Discussion
I have just leased a Nissan Leaf for 3 years. Works out at £234 per month once all amortised and including the arrangement fee etc. No maintenance as that was about £500 a year and seemed a bit steep.
I suspect I could have got some low emission low tax petrol hatchback for quite a lot less (i have never leased or financed a car before, so was slightly surprised at how cheap family transport can be). But wife specified electric, small, and as we live in London and won't do more than a 60 mile return trip to my Mum's in Surrey with this car, it seemed pretty useful. Also congestion charge exempt which means that should I wish to, I could drive it to work.
A few questions:
- anyone own or run one of these?
- any pitfalls/known faults? Quirk of the deal is that the car is already registered so the warranty will run out before my lease term does, so if it breaks, this will be an issue for me.
- Any and all tips on how best to charge, charging networks etc would be hugely appreciated to a newbie
- the big one: I need to get a charger fitted. The finance company are putting me in touch with someone but frankly it seems that I should probablt spend and get the very best, most future proof wall box I can. Any tips?
Thanks, E-PHers!
I suspect I could have got some low emission low tax petrol hatchback for quite a lot less (i have never leased or financed a car before, so was slightly surprised at how cheap family transport can be). But wife specified electric, small, and as we live in London and won't do more than a 60 mile return trip to my Mum's in Surrey with this car, it seemed pretty useful. Also congestion charge exempt which means that should I wish to, I could drive it to work.
A few questions:
- anyone own or run one of these?
- any pitfalls/known faults? Quirk of the deal is that the car is already registered so the warranty will run out before my lease term does, so if it breaks, this will be an issue for me.
- Any and all tips on how best to charge, charging networks etc would be hugely appreciated to a newbie
- the big one: I need to get a charger fitted. The finance company are putting me in touch with someone but frankly it seems that I should probablt spend and get the very best, most future proof wall box I can. Any tips?
Thanks, E-PHers!
Edited by Harry Flashman on Saturday 16th January 15:53
I have been though a Leaf 24, Leaf 30, iPace and now Leaf 40 over the past 6+ years.
I did have a charger fitted but rarely used it as 3 pin was more convenient and never held us back. Most recent 2 cars use a different connector in any case.
May be worth trying out 3 pin for a while before splashing out on a charger?
On reliability, Leafs have been fine. Most recent one was in for a full day for a recall a few weeks back - only a minor part but needed everything taking out to get there.
I did have a charger fitted but rarely used it as 3 pin was more convenient and never held us back. Most recent 2 cars use a different connector in any case.
May be worth trying out 3 pin for a while before splashing out on a charger?
On reliability, Leafs have been fine. Most recent one was in for a full day for a recall a few weeks back - only a minor part but needed everything taking out to get there.
Thanks so much! We have a 3pin on the drive, so that would be supremely easy, and as frankly the car will only be used once or twice a week and that weekly mileage will be under 100, a 12 hour charge time is probably not such a big deal...
Very helpful. What did you think of the Leaf 40, by the way? And what was the recall issue? Need to make sure my incoming one doesn't need it, It was registered on 30th December...
Very helpful. What did you think of the Leaf 40, by the way? And what was the recall issue? Need to make sure my incoming one doesn't need it, It was registered on 30th December...
When looking at chargers there are basically two choices to make.
1. Smart or simple. The smart ones let you do things like tie in to your energy supplier (e.g. Octopus) to get the very cheapest rates. The simple ones you have to rely on the timer in the car to set up overnight charging. The smart ones cost a lot more though and it will take you many, many, many years to recover the extra outlay. So a simple one might be a good option, they are cheap and you can always upgrade later.
2. Tethered or untethered. Tethered chargers have the cable built in. Personally I prefer that, it's easier and quick to just gab and plug in when you want, rather than having to get your charging cable out of the boot.
As for charging the best thing for the battery is to run it between about 30 and 70%. Maybe do a 100% charge once a month to help balance the battery cells out. Charging network wise get Zap Map and A Better Route Planner and have a look what is available where you want to go. These days most don't need silly cards or subscriptions anymore.
