Renault ZOE
FIRST DRIVE Power boost gives popular EV extra zip in town
Have power boost and revamp given EV fresh lease of life?
THERE are more luxurious electric cars than the Renault ZOE, but few are as successful. It had been Europe’s best-selling EV three years running, and only in 2018 did it slip behind the Nissan Leaf. It’s a car that is, quite literally, going quietly about its business.
To keep it fresh, Renault has just given the ZOE a range of updates. The infotainment system gets Android Auto, and there’s new purple paint. The lineup has been simplified as well, so now there are just two trims to choose from.
Dynamique S Nav gets a seven-inch sat-nav, auto lights and wipers, climate control and parking sensors. Top-spec Signature Nav spec adds leather seats, a Bose stereo and a parking camera.
The most significant upgrade is the motor, which produces 16bhp more than the old one. It’s welcome on the move; while Renault says 0-62mph takes 11.9 seconds (an improvement of 1.3 seconds over the old car), at low speeds it feels faster. The motor offers instant response, letting the ZOE launch from junctions and dart into gaps in traffic.
Elsewhere, the car is much the same. A near-silent drivetrain, light steering and a smooth ride make it relaxing to drive around town. Pick things up and the weight of the batteries can be felt, because the front end washes wide more easily than in a petrol supermini.
Inside it looks smart enough, and the 338-litre boot is bigger than most small cars’. Some of that is inevitably taken up by the bulky charging cables, however.
That extra punch hasn’t harmed range, either; at 186 miles (or 124 miles in cold weather) it’s the same as before.
The ZOE starts from £18,420 after the Government grant. But you don’t own the battery; instead you rent it for an extra £59 a month. If you’d like to buy the battery, it’ll cost you £5,600.
It sounds like a lot, but on a three-year finance deal it’s more reasonable. A few quick sums suggest a petrol/ev tipping point of just under 6,650 miles per year. If you exceed this mileage, have access to a charge point and cover mainly short journeys, the ZOE will be cheaper to run.
“The motor offers instant response, letting the ZOE launch from junctions and into gaps”