This Is A £4,400 Electric Car! - What's The Battery Like & What State Is It In?

[@russfoggan4092]

This little Zoe is still going great guns! 65 mile range this time of year 95 in the summer, had zero issues with it too, Thanks again

[@craig148]

What a result you had. It looks in great condition and is a worthy, efficient urban runabout.

[@007jerkins]

My wife has a 3.5 years old Zoe, but with a 40kW/h battery that gives a minimum of 150 miles - 170 in the summer. It's a cracking good car, and pleasant to drive.

[@ingo_8628]

Nope, kW/h is a fantasyunit, you mean kWh.

[@007jerkins]

@@ingo_8628Just a tad pedantic...

[@davidlewis4399]

150 miles on the motorway at 70mph in the cold that is amazing.,

[@sempereadem54eadem64]

Junk

[@evaluateanalysis7974]

@@ingo_8628If people don't make the effort to understand the units, they will get confused about the batteries and probably get ripped off buying a car.

[@davidbaker3786]

Another great video EVM. Bought a 2014 Zoe 3 years ago for £5.5k (Renault dealer) and bought the battery last year for £1.8k. Wouldn't have been able to afford an EV otherwise. You have yourself an absolute bargain there. We love the Zoe as a second car and always choose it over the ICE for local journeys. That's the odd thing: a 'second car' ends up being the preferred daily driver and doing more miles than the ICE. Things I like about it are the speed limiter and cruise control are perfectly implemented and the boot is surprisingly capacious. Main downsides are interacting with Renault dealers, water collecting under scuttle panel (common to Renault, and fixable) and (I've learned from these comments) A/C going. Nonetheless I've fallen for the Zoe now and won't be swapping it anytime soon. Thanks for all you do on this channel. 👍

[@DieselDahl]

Don't even think of getting one unless it is still under warranty. Ours broke down and needed repairs for 3-4k € just around the time when the 5 year warranty was expiring and just as I had sold it (through a used car dealer luckily) it broke down again, as far as I understand this time it was the motor, 5K € to replace. Also expect regular expensive (unless under warranty of course) front suspension maintenance. As stated in the video it is based on the Clio, but as the battery makes it much heavier the suspension components wear much faster than on a Clio.

[@alanrobinson2229]

You can get those plug in OBD devices,which tell you the SOC of the battery(degradation). Iam thinking of getting one to keep an eye on battery,while it's still in warrenty.

[@JohnR31415]

Nice and easy - got one last year to keep an eye on temperatures on long journeys as well - help get faster charging

[@seltaeb9691]

Never charge it to 100% is the rule. 80-90% is best.

[@Jaw0lf]

I think it is amazing and I must say I would love a spare EV for my son to use! Great to see it can be done.

[@Stephen-gi1rx]

I suspect a car with a range of only 50 miles (50 miles out and 50 miles back) will not be enough to satisfy most young people. It will also rerquire your home has at least two recharging points: one for the family car and one for your son's car. (And may be a third recharging point if your spouse also has an EV, either their own or one their workplace provides them for their job.)

[@Jaw0lf]

@@Stephen-gi1rx You may be correct for some people, but then other cars not much more can provide better range. If I were to get a cheap similar EV, it would be available if needed, as the local town is around 12 miles away. So this would open up many optionsto help out and would give 2 or 3 journeys before needing to charge. The other thing is that my E-Niro charger when i am down below 80 miles or before a longer trip the next day and then on my retrun home. This often means I need the charger for the 2 nights but then it is unsused for a week. I travel about 10,000 miles a year and see no difficulty to charge 2 or even 3 EV's from a single charger. A second EV, would also enable me to leave it plugged in during the day to recieve free miles from my solar as in the summer months I can be regularly exporting around 200kWh to the grid each month.

[@Stephen-gi1rx]

​@@Jaw0lf "other cars not much more can provide better range." I assume we are talking second-hand EVs here. Buying any kind of second-hand car, be it an ICE one or an EV, is a case of buyer beware. In the case of an EV, how do you know for certain WHAT the range will be until you try it out for long enough to find out? Simply taking the dealer's word for it is probably not enough. With an ICE car you can probably rely on the manufacturer's details for things like range. You cannot do that with an EV given that for them much depends on the battery health, which in turn will depend on how the original owner treated it, amongst other factors. Someone you trust is going to have to test the battery health of that car before you hand over your money else you could wind up buying a lemon. Jaw0lf: "the local town is around 12 miles away. So this would open up many optionsto help out and would give 2 or 3 journeys before needing to charge. " 2 to 3 journeys between recharges is not that great. if you used the car every day that would mean recharging at least twice, and maybe three times, a week. Moreover, it all depends on HOW you recharge. The recommendation for EVs is that you should ONLY recharge to 80% capacity. Charging to 100% has the potential to impact on the battery's longevity, especially if you do it repeatedly. Meaning if the RATED range for the EV is 100 miles (50 miles out and 50 back), then if you can only recharge to 80% that means you are only going to get 80 miles (40 out and 40 back) from that EV. Worse, you probably also don't want to drain ithe battery to 0% (or close to it) before you recharge. You may want to recharge at (say) 10%. That, however, will give you a range of only 70 miles (35 out and 35 back). If therefore you are travelling 24 miles per day every day (12 out and 12 back), or at least every week day, that probably means that you are going to have to recharge every single day, or at least every single week day (unless you have some place in town to recharge). Jaw0lf: "...my E-Niro charger..." I take it you have a Kia. Jaw0lf: "I...see no difficulty to charge 2 or even 3 EV's from a single charger." You must have a huge garage to have room (and lots of long cables) to recharge THREE EVs from a single charger. But it also means you must be splitting the ampage between all three. Wouldn't that affect the speed of the recharge for all three? (The alternative, having the same ampage for all three as when you are just recharging one would seem to require triple the ampage when you do do all three, which in turn would seem to have the potential to blow fuses, trip circuit breakers, and possibly even start fires.) Jaw0lf: "I can be regularly exporting around 200kWh to the grid each month." If you siphon of some of that power to recharge one or more EVs that will inevitably impact on the number of kWh per month you export to the grid. There is no free lunch with electrical power. Whatever ampage you yourself use is less ampage you will have available for export to the grid.