1. Smart or simple. The smart ones let you do things like tie in to your energy supplier (e.g. Octopus) to get the very cheapest rates. The simple ones you have to rely on the timer in the car to set up overnight charging. The smart ones cost a lot more though and it will take you many, many, many years to recover the extra outlay. So a simple one might be a good option, they are cheap and you can always upgrade later.
2. Tethered or untethered. Tethered chargers have the cable built in. Personally I prefer that, it's easier and quick to just gab and plug in when you want, rather than having to get your charging cable out of the boot.
As for charging the best thing for the battery is to run it between about 30 and 70%. Maybe do a 100% charge once a month to help balance the battery cells out. Charging network wise get Zap Map and A Better Route Planner and have a look what is available where you want to go. These days most don't need silly cards or subscriptions anymore.
If you do go for a proper wallbox then the best ones on the market in my opinion are the Andersens, although you'll pay for it. They aren't cheap - look bloody lovely though.
https://andersen-ev.com/
They're all tethered, so you never have to faff about, which would be the deciding factor for me. Just rock up, pull the wire out and plug in, no manhandling wet cables in and out of the boot.
Also, consider a Time of Use energy tariff, there are many specialst EV ones. Octopus is the most well known but you'll struggle to put meaningful charge in within their 4 hour cheap window if you stick with a 3 pin plug (you'll have no probs with a wallbox) - if you do stick with the slow charger then look at EDF's 98 hour off-peak tariff as that one's cheap all weekend. You'd probably want to shift some household usage into that window too to make the most of it though as it sounds as though your car usage will be relatively low.
https://andersen-ev.com/
They're all tethered, so you never have to faff about, which would be the deciding factor for me. Just rock up, pull the wire out and plug in, no manhandling wet cables in and out of the boot.
Also, consider a Time of Use energy tariff, there are many specialst EV ones. Octopus is the most well known but you'll struggle to put meaningful charge in within their 4 hour cheap window if you stick with a 3 pin plug (you'll have no probs with a wallbox) - if you do stick with the slow charger then look at EDF's 98 hour off-peak tariff as that one's cheap all weekend. You'd probably want to shift some household usage into that window too to make the most of it though as it sounds as though your car usage will be relatively low.
The Leaf has a type 1 connector, whereas pretty much everything else is now type 2 so if you change to another EV you’d have to get a new cable attached if it’s a tethered charger. For that reason I went untethered, cable is left in the charger permanently so no more faff than a tethered (it’s not visible from the road so unlikely someone would pinch the cable, or charge up!).
Unless you’re confident the house wiring is up to scratch I’d get a charger fitted personally. Might as well take advantage of the Gov grant before they eventually remove it.
Enjoy the Leaf, they’re good solid cars, chances are you’ll end up using it more than you’d expect, we certainly did - our ICEs tend to sit around a fair bit these days.
Unless you’re confident the house wiring is up to scratch I’d get a charger fitted personally. Might as well take advantage of the Gov grant before they eventually remove it.
Enjoy the Leaf, they’re good solid cars, chances are you’ll end up using it more than you’d expect, we certainly did - our ICEs tend to sit around a fair bit these days.
Ref charging - as mentioned download ZapMap and filter on Chademo (rapid charging connector for the Leaf).
Instavolt is my preferred public charging network but depends if the locations work for you (Osprey also good). New-ish chargers, contactless not app or RFID.
Ecotricity are at the motorway services and historically pretty flaky for CCS but normally OK for Chademo, and often free vend (if they have comms issues they default to that). But don’t rely on them, and have a plan B (or C!) if you’re needing to use public chargers - and read the comments on ZapMap to see if they appear to be working OK before heading for one.
Instavolt is my preferred public charging network but depends if the locations work for you (Osprey also good). New-ish chargers, contactless not app or RFID.
Ecotricity are at the motorway services and historically pretty flaky for CCS but normally OK for Chademo, and often free vend (if they have comms issues they default to that). But don’t rely on them, and have a plan B (or C!) if you’re needing to use public chargers - and read the comments on ZapMap to see if they appear to be working OK before heading for one.
