Hello

Made a small research and I found out, that I`m not able to buy ZOE without paying monthly fee 79 EURO.
Is there any way that I could get ZOE with the battery and not pay monthly fee, since I`m going to use the car in country, where there is no Renault ZE service.

Please don’t judge me too harshly. I’m a Zoe owner of some 14 months, and I love the car. But, we’re doing a bit more longer distance driving than I thought we might, the Zoe is our only car and the reliability of the motorway charging infrastructure has been woeful. After seeing a few tantalising PCP deals on Leafs, I thought I might give one a test-drive. Think of it as nothing more than an affair. I’m back with my long-term partner now. Here’s the report that I gave the Leaf dealer as a ‘thank you’ for letting me take one out on a 7-day test drive (which is something Renault should SERIOUSLY consider copying). Short story: Zoe wins.

To: Martin Watkins, Wessex Garages, Bristol
Subject: Thanks for the Leaf Test Drive

Firstly, thanks to you and Nissan for having the foresight to allow an extended test drive. It’s the only way to see if an EV will fit into your lifestyle, so it’s great for Nissan to recognise that.

I don’t think the Leaf is for me, and I’d love to explain why.

Compared to the Renault Zoe I currently have, the Leaf is a little too large for my garage. It’s great that the size increase means more boot space and bigger battery, but on-balance the Zoe’s size is probably more appropriate for us and makes it easier to get it in and out. I absolutely love the fact that the Leaf comes with a 3-pin charger – this is something Renault seriously screwed-up with the Zoe by charging extra for it. But it’s really difficult to get to the front charging port when the car is so tight in the garage.

One of the things I was very interested in was the increased range. I can get 50-55 miles with a good tail wind and flat road at 70mph in the Zoe, and the Leaf was clearly offering upwards of 80 miles when we took it out at the weekend in the same conditions. This is a significant improvement, and would probably mean longer journeys are more viable. However, I wasn’t impressed with the rapid charge speed. The Zoe seems to charge incredibly quickly up to the 95% mark, and then tails off. Whereas, when we tried an Ecotricity rapid on the M4, it took 45 mins to charge from just under half empty to 95%. If this pace is indicative, it negates the improvement to range, as we’ll be stopping less, but for much longer periods.

The other thing I wasn’t as keen on was the user experience – there are more dial, switches, options and controls in the Leaf. The Sat Nav was brilliantly-tailored to EV driving, with recommendations of ways to increase range (“Turn heater off for +5 miles”) and the database of charge points was extensive (the Zoe has none in it’s Sat Nav). I didn’t get a chance to try it, but I’ve heard great things about Carwings (the Renault equivalent has never even worked for me!). But for regular, day-to-day driving around town or day trips, the sophistication of the system is just clutter I’m not going to use. The Leaf is clearly more of an enthusiasts’ take on what an EV is than the Zoe. In many ways, the Zoe feels dumbed-down. But I think I prefer that for 95% of my driving. The Sat Nav is far easier to use in the Zoe, partly due to it doing less.

One major negative of the Renault Zoe is the reliability. I’ve read horrible scare stories of both the technical failure of the Zoe, and Renault’s failure in customer support. This would be a major reason for me to change brands. I have had less experience with Nissan, but it can’t be any worse and Japanese cars are generally more reliable, right?

So, it basically boils down this: the extended range of the Leaf is great, but it’s not enough of an increase to make a significant difference to our longer-range driving experience. The Zoe seems more user-friendly, partly because it does less. The Leaf is probably slightly too big for our garage.

I might wait until the next-gen in 2017, but by all means please feel free to fire me across some of your best second-hand and new/PCP deals and I’ll gladly take a look.

Once again, thanks very much for the opportunity to try the Leaf. Feel free to give me a call if there’s anything else you want to ask. I’ll be heavily recommending your dealership to anyone who asks me about EVs 😉