[@Jaw0lf]

@@Stephen-gi1rx yes I was talking about a cheap EV as shown. Using that car would be very much as a second car. My Kia E-Niro gives me on a full charge 220 miles when below 9c and generally 260 in summer. I generally charge to 80% and only to 100% for longer trips where car is used that day. I am happy on trips to go low on the battery when returning home and have arrived with around 5% at times. No worries as I knew I had a charge available. In general as said I charge after 80 mile range left on the car so it can cope with anything that crops up where it is needed. Hence the EV charger can be used every days a week by another EV. Instead of exporting spare solar energy I can use my Zappi charger to divert into a spare EV that would be fine and give some free motoring. I tend to charge my E-Niro at cheap night rate paying 7.5p per kWh so often do not need to top up when the sun is producing excess solar energy. Also as my E-Niro is used most days it is not always available to plug in! Also exporting less energy to the grid is far better as I do not get paid much for the exported energy. If you have more than one EV charger the DNO would have to authorise it and confirm that your home and supply can meet the full draw from all devices, such as Batteries, ASHP and home use such as an electric cooker. So you would be able to charge 2 cars at the same time with no problems. As previously stated I do not feel this would be necessary as you could do this from one charger.

[@paulcarnall791]

Wow, impressed, we sold our 2013 Zoe last year for £6500. I thought you'd struggle. For a second vehicle or a first car it will be a good buy for someone. 👍

[@davidwillwill5697]

Just to reinforce your point really, we have an old Mk 1 Nissan Leaf, 65 reg' over 60,000 miles on the clock, and the battery still gives us more than 100 miles of range - I estimate that's 90 percent of the original range. It's not as spick and span as yours, but again as a runaround it is absolutely fantastic.

[@richmaniow]

It'll be interesting to see how easy you find it sell especially being the smaller battery size, although as you point out the 100 mile range is perfectly usable for day to day use, you also highlighted the limited range as the reason you don't want to keep it. It could well be that the person who sold it to you had the same issue, putting off buyers and was glad to get rid of it. It also highlights the chronic depreciation that new EV's are suffering from, sometimes losing up to £10k in value as soon as they're driven off the dealers forecourt, the EV car market has yet to settle with new prices way to high for most, 75% of all new EV's are sold or leased as company cars which masks just how dysfunctional things are at the moment..

[@Stephen-gi1rx]

@richmaniow :as you point out the 100 mile range is perfectly usable for day to day use" Actually, FYI the range of only 50 miles: 50 miles out and 50 miles back. If you DO go more than 50 miles from your house then chances are you will have to recharge the car BEFORE you get it back home.

[@cyberyoyo7674]

That makes absolutely zero sense because second hand ICE cars are holding their value absurdly well - due to the constrained supply chain. As a consequence the second hand EV market is filled with bargains that aren’t going to depreciate at anywhere near the same rate after their initial falls in this volatile market. When manufacturers get back to pre-COVID throughput it’s the ICE buyers who are going to get an nasty surprise. And trust me, that will happen.

[@richmaniow]

@@noggintube yep, battery technology either has to come down in price or needs to be sold in a different way, the battery lease system could have been the solution if it wasn't so expensive, if batteries can be made to last up to 20, maybe even 30 years, the battery lease price could be based on that lifetime value and be considerably cheaper than the Zoe scheme.

[@chrissmith2114]

@@cyberyoyo7674 Many EV get written off when battery fails because the battery is a massive part of the car cost. I have never seen a ICE car written off because the fuel tank leaked, or the engine had a problem.

[@chrissmith2114]

@@noggintube Agree, with net zero governments have hollowed out the electricity supply by relying on the very unreliable wind and solar, while at the same time using the law to try to make people buy electric cars that nobody wants. This is a perfect storm of government stupidity - compounded by ridiculous ULEZ areas which will destroy the economy of any town or city that think they are a good idea. A diesel van can get up to 700 miles on a tank, a similar EV van may get 100 to 200 mile range - a real no-brainer.

[@AaronRens]

I’ve been running a 22kW Zoe for two years. Absolutely love it! Last week we bought a one year old 52kW Zoe GT Line + for £16k. That’s 55% off new! Like you say EV’s are getting bad press which is driving prices down, let’s take advantage while we can!

[@HairyCheese]

Yup, I got a used Jaguar I-Pace with extended warranty for £30k, it's like new! ❤

[@rjbiker66]

You dont think a car depreciating over 50% in a year is something to worry about? It means there is no demand.

[@blueanodized]

Wow what a bargain - 55% depreciation over just one year! Its so great people have so much money to throw away to make EVs more affordable for the second hand market. This is a fantastic business model. Hope it carries on.

[@cad4246]

Lack of demand is no concern if the car will fit your use case.

[@davidlewis4399]

They deserve the bad press poor charging and when they have an accident usually a write off. Biggest issue is when they catch fire they burn for days destroying everything near them houses included.

[@peterowen4456]

That initial shot of the front and I'm thinking "he's a former detailer, he's already had a go." Cracking buy.

[@Sean_S1000]

If I remember from a previous video, he use to do that.

[@whisperingmovieman]

Amazing price. I paid £6300 for an identical Zoe in February, but with 64000 miles. It was local to me and original owner, but still.