Edited by danp on Sunday 17th January 11:15
I would second the recommendation of getting a 7KW wall charger fitted. There is a grant and you never know when you need a "quick" charge for an unexpected run. A 3 pin plug charger is really painfully slow. For the cost of getting one which will stand you in good stead for the future, its a no brainer. IMHO.
Thanks, all. Really helpful stuff.
Irritating about tethered chargers and different types of plug. Is there no type that you can have a tethered cable but with an daptor to the plugs to fit different cars as required?
Also (and I know I am getting ahead of myself) - are there chargers with two outlets for more than one EV? I know I am being lazy and should Google this, but real world experience from PHers is something that has worked well over the years...
Irritating about tethered chargers and different types of plug. Is there no type that you can have a tethered cable but with an daptor to the plugs to fit different cars as required?
Also (and I know I am getting ahead of myself) - are there chargers with two outlets for more than one EV? I know I am being lazy and should Google this, but real world experience from PHers is something that has worked well over the years...
Harry Flashman said:
Thanks, all. Really helpful stuff.
Irritating about tethered chargers and different types of plug. Is there no type that you can have a tethered cable but with an daptor to the plugs to fit different cars as required?
Also (and I know I am getting ahead of myself) - are there chargers with two outlets for more than one EV? I know I am being lazy and should Google this, but real world experience from PHers is something that has worked well over the years...
You could purchase an untethered charger and just buy an additional cable that you leave plugged in. Personally, I'm sticking with the Type 1 tethered and I'll just swap the cable (pretty cheap) if I purchase a type 2 car.Irritating about tethered chargers and different types of plug. Is there no type that you can have a tethered cable but with an daptor to the plugs to fit different cars as required?
Also (and I know I am getting ahead of myself) - are there chargers with two outlets for more than one EV? I know I am being lazy and should Google this, but real world experience from PHers is something that has worked well over the years...
There are chargers that have two outlets, but they tend to be pretty expensive, require your house to have a beefy supply and it's pretty rare that you'd want to charge two cars at the same time.
Edited by Phunk on Sunday 17th January 14:45
Edited by Phunk on Sunday 17th January 14:45
Harry Flashman said:
Thanks, all. Really helpful stuff.
Irritating about tethered chargers and different types of plug. Is there no type that you can have a tethered cable but with an daptor to the plugs to fit different cars as required?
Also (and I know I am getting ahead of myself) - are there chargers with two outlets for more than one EV? I know I am being lazy and should Google this, but real world experience from PHers is something that has worked well over the years...
You can get adapters but opinion is divided on them, I think I’d rather pay a bit more to get it converted properly (I’d guesstimate £100 cable plus the labour).Irritating about tethered chargers and different types of plug. Is there no type that you can have a tethered cable but with an daptor to the plugs to fit different cars as required?
Also (and I know I am getting ahead of myself) - are there chargers with two outlets for more than one EV? I know I am being lazy and should Google this, but real world experience from PHers is something that has worked well over the years...
e.g. https://evonestop.co.uk/products/type-2-to-type-1-...
Not sure on multi headed chargers, you can obviously get commercial ones, maybe residential but they may not be approved for the grant. You’d also need to be sure that the house electrics could cope with 2 x 7kW (2 x 32a) for the EVs along with anything else, if the main fuse isn’t 100a it’d need upgrading.
A decent installer should be able to advise, there are some on here that may join in or that you could find.
PS speakEV is very good for EV info and on chargers etc
Granny charging will work fine but the grant for home charging points keeps going down so if you want one, better get one sooner. You can get one fitted ahead of delivery, just need an order number or similar for the car for the OLEV paperwork.
Anderson are the nicest looking, luxury option. Zappi, Pod-Point, Eo Mini, etc fine too. No twin output ones qualify for the OLEV grant but they do exist (Harry Metcalfe has one you see in his videos), or some like the Zappi let you pair up and load balance multiple units so you don’t pull too much current at once.
