, 1000 EUR isn't justified for the 1-2 1000km trips... I won't get the CCS option. You even mentioned in the video that with one charge stop Zoe can go almost 400 miles. If you need more, get a different car, Zoe is not a globetrotter. And Renault has been, by far, the most honest when it comes to the real range, verging on the pessimistic. I'm not saying don't get CCS, i'm saying that for many people it's just a nice to have, not a must, that they'll rarely use. Why doesn't every car manufacturer have things that I find insanely useful?! Because I'm not in their target market, and you're not in Zoe's target market; you're in Peugeot's target market.

[@euruproktos1278]

@@ElectricVehicleMan one more thing, here's some insight into how businesses work from Steve Jobs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2bJaZWnjr6qptU Each product is a package of emphases: some products emphasise some aspects, some products other aspects, and the market chooses who gets the vote, the money. It is that simple!

[@RobertOw83]

The central unit has always been a non-issue for me in this car when looking at their pictures. Seeing your viewpoint and comments - I would have to agree, looks really out of place and tacked on as an afterthought, but I know it features in some of their other cars too. It's just odd. Which is a shame.

[@thebigchip]

Whose numbers are those displayed on the dash? Have you put me off a Zoe. No, I still like.

[@johndoyle4723]

Thanks, I don't know why I am watching this, as I have just taken delivery of my Kia. What it does tell me is I made the right choice. The screen is horrible, and no fast charging, are killers, the seats and headroom are also a secondary concern. As a town supermini it is probably fine. Thanks for a good review, as always.

[@davidsworld5837]

you could blow hot air on to the display that could over time effect the display

[@williamgoode9114]

Or sit it in the sun, next to a hot black dash