[@PrinceVeganin]

That’s pretty much what I think the car would be worth. He’s got a surprisingly good deal there.

[@wintersun398]

@@PrinceVeganinsometimes a seller is in a pickle and would take any offer in hand. eg their insurance may be expiring and they don’t want to renew another year, or they have another car due to be delivered and just can’t store a second car. On the flip side some sellers are in no way pressured to sell cheap. They can hold out for weeks or months!

[@blueanodized]

What a bargain! How much were they originally? What kind of percentage depreciation is that over a relatively short period?

[@ouethojlkjn]

Zoe prices are depressed at the moment because many ex lease have come on the market. What you paid was actually very reasonable.

[@wintersun398]

@@ouethojlkjn was it the case that zoe40’s were fetching well over 10k last year? now i’m thinking 7k?

[@tigerv88]

I think this is a bargain and what amazes me more is the car still looks modern and in keeping with some of the EVs of today, and this is around 7 years old now. That warranty is just good peace of mind and you can see it’s been well looked after.

[@seltaeb9691]

I hope to get the Scenic E-Tech this year, how you charge the btys is the secret ie the parameters percentages. Don't charge above 80-90%.

[@trevorheley1045]

We had exactly the same car. New in 2014 and it was a great car. Now on our 3rd..main difference is dashboard and range and still a good car..it’s just now you can do long journeys in it. Some great used buys out there

[@blueanodized]

How much did you pay originally? What kind if percentage depreciation is that for it to be worth £4k now?

[@hunchanchoc8418]

Why are you on your third, after 9 years? That's very wasteful and damaging for the planet.

[@trevorheley1045]

@@hunchanchoc8418 because they were on 3 year deals and the cars then get used by others. The second one was actually 2nd hand as well !

[@1000ukjohn]

Hi, may I ask for a third video on the Zoe. Specifically walking people how you checked the battery prior to purchase and maybe how the unscrupulous can pull the wool over the ill informed over the battery state of health. Also along the same vein how did you check independently that the battery was owned. Many thanks keep well. John.

[@alistairlambert3275]

You did very well to get such a nice example for the price. The ZE50 seems to be quite a bargain at them moment with 3 year old cars going for £10-13k. 3 months into Zoe ownership I carn’t believe how cheap they are to run.

[@SustainableGal]

I couldn't relate more! so cheap right, got my GT Line in May for £14k with 9000 miles, top condition hardly used since it DEC 2020 plate

[@Groaznic]

Congrats on your purchase. A warning though. On my 2,5 year mark on my 2020 ZE 50 I had to replace front right ball joint. 6 months later now at the 3 year mark I am again in the dealer's and I have to replace BOTH front left and right ball joints. It's absolutely insane, suspension made of biscuits.

[@SustainableGal]

@@Groaznic appreciate it dude. yeh I actually noticed this straight away, Ive already put savings aside as I just know it's gonna go on both side like u! So disappointed coz otherwise absolutely loving it. Appreciate the heads up and it's nice to know it's not just my Zoe

[@Groaznic]

@@SustainableGal For me at least even this 2nd visit is included in the warranty, hope it's the same for all of us. On EVSpeak forum I noticed quite a couple more complaints on the same topic. Cheers man!

[@SustainableGal]

@@Groaznic oohh okay I'll have to try get it under warranty also, yes I have been looking at forums too etc, cheers dude 🤟

[@simonreeves2017]

Hi EVM, greetings from Oxford. I think you got a little gem there. As you point out, the Zoe is intended as a local journey car. They are prone to A/C pump failures - it’s a design flaw sadly.

[@MrWobling]

Sounds like you've got a great deal. Personally, I'd go for the Dynamique Intens, mainly for the reversing camera, and the Q rapid charging option, which does 43kw AC. Chargers are getting hard to find now, but useful on occasional long journeys, with planning.

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

This has the camera.

[@MrWobling]

@@ElectricVehicleMan interesting - thanks. Have always found the Renault trim levels confusing. FWIW having driven a 22kwh Zoe around for 4 years, covering 50k miles, if I was in your shoes, I'd find a way to keep it. Install a charger at your in-laws if you have to. Just keep the warranty going. It was the right decision to PX ours for a ZS EV but I do miss the Zoe and hope we'll own another some day.

[@allanthomson7181]

Used your referral link for Octopus energy. Starts around the 8th. Ohme Pro charger installation next week. Mazda MX30 coming end of month. Think I'm all set now. Appreciate your vids and your time for the channel. Learned a lot. Keep it up!

[@TonyOrc]

Well done on a great find; and for showing us how far the 2nd-hand EV market has come. I hadn't expected used EVs to be at this level for another 2 years (my "man maths" was: around 2018 was when the EV market opened up, add 5 years, allow a couple of years for Covid and then it should start). Anyone got any other "calculations" to show how EVM is ahead of the curve?

[@jonclark1091]

Just shows how crap they are if depreciation is that bad.

[@Simonpocarroll]

I'm up for buying it off you when your done with it! Never realised you could get into an Electric car for that sort of price, ideal for a shared local runabout for the Daughter and my wife. Subbed!

[@iansimons7466]

If memory serves me correctly you can upgrade the battery on the Zoe. Now that’s a option you don’t have on a used leaf. My ZE50 R135 GT line is fabulous. Excellent buy 👍🏻

[@cjmillsnun]

You can if you can find one. You're right in that a 40 kWh battery will slot straight in and work. The 50kWh can be done but requires modification. However with most of the batteries being leased, when the car is written off, the battery is removed and sent to Renault.

[@NorwayChallenge]

I bought a 2018 Nissan leaf for about 15K about two weeks ago and it was the best value for a 2018 or newer car I could find, Electric or Diesel.

