Leaf or Zoe

[cwis]

Hi all,

I work 3 miles away from home, and do occasional trips to another site about 35 miles away (down country roads, not motorway).

I currently run on old Rav 4 (mostly for the dog) as I used to walk to work, but now somewhat ironically I have to drive to get home at dinner time, to walk the dog.

So I'm spending about 150 a month on fuel for the old knacka (170000 miles) and it probably cost me about 500 quid a year in spares, repairs, servicing etc to keep on the road, plus about 200 quid tax.

Looking at the lease quotes available for the Leaf and Zoe, it looks like it's border line do-able (man maths wise) to lease a car for the same amount of cash I currently spend on my ancient Rav.

So - which one and why? I'd like to hear from existing owners too, if possible.

[cwis]

Dommo said:

Have you considered a PCP deal? On the Zoe the deposit contribution is 5k, so £199 a month with no deposit including battery rental.

I've seen similar to that with no deposit actually! Not sure where now - will have to look. I think someone was doing deposit contributions...

I'd rather not leave a deposit otherwise it's more expensive than running my current car, and what would the point of that be?

(Apart from having a new car - not being Mrs Bucket that doesn't really bother me either way).

[cwis]

c2mike said:

If I've understood correctly, this is a 70 mile round trip. Borderline, I'd say in colder temps. Zoe has a heat pump as do the better spec Leafs. Suggest you test drive both Leaf and Zoe on this journey on colder days (well under 10 degrees C) and compare the actual range. Best to know before you buy.

Looks like I need an extended test drive this winter then. It's mostly 40's and 50 limits so hopefully it's doable.

[cwis]

This is all interesting stuff folks! Keep it coming...

Here's the journey I would have to do on a fairly regular basis, along with the route I currently take (minimal stops, minimal traffic for least stress).

https://goo.gl/maps/vWOu4

It's JUST less than 60 miles round trip. Any current EV owners - would you risk this? Charging at the other end is not an option, really unless I park about a mile away and walk the rest.

[cwis]

If I wanted to get cold and wet I'd take one of my 7 motorbikes. If I wanted to pedal I'd take my ancient ProFlex.

Wanna roof. Want cupholders! Sulk!

In all seriousness the frequency of the visits is seasonal. I'm only really there in the winter, and It's dark when I get there and when I leave.

In the summer this route is great on a bike/pushbike. In the winter, not so much. Plus - sweaty hills.

IN51GHT said:

Get a Brompton!!!!

[cwis]

60 miles round trip - as in, there and back again.

IN51GHT said:

120miles in the winter is unrealistic in my opinion.

[cwis]

SydneyBridge said:

Is there anywhere on the way back you could stop for a top-up and a coffee if necessary? I assume even a short top-up would give you enough to get home

It's 28 miles there, 28 miles back. There's a shopping centre a mile or so away from the other end, I'd probably be able to charge there. I'd rather not though.

Are you all seriously saying a current tech EV won't make it?

Maybe I should either:

Get an extended test drive - see if it is feasible,

Or:

Wait a few years for the tech to catch up?

[cwis]

IN51GHT said:

I'm on the verge of pulling the trigger at £159 a month over four years.

Exciting! New toy. Quite jealous...

Which one, Zoe or Leaf? How many miles per year? Any links to the deal, or are you a hard bargaining, muscle bound company director type and you've basically made them beg you to take one off their hands?

GOT to book a test drive...

[cwis]

It would be cool if we could get say 5 or 10 potential purchasers together and approached a single dealer.

Pretty sure we'd get a fairly nice deal then - they would have our arm off!

tony wright said:

Watching this thread with baited breath.

Oh! Forgot to mention there was a used Twizzy (or possibly demo as it was dirty) at the same dealers today. Didn't see how much it cost but taken back by how small it was.

Edited by tony wright on Monday 1st December 22:19

[cwis]

I have to say, as the starter of this thread, I'm current-ly (geddit!) consumed with jealousy.

Flat out here and no time to get out there and even talk to a dealer. Never mind - perhaps there will still be some nice deals out there in the new year?

£200 quid a month is my man maths allowable figure...

