Renault Zoe Hatchback i GT Line (DC rapid charging) R135 ZE 50 auto 5d Owner Review

Having driven a wide selection of vehicles over 40 years of driving, I can honestly say this car has performed well above what my expectations were. My main reasons for going electric was to reduce my impact on the environment and hopefully save on daily transport costs. The daily costs with a home charging point have reduced to around 1.5p per mile for my daily commute, this is using both A and B roads and totals 40 miles per day. My old ICE car would cost me 17p per mile back in 2020 when unleaded was around the £1.32 per litre mark. Using the car in summer with a 52KW battery gives me around 220 - 230 miles per full charge during my commuting. If I go on a road trip in the summer and use the Motorways and drive at around 60 - 70 MPH the range drops to around the 200 mile point. In the winter my commute range drops to around 170 - 180 miles per full charge dependant on the temperature and the amount of in car heating that I use, I have the luxury of heated steering wheel and front seats so this can be minimised if needed. If I want faster acceleration then switching from ECO mode proves very swift acceleration and quicker response at all speeds, but this does not seem to impact range that much maybe losing 5 - 10 miles per charge, so this is the mode I use on the road trips. Having the Fast charge option does mean I can use fast charging when away from home, but I must admit I have only needed to use this a handful of times over the 2 years I have been driving the Zoe. Servicing is very reasonable as 1st service was less than £100 and the 2nd Major service was less than £150, so all good. The initial cost may be high on first look but over time the savings using home charging more than makes up for the initial outlay. It will never be a Golf GTI but for day to day use and holiday trips it is more than up to the job. I would buy another Zoe but my eyes are on a VW ID BUZZ when it is available as a camper version.