Stephen drives a Vauxhall Ampera 16kWh 2012 Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) car.
This is Stephen’s second PHEV, he’s owned the Vauxhall Ampera 6-7 years and drives under 5,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 60,000-70,000 miles and he achieves 45 miles of range from pure electric.
Why did you choose the Vauxhall Ampera?
My daily commute was 30 miles so the range on electric was ideal for me to use zero petrol commuting to work. The car has the backup of a 1.4 litre petrol engine for longer trips which generates electricity for the electric drive motors and can also charge the traction battery on the move. Now that’s a proper ‘self-charging’ hybrid.
The regenerative braking charges the battery and you rarely need to use the brakes. It is a well-equipped and comfortable car and you can pre-heat the car in winter from the key fob so no more scraping frost from the windows. The lifetime MPG gives a reading of 250+ so it has spent most of it’s life using the traction battery. It still beats the modern range of PHEVs even thought the car was launched in 2011.
Positives – List 3 or more reasons why you love this PHEV
- Well-equipped
- cheap to run
- has proven very reliable.
Negatives – List 3 or more things that you really don’t like about this PHEV
- The electric range on the early models is less than 2013+ models which had a bigger capacity battery
- only 4 seats
- high boot sill height.
Compared to when you first bought the car, does your battery still charge at the same rate & do you still get the same range?
The battery charges at the same rate but the range is about 10% less due to a recent software update which is designed to protect the cells for longer life.
Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?
As mentioned above, a couple of software updates were required to protect the traction battery. I managed to carry this out myself using a programming OBD2 dongle and a laptop. The rear brakes have been rebuilt with new pads and discs.
What are the standout technological features of the car?
The car has sat nav, a Bose sound system with DAB radio and DVD playback. There is a built-in 30GB hard drive for storing music, very quiet and smooth to drive, heated seats, pre-heating to warm the car and defrost the windows.
It truly does charge itself from both regenerative braking and the 1.4 engine. There are various drive modes where the battery capacity can be saved to be used on ascending hills or the engine used to charge etc. It also has a reversing camera, parking sensors and tyre pressure monitoring.
Surprise us! Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this PHEV
Most people have never heard of the Vauxhall Ampera, so they are a rare sight. The information I have provided above says it all.
What’s the biggest or funniest myth you’ve heard about EVs?
They are always catching on fire, the batteries only last 5 years, they are worthless 2nd hand, there is nowhere to charge them (mine is always charged at home)…you can go on and on.
What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?
Tesla Model 3 Performance – the rest of the car industry are still trying to catch up with this manufacturer. Supercar performance from an anonymous, ordinary looking car. The ultimate sleeper!
Do you charge your PHEV from home?
Yes
Do you have a home charging unit installed?
No
Electricity supplier & tariff – outline both positive & negative elements
I just have a waterproof 13 Amp socket outside connected to the distribution box in my garage. I don’t have any specific tariff as the car only takes about 15 units to fully charge.
Do you use public charging networks?
No
Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running a Vauxhall Ampera
I save £175 a month by not having to buy petrol, £265 a year in road tax and £100 a year on insurance.
See other Vauxhall Owner Reviews here