[cwis]

DSLiverpool said:

Took me 2 short calls to Lookers and 2 emails - I need to sign the finance but if you cant spare 30 mins your work life balance needs help ;-)

The company I work for reaches peak trade around about now. All hands on deck, man the pumps etc. No holidays, no dentists appointments etc from Mid November until the new year.

My first call was around half five this morning, and the last one last night was at about 22:00.

Swings and roundabouts - We do flexi-time in the summer...

I can't really phone a dealer if I can't spare the time to turn up and look at the shiny metal.

It doesn't help that in my "second job" I've an order to make a pair of wings, a bonnet, a tailgate and a pair of doors before xmas too. Never rains but it pours!

[cwis]

Hi all,

Getting steadily more jealous watching this thread grow...

I'm off to Renault Slough in the morning to cast my eyes over one of these new-fangled devices.

[cwis]

DeuxCentCinq said:

So it looks nice and it's cheaper?

Does it also come in nice colours and have a place for your handbags?

Come on, chaps - I'm looking for actual PH reasons here. Does it have more electric horsepowers, more buttons to play with, a lower centre of gravity for helmsmanship?

Not sure why you're looking for PH reasons to buy a short range shopping trolley/commuting tool?

Zoe has slightly longer potential range and is cheaper = winner.

[cwis]

Well I had a test drive last Saturday - very nice.

Unfortunately despite searching it looks like the deals that have supported the rush of new registrations of Zoe last year have now been withdrawn. It looks like the new max Renault deposit contribution is now £3000.

I will therefore not be getting one and will continue to use my ancient Rav4 for commuting duties until another, similar set of offers are unveiled.

[cwis]

Butter Face said:

If you're on Renault PCP you will get the servicing as long as your car was registered before 01/01/15.

Send me your registration numbers if you want confirmation.

50 quid a month more, 2K less deposit contrib, no free servicing?

While the Euro slides south and petrol prices follow the same trend (different reasons naturally), it's hardly the right way to promote a car with limited range and convenience, where it's only real advantage is the cost of ownership/cost per mile compared to a petrol device.

We're teetering on the edge of a general deflationary period at the moment and I personally have done what all people do in those situations - I've put my wallet back in my pocket. Renault seems to think they can buck the trend - good luck to them but I think not...

I'll have another look around end Q1 2015. See if they have come to their senses yet.

[cwis]

stargazer30 said:

I might be the minority here, but there is one other + EVs have over soot chuckers and even petrol ICE cars. The driving experience. They pretty much drive themselves and from A to B its the most relaxing easy going car I've ever driven.

I got back in Mrs Stargazer's 1.6 petrol qashqai, which I always thought felt smooth and nice to drive prior to getting the EV, and jjeeeezzzus it was like driving a rattly bag of **** tank in comparison. I really hate driving hers now.

Nope, you raise a good point. I had a Daimler a few years ago and that was always a relaxing, placid, pleasant place to be.

The Zoe, during my short test drive had a similar vibe, albeit with poorer ride quality, probably because it is half the length!

Similar weight though...

[cwis]

Tyler Durden said:

This thread was going nicely and then suddenly stopped. What are the latest and greatest deals to be had on the Zoe? How are the new owners finding them?

I started the thread.

In the end I gave up trying to get a reasonable deal on a Zoe. I started looking at petrol versus repayment prices to try and get as comfy as I could, for as little as possible a month, all in.

I scrapped my Rav4 and bought a 12 year old petrol auto Honda CRV Executive. It was £1700, has leather, heated seats, cruise, etc etc etc... No one likes auto petrol cars second hand. I do - I bought a Daimler for a song and rolled about in that for a while a couple of years ago.

On the urban cycle, it does about 20mpg. On the motorway it does around 35mpg. I did 6000 miles last year, so worst case scenario is 300 gallons of fuel at around £1800 a year. Best case scenario is 170 gallons of fuel or £1000 a year - the real number is somewhere in between - I tend to fill it up every 2 - 3 weeks at about 60 quid a pop.

So I spent less than the deposit on a Leaf or Zoe, and I'm spending less a month that the lease/payment on an EV to roll about in a comfy dinosaur burner.

I'll have another look at the EV market when the CRV needs replacing or when I get bored of it - I believe they are the future and really want to try one, but not until the price is right.