After several years looking at the world of electric cars (EV’s) from the outside I finally took the plunge and brought a 2017 Renault Zoe. It was August 2021 so I’ve had some time to experience the car, and how it works and I feel its time to start sharing that on my blog, especially as the cost of electricity, petrol and diesel are all going up and it will be good to explore the impact that these cost changes will have on car ownership.
Purchase price
The Zoe is an all electric hatchback with one of the cheapest purchase prices for a practical electric car in the UK. The reason for this is that the Zoe is one of the older electric cars, along with the first generation Nissan Leaf, and as such you can find older, higher mileage, examples for a reasonable £6,000. There is a catch with these cheaper Zoe’s, they come ‘without’ the battery. The battery is owned by Renault and leased to the owner which saves on the upfront outlay but comes with a monthly cost. They also have small batteries (22kWh) and short ranges. My 2017 model was a little more expensive but has a 41kWh battery and more range which was critical for me to ensure that the car is practical to use.
Car Tax, Insurance and Battery Hire
The tax rate for electric cars in £0 per year for the age car I purchased. The insurance cost was similar to a hatchback, but with a catch, I needed to insure the batteries cost - even though they are not part of the purchase price of the car are are hired! This adds a good few thousand pound to the cost of the car that you are insuring. I’m glad that electric cars are no longer being sold this way. Speaking of the batteries, the hire cost is based on your expected annual mileage. For me I an expected to only use car for the 6,000 miles per year is battery the cheapest lease which Renault offer, £59 per month (£708). I’ve not yet serviced the car but I understand that this should be cheaper than an internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalent car (say a Clio).
Future posts regarding costs and convenience of charging in the works, so stay tuned.