Untethered gives most flexibility (say if you have someone visit with an old type 1 Leaf, or if you need a longer cable to save shuffling cars about). Tethered more convenient, you can leave your charging cable tucked away in the boot in case you need it when out and about.
Anderson are the nicest looking, luxury option. Zappi, Pod-Point, Eo Mini, etc fine too. No twin output ones qualify for the OLEV grant but they do exist (Harry Metcalfe has one you see in his videos), or some like the Zappi let you pair up and load balance multiple units so you don’t pull too much current at once.
Untethered gives most flexibility (say if you have someone visit with an old type 1 Leaf, or if you need a longer cable to save shuffling cars about). Tethered more convenient, you can leave your charging cable tucked away in the boot in case you need it when out and about.
danp said:
The Leaf has a type 1 connector, whereas pretty much everything else is now type 2 so if you change to another EV you’d have to get a new cable attached if it’s a tethered charger. For that reason I went untethered, cable is left in the charger permanently so no more faff than a tethered (it’s not visible from the road so unlikely someone would pinch the cable, or charge up!).
Unless you’re confident the house wiring is up to scratch I’d get a charger fitted personally. Might as well take advantage of the Gov grant before they eventually remove it.
Enjoy the Leaf, they’re good solid cars, chances are you’ll end up using it more than you’d expect, we certainly did - our ICEs tend to sit around a fair bit these days.
Current leafs are tyupe 2.Unless you’re confident the house wiring is up to scratch I’d get a charger fitted personally. Might as well take advantage of the Gov grant before they eventually remove it.
Enjoy the Leaf, they’re good solid cars, chances are you’ll end up using it more than you’d expect, we certainly did - our ICEs tend to sit around a fair bit these days.
I understand that you have to register for the cc exemption (minimal fee/year)
Lots of areas of london have free parking for ev as well.
People seem to like the Ohme charger - available cheap if you are with octopus.
Some issues depending on your eletrics, rules now have specific requirements for earthing on ev chargers - if you are tn-c-s you have to protect against loss of protective earth.
Lots of areas of london have free parking for ev as well.
People seem to like the Ohme charger - available cheap if you are with octopus.
Some issues depending on your eletrics, rules now have specific requirements for earthing on ev chargers - if you are tn-c-s you have to protect against loss of protective earth.
Harry Flashman said:
Thanks so much! We have a 3pin on the drive, so that would be supremely easy, and as frankly the car will only be used once or twice a week and that weekly mileage will be under 100, a 12 hour charge time is probably not such a big deal...
Very helpful. What did you think of the Leaf 40, by the way? And what was the recall issue? Need to make sure my incoming one doesn't need it, It was registered on 30th December...
The Leaf 40 is fine. Very refined vs ICE competition and as a Tekna it comes with similar spec to the iPace S. Bought an ex demo which had done minimal demonstrations during lockdown but they refreshed at 1 year as per policy (1200 miles). Plan to keep it for a few years.Very helpful. What did you think of the Leaf 40, by the way? And what was the recall issue? Need to make sure my incoming one doesn't need it, It was registered on 30th December...
The recall was for some tiny selector pin. It was a motor / gear box out job to get to it though.
Other charging option is a commando socket that any electrician can install for much less than the grant + installation cost. A commando to type 2 lead from Octopus energy is heavily discounted.
I was looking at these on the current deals last week. Key thing we need to know is whether the dogs would fit in the boot on the rare occasions MrsC needs to transport them in her car, but all the local dealers are covid-closed so I can't get to look at one. Asked on the local FB group whether anyone has one we could have a socially-distanced look at but no go.
It would need to take her to her elderly father's on a regular basis, 80 miles away, but she always stays over at least one night so she'd be able to charge it at his, I presume, off a standard 13A socket? And she'd get 80 miles without a problem at motorway speeds?
It would need to take her to her elderly father's on a regular basis, 80 miles away, but she always stays over at least one night so she'd be able to charge it at his, I presume, off a standard 13A socket? And she'd get 80 miles without a problem at motorway speeds?
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