[@kitcht]

That is exceptional value and one i would buy in a flash, as a second car. Just need to convince my better half we don't need my estate any more (we also have a Mini in the household). I'd be interested how you price it if you do sell

[@neilm9400]

That estate is a really hard to give up. It's so bloody useful. I miss my estate.

[@dougowt]

After 3 Zoe's from Every/Onto. I bought a 2013 Zoe, same model as yours with 42k miles. met black 17" alloys (they handle much better on the 17s) for £4k batt. lease. But took the advice of the owners club and went for the cheapest lease cost. And as advised, they didn't chase me for the extra miles. The cost of buying the battery was £1,800 at the time, if I wanted to buy. I sold the car 18 months later 55k miles for £6,500. I had to change a ball joint but at the 24k mile service, it just needed the screen wash topping up. Checked the SOH when I sold it, 96%.

[@thathairyguy]

I think a 90 mile car can easily be a main car for a lot of people. I live outside the city and drive in around 25 miles a day total, round trip. This car would comfortably do that on one charge. If you do a lot of national journeys then yeah, you'd need a bigger battery for convenience. People think they need 300 miles but how often do they really do that mileage on their normal driving, in one go?

[@terrybarrett2368]

Most weekends

[@thathairyguy]

@@terrybarrett2368 what's the trip that you do every other weekend? How many miles and from where to where?

[@enrobsorussell]

@@thathairyguy Does it really matter? The car, and EVs in general, have a place....as the vid explains....city motoring, where regenerative braking helps you out. As anything long range, especially with a full compliment of passengers, maybe with luggage ie Camping, airport, trip to see relatives....they are completely and utterly useless. I love the EV man...."Only had to stop to charge.....FOUR times!"....that in itself says where a Zoe is ie Short range commuting. As long distance, especially carrying any weight at all, especially in the UK climate, as a working vehicle....EVs are a dead loss.

[@thathairyguy]

@@enrobsorussell Typical fearful dinosaur response. I suppose they can't be charged when it's raining either? The battery will need replacing after 5 years, etc etc 😂 You're taking the context of this video (an old, aged 90 mile range Zoe) and trying to claim this makes all EVs useless for anything other than short journeys. You are demonstrably incorrect.

[@enrobsorussell]

@@thathairyguy If anybody is `incorrect`, it`s you. Never said anything about charging in the rain, or battery replacement in 5 years.....one comment and you go off on one with heaps of estrogen bursting into `life`....do you read a lot of Mills & Boon? The EV guy explained, or I thought he did, that the car in question hadn`t lost much of it`s range, which would ring true with only 30 odd k in mileage....and yet....he had to charge FOUR times in one journey. Also, the guy said as much about EVs ie Commuting mainly. I never said, "Useless for anything other than short journeys!"....that again, is another estrogen attack on your part (Put the Mills & Boons down, stop reading tacky magazines and quit watching crimewatch). Take a slug of industrial strength Evening of Primrose Oil and calm down...then read what I said.

[@jonweighell]

Just used your Octopus referral code - thanks for the great videos! 😊

[@StuartAT]

Just wondering if the apparent good battery condition is due to the fact that it's only ever been "slow" charged using AC? Top work finding the car though 👍

[@craigix]

That's a bit of a myth, the battery looks after itself. There are loads of taxis that have only been rapid charged with 100k+ on them.

[@cjmillsnun]

I doubt it. Most EVs will have a similar battery condition. It's only those that have been rapid charged every time that will have battery issues. Most will be AC charged most of the time, with rapids used on long journeys.

[@JamieJones1985]

I know someone that's retrofitted chademo to one of these. Car just thinks it's regen'ing. I've just driven to Wales and back in my home made Beetle EV with a 26kWh battery pack, wasn't an unpleasant experience.

[@deansh8506]

What a bargain - I am gutted because I only live locally to where you bought it in South Wales. I would have had it 😂😂😂

[@paulo.galvao]

My 10 years old Zoe do 140km in city, 13,3kW/100km. The only big problem was with rear break system: 450€ and update battery software: 200€. Tyres and 2 batteries of 12V and a special oil:200€. The normal maintenance: 90€

[@MikeGleesonazelectrics]

Get a charger fitted at Yr in laws! Qubev now around £375 Inc vat😂

[@doggylover1958]

You beat me to it!

[@rhyslatham3439]

Yep!

[@northeastcarpfishing]

@@doggylover1958bit cheeky getting in-laws to pay for charging😊

[@doggylover1958]

@@northeastcarpfishing A nice bottle of wine should cover it.

[@tompiper9276]

​@@doggylover1958Lend the in laws the car and offer to cover the cost of the charger, give it six months, sell the mini, ask for your car back. Charger fitted, goodwill established, profit on mini made.

[@Travel_Day_Dreams]

There's some amazing deals in the 2nd hand market right now, 18 month old Corsa-e & e208's are almost half their original price, Hyundai Ionic's are similarly priced. £15k buys a really nice EV with decent range. Run them for 3-4 years and they'll probably sell for around £10k, now that's cheap motoring when you factor in the running costs.

[@humourless682]

The reason there are VERY cheap used EVs, is that they are pretty much unsaleable now.

[@bitman666]

Incredible find sir. When you come to sell, I know someone who wants it. ❤

[@sie4431]

I would have been very happy to get this for £4,400. My current car wasn't far off that when I bought it 5 years ago and I've had to get a new clutch, alternator, battery and replace all the tyres.

