Discussion
I won't be buying one. A friend has a Leaf in which I regularly get ferried and there is nothing about it that I like or desire. Seems that the heating and AC are offsets to range.
The new one looks better than the fishyfroggy look of the last but still like petrol engines.
I like the Twizy if it had proper doors and think electric works for small and light vehicles...where are the motorbikes?
Battery hire remains an issue where it applies and overall cost is still too high.
I'd like a 2CV with electric power and a top speed of 75 but then aetrol twin with EFI would probably achieve 80 mpg.
The new one looks better than the fishyfroggy look of the last but still like petrol engines.
I like the Twizy if it had proper doors and think electric works for small and light vehicles...where are the motorbikes?
Battery hire remains an issue where it applies and overall cost is still too high.
I'd like a 2CV with electric power and a top speed of 75 but then aetrol twin with EFI would probably achieve 80 mpg.
I have a 335d estate, as a compromise between "fast" and "sensible". 18 months ago we bought an i3, the 335 hardly gets driven anymore, we both prefer the i3....
(in fact, the 335 is being sold this spring, and will probably get replaced with something sillier! just not yet sure what)
(in fact, the 335 is being sold this spring, and will probably get replaced with something sillier! just not yet sure what)
Just to share costs. We were at £200 in diesel before. 2 cars Now it’s £80, d and electric combined. So I’m up 120 before anything
In 27 years of driving I’ve always saved up and paid cash for cars. This time I leased the leaf because I wanted to try it and also not be stuck with a white elephant. Plus technology is changing so much, ev,s will be different one year from now and so on.
There was nothing in it, well £15, between used and brand new. So for £205 a mth, that’s it. A 2017 30kwh tekna. BRand new. The top model. As I say, call it £20 for electric. Offset the fuel saving of 120, that’s a brand new, problem and servicing free, car for just £100 a mth.
Bit of man maths I know !! Bit like the ph headline article about buying/leading.
Buying cars is easy. It’s the monthly combined running costs everyone skips.
Show me a brand new car, that size and spec blah blah that gets near those costs. Anyway us early adopters will always be enthusiastically excited about stuff like this !!
In 27 years of driving I’ve always saved up and paid cash for cars. This time I leased the leaf because I wanted to try it and also not be stuck with a white elephant. Plus technology is changing so much, ev,s will be different one year from now and so on.
There was nothing in it, well £15, between used and brand new. So for £205 a mth, that’s it. A 2017 30kwh tekna. BRand new. The top model. As I say, call it £20 for electric. Offset the fuel saving of 120, that’s a brand new, problem and servicing free, car for just £100 a mth.
Bit of man maths I know !! Bit like the ph headline article about buying/leading.
Buying cars is easy. It’s the monthly combined running costs everyone skips.
Show me a brand new car, that size and spec blah blah that gets near those costs. Anyway us early adopters will always be enthusiastically excited about stuff like this !!
Worth noting that with the new 40kwh Leaf due this year, Nissan are switching from a battery lease model to an ownership one. £22k for a car with a real-world range of 150+ miles and 0-60 in 8 seconds (vs 11 for the old car) starts to look quite attractive for people for whom an EV makes sense at all.
EV espousers always assume that running costs are the be all and end all - if they are then way to go but, for most people, they still have heartstrings to be pulled at, to even make them part with their money...
Otherwise,once the petrol car is paid for, you just have servicing costs, you don't actually have to buy a new car at all.
Otherwise,once the petrol car is paid for, you just have servicing costs, you don't actually have to buy a new car at all.
LuS1fer said:
Otherwise,once the petrol car is paid for, you just have servicing costs.
If you intend to drive it anywhere, petrol would be useful too. 
We don't do new cars, but if we can drag the Octavia out for another three years or so something like a 2018 Leaf will probably end up replacing it. The Elise isn't going anywhere, though.
Blaster72 said:
I'm not seeing these super cheap Leaf lease deals about any more. Hasn't that bubble burst rendering them no cheaper than a petrol car to lease and run?
Getting finance from Nissan, it seems that you're looking at £18k to run a 2018 Leaf for three years from new; so 6k a year all in. I suspect that's only competitive for a relatively specific usage profile which is doing enough miles to make the fuel saving significant, but few enough long trips that an EV is viable. kambites said:
amgmcqueen said:
davey83 said:
If you do less than 90 miles a day, spend £40 or more a month on fuel and are looking dirt cheap motoring - a used Leaf if a great buy.
Don't the batteries need replacing after 7years at £8k a pop?
h turning the car upside down to get the battery flap open with a knife...LuS1fer said:
EV espousers always assume that running costs are the be all and end all - if they are then way to go but, for most people, they still have heartstrings to be pulled at, to even make them part with their money.
I really don't think this is true given the type of car that is most common on roads. You really think that people can't be tempted out of their diesel fiestas or hyundai?Plus, enough of us with EV's on this thread are saying they are actually better to drive! (again I will caveat to say family type cars before someone replies to say their 911 or whatever is much better). So, if they are better, then being cheaper is just an extra benefit on top.
Edited by covmutley on Sunday 21st January 15:03
Edited by covmutley on Sunday 21st January 15:04
CJN said:
andy43 said:
Yep. Instant heat, instant de icing, and away you go. Silent, thrashable straight from stone cold, no mechanical sympathy ever needed. Can’t wake the neighbours at 7am no matter how hard you try. Decent ride, supernippy from the lights and into gaps. Ours is charged at home, on the 13a plug in charger it came with.
