Discussion
Toaster Pilot said:
“The new Renault Kangoo ZE. Like a normal van, but a bit quieter” Looking for information about reliability, maintenance costs etc as they get a bit older.

We’ve sold 15 or so. Generally been very reliable. Batteries don’t seem to be causing any issues either which is good.
Maintenance costs are quite low because there’s not much that actually needs changing. IIRC the 12v battery is supposed to be changed every 3 years.
Toaster Pilot said:
Why do so many EVs pretty much have a replacement interval for the 12V battery? Hear it a lot.
You’d think it’d have an easier life than in an ICE car, not having to crank out hundreds of amps.
Wrong, electric cars are very fussy about the 12v battery. Remembering that the Kangoo has similar technology to the Zoe, it would be a good idea to read up your concerns on the Zoe. Here is the link for the 12v thing:You’d think it’d have an easier life than in an ICE car, not having to crank out hundreds of amps.
https://pmmonline.co.uk/technical/pico-tackles-a-r...
M4cruiser said:
Wrong, electric cars are very fussy about the 12v battery.
You seem to have misunderstood - I KNOW they are, I just don’t particularly know why they seem to be so hard on it. What does the 12v system on an EV do that is so hard on a 12v battery that an ICE car doesn’t? It’s not as if a modern ICE car isn’t absolutely rammed full of complex electronics. For the avoidance of doubt, I own two EVs already, I’m not completely new to them.
That article is interesting though, thanks.
I have a 2019 33 kwh Kangoo as my regular works van so obviously a bit newer and larger battery.
It's very slow, 0 to 60 is over 20 seconds and dual carriageway and motorways are hard work. Traction control unit went u/s at 4k miles and it was off the road for three weeks waiting on a replacement.
Range has dropped massively with the colder weather, from a high of 170 miles in summer to 72 miles one day last month. Hate to think what the 22 kwh version would be down to.
It's an ancient design now and feels very flimsy. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of a motorway pile up in it!
It's very slow, 0 to 60 is over 20 seconds and dual carriageway and motorways are hard work. Traction control unit went u/s at 4k miles and it was off the road for three weeks waiting on a replacement.
Range has dropped massively with the colder weather, from a high of 170 miles in summer to 72 miles one day last month. Hate to think what the 22 kwh version would be down to.
It's an ancient design now and feels very flimsy. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of a motorway pile up in it!
mabosh said:
I have a 2019 33 kwh Kangoo as my regular works van so obviously a bit newer and larger battery.
It's very slow, 0 to 60 is over 20 seconds and dual carriageway and motorways are hard work. Traction control unit went u/s at 4k miles and it was off the road for three weeks waiting on a replacement.
Range has dropped massively with the colder weather, from a high of 170 miles in summer to 72 miles one day last month. Hate to think what the 22 kwh version would be down to.
It's an ancient design now and feels very flimsy. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of a motorway pile up in it!
It's very slow, 0 to 60 is over 20 seconds and dual carriageway and motorways are hard work. Traction control unit went u/s at 4k miles and it was off the road for three weeks waiting on a replacement.
Range has dropped massively with the colder weather, from a high of 170 miles in summer to 72 miles one day last month. Hate to think what the 22 kwh version would be down to.
It's an ancient design now and feels very flimsy. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of a motorway pile up in it!
I had no idea they were that slow! Although I’d mostly be bombing around town in it so I’m not too worried, that is mental though. Toaster Pilot said:
You seem to have misunderstood - I KNOW they are, I just don’t particularly know why they seem to be so hard on it. What does the 12v system on an EV do that is so hard on a 12v battery that an ICE car doesn’t? It’s not as if a modern ICE car isn’t absolutely rammed full of complex electronics.
That article is interesting though, thanks.
The article explains exactly why the 12v battery is important. Every 12v battery degrades over time, but a petrol car can live with it better.That article is interesting though, thanks.
Toaster Pilot said:
mabosh said:
I have a 2019 33 kwh Kangoo as my regular works van so obviously a bit newer and larger battery.
It's very slow, 0 to 60 is over 20 seconds and dual carriageway and motorways are hard work. Traction control unit went u/s at 4k miles and it was off the road for three weeks waiting on a replacement.
Range has dropped massively with the colder weather, from a high of 170 miles in summer to 72 miles one day last month. Hate to think what the 22 kwh version would be down to.
It's an ancient design now and feels very flimsy. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of a motorway pile up in it!
It's very slow, 0 to 60 is over 20 seconds and dual carriageway and motorways are hard work. Traction control unit went u/s at 4k miles and it was off the road for three weeks waiting on a replacement.
Range has dropped massively with the colder weather, from a high of 170 miles in summer to 72 miles one day last month. Hate to think what the 22 kwh version would be down to.
It's an ancient design now and feels very flimsy. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of a motorway pile up in it!
I had no idea they were that slow! Although I’d mostly be bombing around town in it so I’m not too worried, that is mental though. Around town is bearable, anything north of 40mph and it's a bit of a toil. If you really want to slow things down, press the Eco button for even less acceleration and an extra two miles added to your range!
mabosh said:
Yep, equivalent of 60ps. The 22kwh version is the same "power" if it's any consolation!
Around town is bearable, anything north of 40mph and it's a bit of a toil. If you really want to slow things down, press the Eco button for even less acceleration and an extra two miles added to your range!
Those two miles make all the difference Around town is bearable, anything north of 40mph and it's a bit of a toil. If you really want to slow things down, press the Eco button for even less acceleration and an extra two miles added to your range!

This one seems a pretty good deal:
https://www.speakev.com/threads/renault-kangoo-ze-...
Is it just me, or is £3000 a de facto lower limit to used EV values at the moment?
(no connection with seller)
https://www.speakev.com/threads/renault-kangoo-ze-...
Is it just me, or is £3000 a de facto lower limit to used EV values at the moment?
(no connection with seller)
smallredball said:
This one seems a pretty good deal:
https://www.speakev.com/threads/renault-kangoo-ze-...
Is it just me, or is £3000 a de facto lower limit to used EV values at the moment?
(no connection with seller)
Seems a decent price IMO.https://www.speakev.com/threads/renault-kangoo-ze-...
Is it just me, or is £3000 a de facto lower limit to used EV values at the moment?
(no connection with seller)
Interesting point he’s made there about to being exempt from an MOT. I never knew that.
Toaster Pilot said:
JonnyVTEC said:
There’s no alternator force feeding it volts.
But surely the DC-DC converter connected to the HV battery is doing the same?However, as a 12V battery degrades, a typical ICE car will become difficult to crank - thus providing easy indication of impending doom, so people swap the battery out long before strange power supply or ECU communications issues creep in.
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