[@robertp.wainman4094]

Interesting - but still very expensive for me - my current car a 2008 Citroen C3 hdi cost £300 three years ago.....hardly spent anything on it since, doing 22/23,000 miles per year - it's never missed a beat and only £30 annual tax. Now that's a 'cheap' car - and I'd argue pretty environmentally friendly too taking 'everything' into account. Also took a cheap Xsara Picasso up to 280,000 miles and an amazing £500 Golf up to 326,000!

[@sbomorse]

Some of the best cars I've had have cost buttons. I had a 2005 Peugeot Partner which was fully working and relatively low mileage for the year for only £120. I ran it on Kerosene so it was dirt cheap to run. Someone ran into it parked outside my house and I got £1200 from my insurance for it! I also had a 1998 pre-facelift top spec Saxo which looked showroom fresh for £180 and I could get to Wales and back from the Midlands for about £10 worth of fuel.

[@robertp.wainman4094]

@@sbomorse Great - and I thought my cars were cheap! Those Partners keep on going. I have to smile when people think I've no interest in cars - whereas probably like you, nothing could be further from the truth. But I've definitely no interest in buying a new car to show off with whilst losing a fortune! Happy Motoring.

[@sbomorse]

@@robertp.wainman4094 I've got a Kona Electric but also a 2005 MINI Cooper. I love the juxtaposition of the electric drivetrain compared to the manual MINI. The Kona is like slipping into a hot bath whereas the MINI is like taking a cold shower 😁 I love driving and I can find joy in even the oldest, most basic motors. I have a bucket list of unexceptional cars I want to own in my life time. I've owned over 70 cars since passing my test 19 years ago. I think proper car enthusiasts are like you and I. Finding joy in every car no matter what.

[@robertp.wainman4094]

@@sbomorse Well said!

[@iscadean6038]

After ten years an average ICE produces 65 tons of CO2. Over the same time span, an EV will produce 14 tons of CO2. Most of that 14 tons is used to make the car - same for the ICE car. There is a simple reason why, soon, you won’t have the choice.

[@garybibby2698]

Great cars, thing to watch with Zoë is that it’s on the latest BMS firmware and that the heating/aircon works. Other than that they are solid.

[@HairyCheese]

I really enjoyed mine when I had it. A egg shaped 2016 22kwh was perfect as a test entering the EV world. I'd drive from Bournemouth to Rochester on a regular basis. I got mine for £7.5k as an experiment and sold it 3 years later with another 10k miles on added for ... £7.5k. I'd even made the OBDII cable and downloaded the software to allow android auto to function (to set the internal params). Still one of my fav EVs. At 70 miles per day, still capable of over 25k miles PA without ever charging in the wild.

[@garybibby2698]

Which age Zoë did you do this on, I’d love to do that on my dads 2016 for him.

[@TheKerhenry]

What did you buy after the Zoe?

[@HairyCheese]

@@TheKerhenry I leased a Nissan Leaf 40kwh for 3 years. When it went back I bought a used Jaguar I-Pace. Wonderful cars.

[@tommyjakobsen5504]

Just got the Zoe intens 2018 with 41kw battery for my wife to pendel to work. about 70miles each day, and this car does that cheap and good. love it. and just charge home always, with solar ready charger, so that is nearly free of charge. because its sun charge alone.

[@geebee6737]

I've a much older dirty diesel that's still selling for twice that and has 100k on the clock , reason being is it's 800 mile plus tank range. I much prefer a hassle free motor so won't go near an EV but do like to see what sort of people they attract...good vlog fella 👍

[@roi354]

This is my problem too. I have a need for a small point to point car and this would fit the bill perfectly, but once you include the additional insurance policy and electricity costs you're better off using the dirty diesel for all journeys even given on a school run/shopping trip, one of these would be better. The example of a cheap Clio still makes sense for most people sadly.

[@andycotton162]

We're going to buy one in September as a second 'local' car, so thanks for the upload. Hopefully there will be a few more around then and the long distance trip sounds like a bit of an adventure!

[@Peter-in-Somerset]

I have white Zoe 2021 half way through a lease. It was a good decision to get it at the time with an inclusive fitted home charger. To get it now would cost a LOT more per month, and with current depreciation, the lease company will be crying when I hand it back.

[@georgedaville4662]

Great car, and a real tutorial of what you can find in the SH EV market if you are patient and sift through the ads. Certainly good for thought. 🤔

[@andymccabe6712]

So .the same as buying any used car then.... ...be patient - choose wisely....!!

[@ouethojlkjn]

One important question to always ask if you are considering Zoe is if the battery is owned or leased. Zoe prices are depressed at the minute because a lot of ex lease items are coming on the market so now is a good time to buy. I have always had a soft spot for Zoe’s since I first tried one when they came out years ago. They are overpriced new but secondhand appear to be a fantastic bargain!

[@richardwalmsley7579]

I sold my Zoe 50 after finding out the NCAP rating is Zero, after they didnt include some airbags, they said they did.

[@ouethojlkjn]

@@richardwalmsley7579 Well that's concerning and correct thanks for highlighting - no curtain airbags and no lane departure or Emergency Brake Assist. - "The poor result was attributed to the absence of a head-protection airbag, as well as the fact that lane-departure warning and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) weren't offered across the ZOE range. Renault rectified this in January 2022 by making both safety technologies available as standard across the range - although a head-protection airbag is still not offered as of 2023."

[@bonniechops1]

I had a 67 plate captur and the paint was flaking from the touchscreen surround

[@80y3r9]

It does kind of miss the point if you get an undervalued car and then sell it for more than your budget for the challenge; yes you can get an ok car but you have to be lucky to not end up with a pup seems to be the advice on £5k That said I wonder if a used £5k ev is less of a gamble than it's petrol counterpart if you can see battery health

[@paulanderton9424]

Is this the "ordinary" "average" experience when looking and finding a 5k EV? Or, is this that amazing, lucky find that only certain "You Tubers" stumble across? 🙄

[@paulmacdowall1026]

Just came across this now, and even 8 months later that price is amazing what a find. Renault Zoe definitely been good with battery management. Love my leaf, I've had for 4 years but battery definitely not lasted as well as the Zoe probably would have, kinda wish got the bigger battery Zoe, but was definitely alot more expensive than the 30khw leaf at the time if i remember rightly.

