Renault Zoe 2021 electric car owner review

Keith H drives a Renault Zoe ZE50 GT Line Rapid charge 2021.

This is Keith’s third electric car, he’s owned the Renault Zoe less than a year and drives 10,000-15,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 10,000-20,000 miles and he achieves 180 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the Renault Zoe?

After having a Zoe ZE40, which was superb, when I decided to replace it, I still went for a Zoe as they have a large interior for a small car. The range was great for the ZE40, getting me up to 225 miles on the 40kWh battery. I had a courtesy Corsa for awhile which I took on holiday for a week and it had a way smaller boot and the back seat space was noticeably smaller than the Zoe. My dog had to be coaxed into the back seat of the Corsa but would jump into the back of the Zoe. So when I had to replace my Zoe ZE40, after an accident, I went for a used Zoe ZE50 GT Line with rapid charge.

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Positives – List 3 or more reasons why you love this electric car

Style – a lot more standard than most small EVs
quiet ride – a vast improvement over the ZE40 and can travel comfortably at 60+ mph even in Eco mode.
space – large boot and plenty of space in the rear (for the dog)
safety – plenty of safety features, including lane departure warning and Automatic Emergency Braking (very noisy when it stopped the car on a slippery road but it stopped in a couple of feet)
comfort – seats are a vast improvement over the Zoe ZE40 and the driving position is less bus driver than the previous car
charging capability – the car has the CCS option so can rapid charge (albeit at a slower rate than most cars but it can go from 10 to 90+% in about an hour and a half. The AC charging is still great, like the previous Zoe, and will take the full 22kW charging on AC chargers, which is perfect when in areas without Rapid chargers.

Negatives – List 3 or more things that you really don’t like about this electric car

Lights – the headlights are too bright for urban use which is where the car shines. The daytime running lights are also a bit OTT too, being higher up than the previous Zoe. Probably perfect for country driving though.
icy road handling – with the standard tyres the car seems to have little traction on icy roads
built-in sat nav – although provided by Google, it is nowhere near as good as the sat nav in the ZE40. Also, the lack of over the air updates is a problem.
steering wheel – the buttons on the steering wheel seem a good idea, until you drive in gloves on a winter’s morning and reset the trip computer by accident!

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

I have had a persistent, very slow puncture. Just had it in ATS to (hopefully) rectify.

What are the standout technological features of the car?

Both fast AC charging at 22kW and DC rapid charging
good consumption – I got 4.0miles per kWh over 2 months with some of that being at -7C temperatures
the plethora of safety features including Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep and speed limiter
the 135 bhp engine provides fast acceleration, even if using ‘Eco’ mode
the car has all required features without overwhelming the driver.

Surprise us! Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car

Has the potential to do over 235 miles on a single charge. For those who drive in heavy traffic it actually gains miles at slower speeds due to its regenerative braking. Using the B mode regenerative braking you can virtually drive using a single pedal as the car slows almost to a stop when you take your foot off the pedal.

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

Just got the ZE50 and for me nothing out there compares.

Do you charge your electric car from home?

Do you use public charging networks?

Yes

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?

Pod Point are great chargers, they give you a 15 minutes grace period while you access the App or website
GeniePoint – used to be reliable chargers but the company appears not to repair them very quickly when out of use
bp pulse are still free in some places but I avoid if possible, as they often need a reset or two to start working. The so-called 22kW ones are actually 2 x 11kW so 11kW is the maximum.

Insurer – outline both positive & negative elements

Greenways Insurance – they are an EV specialist so you get extra cover for charging cables. The current underwriters they use are very slow at paying out. I had an accident in August and got a payout in October. I would still recommend Dan at Greenways as he goes the extra mile for the client.

Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running an electric car

As I get a lot of free charging, I reckon I save £100 a month on fuel. Not had a service on this Zoe yet but I found servicing to be way cheaper on an EV.