150 a month, with servicing included. Shame the new Leaf will be double that. Virtually no fuel costs, no car tax. Brakes don’t wear out, there’s no real servicing needed, it’s the ultimate hassle free vehicle.
As a commuter or city car the Leaf just works - go read Richard Porters piece on his long term Leaf.
Yes it’s ugly, yes the range limits it, and yes it’s dull, but not compared to the usual diesel white goods it competes against. I suspect most of the negative commenters haven’t tried one.
Can't wake neighbours at 7am........... I'm out150 a month, with servicing included. Shame the new Leaf will be double that. Virtually no fuel costs, no car tax. Brakes don’t wear out, there’s no real servicing needed, it’s the ultimate hassle free vehicle.
As a commuter or city car the Leaf just works - go read Richard Porters piece on his long term Leaf.
Yes it’s ugly, yes the range limits it, and yes it’s dull, but not compared to the usual diesel white goods it competes against. I suspect most of the negative commenters haven’t tried one.
covmutley said:
I really don't think this is true given the type of car that is most common on roads. You really think that people can't be tempted out of their diesel fiestas or hyundai?
Top 10 selling cars 2017 suggests maybe not...1. Ford Fiesta
2. Volkswagen Golf
3. Ford Focus
4. Nissan Qashqai
5. Vauxhall Corsa
6. Vauxhall Astra
7. Volkswagen Polo
8. MINI hatchback
9. Mercedes C-Class
10. Mercedes A-Class
Lease deals are one thing, putting up a bit chunk of equity, for a car you don't own, with a balloon payment on the end, is another. It's never once appealed to me.
LuS1fer said:
Lease deals are one thing, putting up a bit chunk of equity, for a car you don't own, with a balloon payment on the end, is another. It's never once appealed to me.
Fair enough, but slightly different issue. I did not have the cash, but would only have got my i3 on pcp as an insurance of sorts, just to give some protection on depreciation.I am actually hoping that the used values on ev will get better as they become more mainstream and the diesel taxes bite, but we will see
Tim bo said:
Electric cars cannot get around the achilles heal of recharge time, which is not an issue for hydrogen.
I'm pleased to see Toyota are sticking with their heavy investments in the tech.
Only filling a hydrogen vehicle is MUCH more complex than they let on, some pumps can only fill a few cars before having to re pressurise (30mins+) and some can only fill part of your tank and on top of that it takes about 5minutes to even do that.I'm pleased to see Toyota are sticking with their heavy investments in the tech.
Edited by Tim bo on Sunday 21st January 10:14
That's if you can find one in the UK. I think the absolute top end one can fill 10 cars a day max.
Compare that to rapid chargers that can fill a car per 30mins all day and night forever, and you can have banks and banks of them (Tesla have banks of 32 going in now).
The more you look in to hydrogen (and I've not even mentioned how inefficient and expensive it is, how hard to store, how dangerous) the more you see it's just a dead end tech from the 80s - from before batteries were thought to be capable of running a normal car.
Mr E said:
Paulm4 said:
My wife's commute would be perfectly suited to an EV. 50 miles each way, 3 days a week.
At the moment she has a Mini One which gets circa 42 mpg. The car is old and owned outright so was looking into replacing it with a Zoe or Leaf but the cost seems huge once you add the battery lease cost at 15k miles per year.
Never had a car on finance so don't really understand how it works but seemed to be working out at about £320/month once you add the battery cost.
Am I missing something or is this the going rate? Her fuel cost would go from about £130 down to about £20 but this just doesn't stack up if the car itself is so expensive! Or am I just a cheapskate
My leaf is 2 years old with 20k on it. At the moment she has a Mini One which gets circa 42 mpg. The car is old and owned outright so was looking into replacing it with a Zoe or Leaf but the cost seems huge once you add the battery lease cost at 15k miles per year.
Never had a car on finance so don't really understand how it works but seemed to be working out at about £320/month once you add the battery cost.
Am I missing something or is this the going rate? Her fuel cost would go from about £130 down to about £20 but this just doesn't stack up if the car itself is so expensive! Or am I just a cheapskate
With discounts (and I’m not great at negotiation about £8700).
PCP’d for 3 years. £137 a month. Probably £20-30 a month to charge it.
If the battery is f
ked at the end of it, I’ll hand it back and walk away. That’s cheap transport.
I didn't know you could get PCP on a 2nd hand car but then again I'm not really sure what PCP is! Off to google...
24KW. Acenta, so telematics and stuff.
On the forecourt for about 11k. They gave me 2200 for my £200 yaris - so there’s lots of support if you pcp.
I can’t remember what the initial APR was, but I wasn’t paying it. I think I’m paying 2.7%.
They’re keen to shift them so pop in and ask. They made a big deal of free servicing but I pointed out there’s not much to service.
Edit; free charger install as well.
Range; I charge it to 80% as it’s better for the battery. 40 miles daily has anywhere between 25 and 17 miles showing at the end depending on temperature.
I drive it like a regular car, with normal use of heater and air con.
On the forecourt for about 11k. They gave me 2200 for my £200 yaris - so there’s lots of support if you pcp.
I can’t remember what the initial APR was, but I wasn’t paying it. I think I’m paying 2.7%.
They’re keen to shift them so pop in and ask. They made a big deal of free servicing but I pointed out there’s not much to service.
Edit; free charger install as well.
Range; I charge it to 80% as it’s better for the battery. 40 miles daily has anywhere between 25 and 17 miles showing at the end depending on temperature.
I drive it like a regular car, with normal use of heater and air con.
Edited by Mr E on Sunday 21st January 18:48
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