[@stevensanger]

It's good to see EV’s becoming more affordable for us who can't afford 20-30k for a car

[@blueanodized]

Its such a great business model. Some comments suggesting these cars losing 50% of their value in just one year. This seems great news for the second hand market - just need a steady flow of useful idiots to keep funding that huge depreciation hit. Progress. The world is healing.

[@Markcain268]

Just a pity there's nothing exciting or interesting to buy at £5k ev wise, I'd get a much nicer ice car that would excite and interest me for that price

[@fazkhan8009]

Could you make a short video showing how to charge the battery overnight octopus go 12:30 to 4:30 from grid not from Battery, I’ve got all in one 13.5 kw battery. Thank you in advance 😊

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

Just tell the battery to charge to say 20% between those hours.

[@fazkhan8009]

@@ElectricVehicleManthank you I’ll try that

[@TheKnightsShield]

If you do eventually sell it, let's hope you don't have to ship it anywhere. 😂🤔😞 I'll see myself out.

[@adrianupnorth]

Love this video series. I live on a Scottish island 6 miles long, that car would be perfect. I would sell it up here as cars cost more. It would be great to see what £10k would buy.

[@barryhaeger4284]

Great find and I'd certainly be up for buying it I've always liked the cheekiness of the Zoe and as my wife is always finding a reason to take our one car when I'd like to use it it would perfectly hit the spot as a keeper.

[@gergall1809]

My first EV was a 22kwh Zoe on a 4 year lease..let it go back at lease end. I hope it's still out there with another happy owner!

[@robmccafferty7738]

Always loved Renault. When they announced their intention to do their ZE range back around 2010, they were the company that got me excited about EVs. Tesla became mainstream some years later but at a price range far above my pocket. Then I moved to NZ and Renault wasn't really an option so I imported an old LEAF for cheap as chips. The Zoë was four times the price of a 2011 Leaf in 2018 out here. But I loved the look of it and still do. It will forever be a car I wish I'd owned.

[@timsmith5339]

That is a lovely car for the money. I guessed 85miles range based on my 'Q' motor Zoe. From the figures you are getting, it sounds like the 'R' motors really are significantly more efficient. You say that the original challenge was 10 grand? Looking at the used prices of ZE 50s, Vauxhall e-corsas and similar, it won't be long before you will be able to get something with go anywhere range for that price.

[@GreenGrizly]

Would be a great second car if you could keep it - if not maybe raffle it off to viewers, which would help fund the next "what EV can you get for £10k" challenge 👍

[@Brian-om2hh]

EVM already has 2 ICE cars in addition to his Tesla!!

[@xraylife]

EV owners - make sure to tick the "cremation" box on your will.

[@TheKerb17]

Great idea

[@Tom55data]

​​​@@xraylifeso stats from ntsa insurance section shows evs are 1000x less likely to have a fire per car than a hybrid, and 500x less likely than a full petrol car, real data is a bummer. Conducted by AutoinsuranceEZ, the US-based study utilised data pulled from America’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

[@Tom55data]

@@xraylife so you don't believe the ntsa, they are the us safety body, they issue all recalls in USA so I guess you igore Safety recalls. Omg.

[@RedBatteryHead]

It's a steal. They are great. Have a R110. Just missed the CCS when we tried to use it for travel.

[@Markcain268]

Had a drive in one of those and after all the hype I'd heard about evs was expecting it to impress me, it didn't, yes, it had more bells and whistles than my old ice car, less rattles too lol but it was 12 years younger than my current car and over ten times the price! If that's what I get for £6k then my next car will be a diesel powered boat! 😀

[@1000ukjohn]

That would be another useful video on the Qubev charger pluses and minuses another follower mentioned. John.

[@stephenclay6852]

I agree with you Ev prices haven’t plummeted as people would have you believe it was that they were inflated a year or more ago and they have now returned to a more normal price.

[@Brian-om2hh]

Exactly. The market has moved from a year old EV commanding it's new price ( or even higher ) to returning to much more normal depreciation. Just a short while back, the EV nay sayers were all preaching " EV's are way too expensive, and nobody can afford to buy them" to " EV's depreciate massively, so you shouldn't buy one". Which way do they want it?

[@djtaylorutube]

@@Brian-om2hh You're supposed to be able to buy any car for less than £1000 and sell it three years later for £1001...and do the daily commute from Land's End to John O'Groats, both ways, non stop, towing a caravan in under 20 hours and still have half a tank left to do it again etc. You know the KZbin comments rules Brian! ;)

[@blueanodized]

Some comments in this very thread suggesting deprecition of year old cars of c.50% Such an innovative, progressive business model and fantastic news for the second hand market. Just need to keep up that steady flow of useful bourgeoisie idiots who will keep funding that depreciation hit and selling on at a huge loss. 👌

[@paulnewman9275]

Really ,my son'ss Tesla 3 lost £37k in 20 months ,that's a hard reality check !!!

[@djtaylorutube]

@@paulnewman9275 has he sold it?

[@theonlybuzz1969]

As a newbie looking into the EV scene, can anyone tell me how much it costs to charge up for those 90 (and a bit) miles please?

[@chrissmith2114]

90% of the EV ever sold are still on the road, but 10% managed to make it back home....

