The whichever comes first bit isn’t true I belive. Part of the olev contract States that to apply for funding the battery must be under warranty for 5 years.

In addition to ZOE (Battery hire) we also offer the ZOE i which allows you to buy the vehicle and the battery.

No on-going monthly payments, just one simple payment.

No mileage limit in the battery contract.

Battery guarantee of 5 years/62,000 miles (whichever comes first), this includes the battery performance guarantee to at least 70% of its original capacity.

Roadside assistance, breakdown only.

This ZOE offering allows you to buy the vehicle and lease the battery, which not only reduces the purchase price, but also gives maximum peace of mind.

From Renault site:

You only pay for what you need – you tell us how many miles you’ll do and how long you’d like to keep your Z.E.; we personalise your battery hire monthly payment to meet your own individual requirements.

Battery performance guaranteed to at least 75% of it’s original charge capacity. If not, we’ll repair or replace it.

Complete 24/7 roadside assistance , even if you run out of charge.

You enjoy your Z.E. while we keep its heart healthy. It’s that easy.

No, the battery has to be tested.

I suspect you won’t be able to tell other than your actual mileage never achieves the predicted.

I just hope they also offer the new battery as an upgrade for existing ZOEs, as promised on at least two occasions.

I don’t mind driving old tech to be honest, which is why I’ve got a 13 year old Still and a 24 her old mini, its just when they break I get fed up… which is why Still is going, getting to that point where I feel it’s going to start needing more time dedicated to it to keep it going.

I didn’t feel depreciation would increase significantly with the Geneva model being announced. Woo 10 more miles but no rapid charge. Depreciation might hit when range has been doubled. Still Renault could pull a blinder and release an updated battery pack for all the MK1 owners, stranger things have been know to happen I guess.

M’eh, i’ll have my Zoe in 11 days, let the fun times begin.

I could say FFS! I’ve only just bought one…. but I guess this is the nature of the game. Hopefully its jut a bigger capacity battery and us “renters” will get the option of an upgrade.

Will I be the first one? Probably… 100watt bulbs are illegal in the UK. They can also potentially do damage to wiring and light cluster itself.

I have an old mini and I tried fitting 100watt bulbs along with upgraded wiring and relays in a custom made harness. If you went out in the rain the glass light units would steam… that’s how hot a 100watt bulb is in a car.

Anyhow, each to their own… my other concern is your now pulling close to double the juice out of the battery for each of those bulbs.

If you want great standard output 55watt bulbs I can recommend Osram nightbreakers. Very nice output, 100% road legal, last longer than cheaper alternatives… but they still don’t last forever. Maybe 2 years if you live somewhere where its dark a lot (i.e. Scotland).

Range may also improve as the battery gets ‘broken in’.

(You see this with a new mobile phone that its charge last longer after a week or so)