[@MarkGaudie]

Real facts here folks. 😆🙄

[@tshikosiphathutshedzotshik1396]

The level of confidence you have in your made up stats

[@cteague4988]

What a bell end

[@adrianguggisberg3656]

Mate, that's Landrover in the 1990's. They even advertised with that slogan, without the 10% part obviously, that was added by Landrover mechanics. You know, problems with petrol pumps, carbs, no spark, everything leaking everywhere, wires and fuse boxes going up in smoke, the lot. You're confusing traditional British ICE and EV standards.

[@daviddevan2812]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Karel.C]

Impressed by your purchase. Around here (Belgium) prices are double of what you paid.

[@neilm9400]

EVs are hitting the company car list now, and will start filtering through after 3-4 years.

[@michaelgodbold6247]

No one with more than half a brain cell would want a ev

[@philipk89]

I’ve heard the Dutch company Muxsan (from Nissan Leaf fame) is working on battery upgrades and CCS charging upgrades for the Zoe. Would gladly pay €3000 for a CCS retrofit as it would allow us to defer purchasing a new car for a few more years.

[@albertsmith1048]

90 mile range, mid winter heater on lights on wipers on 60 mile range? about as much use as a chocolate fireguard I'm afraid.

[@davidfletchfletcher]

We had a Zoe as our first EV - a really good city car charging at home.

[@tobycolin6271]

who’s going to buy a new BEV when the depreciation is so bad. The market will dry up as people aren’t buying them. Zoe new £29,000 Clio new 18,000 Zoe 2023 £10,000 Clio 2023 12,000 Who can afford to kiss goodbye to £10,000 in 3 years.

[@Brian-om2hh]

Most people don't *buy* anyway, they use personal leasing or a PCP agreement. Both methods steer round the issue of depreciation for the user of the car.....

[@bordersw1239]

@@Brian-om2hh. The PCP is calculated on the depreciation of the car. Years ago I bought a new golf rather than a fiesta or Clio because the PCP was almost the same on a much more expensive car.

[@tobycolin6271]

@@Brian-om2hh the pcp rates may double as BEVs are not reaching their resale values. The only vehicles you can get 0% finance on are BEVs there is a waiting list for nearly every ICE car available. I know that many dealers will not px a BEV against any ICE vehicle so if you’ve bought one you can either sell it for buttons or get another one. Handing them back in at the end of your PCP may be more difficult than you think as car dealers are examining the battery usage, rapid charger usage, car modes used , minimum charge levels , etc etc. there is small print in the contract that all works to give some users a bigger bill than expected. Anyway the bigger problem is the cost of shipping BEVs is about to increase and make worldwide transportation impossible. 2 container fires will have the insurance and shipping companies worried and the risk will be to great. Or the price to ship BEVs will be to expensive and make them less viable.

[@SleeveZipper]

I bought the R240 a year ago and it is fine for my use case: driving it around town. And maybe a longer drive which is perfectly doable bcs when you go far you usually stay for an hour or more. If you stick to the park + charge principle it's a capable EV! We called ours Miss Understood bcs we understand it but a lot of people don't (which is a shame).

[@mistercoolairconditioning4355]

80 mile range? I fill my car with diesel when my range gets that low. I started laughing when you said 4 charge stops on the way back from South Wales. I easily get 600 miles per tank and I regularly do a 315 mile, 6 hour round trip from East Mids to North Wales and would not want to have to faff about stopping to charge up. I get home with half a tank left and I don't stick to 56mph! You also talked about the fact it is cheaper than a comparable non-electric Clio. I bet it wasn't when it was new? So you have to suffer massive depreciation if you buy new because nobody wants to buy them second hand.

[@HairyCheese]

So this car can do 25k miles every year without ever stopping to refuel. A diesel with 600 miles range would need to find a refueling station and do the following 42 times per year. Locate refuelling station, queue up, park, refuel (2 mins I hear) and then pay before driving off. No thanks, it sounds like too much faff.

[@kenzohkw]

Completely missed the point he made in the video. The Zoe is a town car or 2nd car. Not suited to someone that does 300+ mile trips.

[@phil3740]

I have a 2016 Dynamic Nav, including owned battery to sell as Executor of somebody's Estate and the Finance company will give it clean title regardless of price sold for. I've been nipping around in it and it's pretty good and I'd actually consider keeping it.

In my home country I was using car sharing platforms to drive around for 5 years, and my favourite car would be Zoe. Now that I live in Dublin, I’m thinking about buying a new car, and ZE22s are for sale at around €6500 in amazing condition. I know, that the range is initially low, but Dublin is also very small and has charging stations all around the city, so I’m thinking about investing in one. The longest commute I need to make is about 60km one way (my partner’s parents), and I can charge it while I’m there. Around the city my daily commute would be around 20km, maybe 40 if I need to pick someone up from the airport. Would ZE22 owners let me know their experience, if it’s a good car for a small city? Or should I take a loan out and buy ZE40 for double the price?

[@raysmith2884]

The trim that’s peeling, that part can be popped off it just clips in. Take it off, paint it and put it back on. 👍🏻

[@finlayfraser9952]

How much would a new battery pack cost? I can go down to the breakers yard, and get a working engine for a 15/20 year old IC car for a few hundred quid!

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

Depends what's wrong with it. There isn't just one big battery in a car!

[@MrBuyerman]

You've nailed it. It's a runabout, but it's a cracking bargin. Well found

[@andrewharpin6749]

Renault Zoe ZE50 R135 GT Line+ Rapid Charge, 2021ish roughly 18m old around £12-13k, £30k car new. low miles 3.5yrs warranty left

[@evilbeany]

Good work. It's a sensible car that fits many use cases.

[@stepheng8779]

Excellent, you did very well 👍 I suspect the 10k point will just throw up the same models just newer? However shows with diligence the bargains are out there.

[@eclecticcyclist]

Two or three years ago I would definitely not be able to afford a car with a comfortable range but as charging infrastructure has improved I see a 24 KWh Nissan Leaf (with faster charging) as a genuine posibility even for my occasional long journey.

[@bernardcharlesworth9860]

Nice cars lg chem batteries are very good but the motor might need new bearings after 100,000 miles . Good a.c charging as it's 3 phase.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

My flame colour Renault Zoe gives a maximum of 220 miles of range, carries quite a heavy load and runs very nicely.

[@anthonybarnes5555]

Great car, only tick box I have is NOT a ev. If I had issues wld have no idea where to take it apart from Rip off main dealer. Currently drive 2006 citreon c4 I paid 1200 for 5 years ago and boxster I bought new in 2000. Still runs as new. Easy and cheap to maintain. Can just drop of at local garage.

[@Grant.G.Simpson]

its getting better every day, just looked on same website, 56 under £5k and 3 times as many if you go up a grand to £6k

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

Remove the cat N/s cars.

[@and1111000]

That was a great buy. I was looking for one - I'm envious. 80 miles and the slow charge speed is a bit rubbish though.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

There are three electric cars on the market in the Hertfordshire Borough of Broxbourne. A BMW, a Renault Zoe and a Citizen Berlingo Electric. ALL UNDER £5,000, and ALL IN PRETTY GOOD ORDER.

[@samreijers909]

We have a 2015 Zoe, it has driven about 100k miles now. Really happy with it. We bought the battery from Renault. Still does 80 miles on a full charge.

[@davebaker8362]

Did look at one my girlfriend lives 40 miles away 2 thirds on the m25 but decided against it because if I got stuck on the m25 not sure if it would make it back home. Having been stuck in freezing conditions for over 8 hours in a diesel transit. Stationary engine running lights on radio on heater on it would be interesting to know how an EV would perform in that scenario ?

[@Piezochem]

Cracking little car, perfect for anyone who does lots of local travelling and probably dirt cheap to run. My wife’s Clio has the same silver paint flaking issue inside, I think it’s just a Renault interior thing for cars of that age.

[@RJE48]

I believe that radio can be updated to Android Auto as well by a FREE software update. There are 2 types of software that could be used on the Renault Head units of this eria... MS Windows or Android. It is not possible to upgrade Windows, but it is possible with Android. Look up the software numbers to find out which system you are running. (Also applicable on the Clio & Capar)

[@chrisivens3413]

I’m almost tempted to buy that off you. Most of our driving is town/city shuttling. However we regularly go to the in-laws’ house which is 150 miles each way. But it’s still tempting to get a little shuttle-car.

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

Or just don’t go to the in-laws!

[@chrisivens3413]

@@ElectricVehicleMan you do have a point but we do actually get on well. They also live in the home town of myenergi. The journey is over 90% motorway or dual-carriageway and quite boring as a result. I’m actually keeping an eye on the used id.3 market which I think might be our next car.

[@ElectricVehicleMan]

@@chrisivens3413 Let’s hope they’re not one of the 99 getting laid off.

[@MrHemlock51]

I reckon the main problem putting people off that car isn't the battery size, it's the lack of rapid charging. If you do get caught short out in the wild you've got to wait a whole hour to charge it up. But that may be why the battery is still so good as it's never been overcooked.

[@DanPetrePhotos]

That and 40% off people do not have access to a garage or driveway to charge cheaply. Public EV charging comes even to ICO fuel price per mile.

[@stephengreen2626]

This and sites like it led me to a GT line Renault Zoe, 22 months old with 8,500 miles for £14,000. 52 kw battery and top spec. It’s on a 0% finance pcp so if it’s a bad mistake I can get rid in two years. It is being bought as a second car but if I get confident charging away from home it could become the main car. It’s sites like this which have given me the push to get out of my comfort zone and not follow the conventional “wisdom”.

[@stephengreen2626]

Obviously I have to buy a charger and am considering allowing others to use it, I’m in Uttoxeter which being in the Midlands close to the M1 and M6 may attract people to make a stop. Any thoughts.

[@baddesigner]

nice, certainly makes me consider exploring the 2nd hand market for an EV!

[@petkokirilov3381]

what you would recommend Renault zoe or Nissan leaf 2014

[@cyberlizardcouk]

so how much does it cost to charge from effectively flat and how long does it take?

[@jeffg9706]

I own a Nissan leaf 62kw and interesting thaught, I went to Boundry M yesterday in Colne and on the way back i came over to Shipley, From the Reservoir at the top of the hill and down into Keighley i re generated 8 miles, this i did while keeping to the speed limits and not holding up othrr car user's, I think the distance is about 4 to 5 miles ? But being local i would be interested how much re gen the Tesla would get and also the Renault, Nice video by the way.

[@willielarsson9651]

I'm trying to persuade my mother in law to go for the zoe,, she's got an Alfa Mito and for a small car it's costing a fortune in petrol. She only does local driving so an EV would be perfect. Thanks for posting

[@jonsykes8780]

After I moved jobs and swapped a 40 mile motorway commute to 8 miles on ordinary roads we got a Zoe. 2015, just over 11,000 miles. Yes, really. It was used to take passengers to and from private planes at an airfield, probably a few hundred metres per journey! Same result as you, just under 100 miles on a charge, and used for short journeys. One other thing that's the same is the silver trim under the screen, flaking off on ours too.

[@anthonybrown4874]

For a certain use case its a really useful car only downside for most folk is stumping up for a charger as public charging makes no sense at 46p near us.

[@Brian-om2hh]

You may get public charging cheaper if you subscribe to the network......

[@anthonybrown4874]

That's the displayed price at our local P&R