Been running one of the firms fleet of Renault Zoe’s this week as transport to and from our latest (and very scenic) rural bus routes, from Lanark to Wanlockhead up the Lead hills.
Considering you can get one of these later 50kwh examples from around £8,000, I can’t think of a better small used automatic car on sale today. It’s comfy, nippy, has a big boot, it’s reliable and it’s cheap to buy and own - much less expensive than an equivalent petrol auto. I’m a big fan of the Zoe, can’t recommend them enough to those looking for a cheap used car - as long as you avoid the early lease battery pack cars, which made no sense economically.
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If that zero score is because it doesnt have any of the modern bing bong alert stuff then its a winner for me!
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Zero Ncap relates to it having none of the modern “driver aids” that I absolutely hate, and turn off as soon as I get into any modern car anyway. These add complexity, will go expensively wrong at some point and make the car almost undrivable while turned on.
The silly Ncap score also serves to deter some buyers and reduces used prices for savvy used shoppers. Looking at the prices of these compared to automatic Honda Jazz’s and the Toyota Yaris is eye opening. I certainly wouldn’t pay many thousands more for an older Jazz auto or similar.
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>>"driver aids"
At 74 years-young I find the lane departure warning often comes in handy when I'm driving down the A30 on adaptive cruise towards Bodmin Moor twice a week and ... my mind, um, wanders!!
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I know we are all top class drivers here who have never had an accident (or at least not of our own fault) but I don't understand why there is such dislike of things which help people do the job more safely.
I guess many won't have done advanced driver training either because they are already as good as you can get.
I really like adaptive cruise control, makes sure I don't subconsciously drift over the speed limit or follow someone too close, and gives me an easy time inching along in very slow moving traffic. My lane departure gently corrects but doesn't bong but rarely intrudes anyway as I manage to steer a fairly good line all on my own, as I have done for many years. Nevertheless I'm quite happy to have them on just in case of a momentary lapse in concentration or some other distraction. Reversing aids and cameras etc are helpful but not essential why wouldn't you use one???
Not quite sure why they would make the car undriveable.
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>> I know we are all top class drivers here who have never had an accident
>> (or at least not of our own fault) but I don't understand why there is
>> such dislike of things which help people do the job more safely.
>>
>
I think many of the devices are quite loud and irritating to many. It's a cause of many complaints I know some manufacturers are now toning them down in how often they come on and how loud they are.
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The complaint I have with our Mercedes is that if there are roadworks with temporary lanes crossing line markings, the Mercedes has a tendency to slam the brakes on, which is somewhat unnerving.
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Can you read the report in a way that just gives you the crash test data to compare? I imagibe so but of course everybody will just look at the start rating.
To my mind this makes it a lot less useful. If it is useful.
I checked the EuroNCAP for the BRZ. It doesn't have one.
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There certainly appears to be more going on regarding the zero Euro NCAP rating of the latest Renault Zoe than just a lack of dings and dongs:
"The all-electric Renault Zoe has received a disappointing zero-star crash rating from Euro NCAP. The car scored 43 per cent for adult occupant protection, 52 per cent for child occupant protection, 41 per cent for vulnerable road users protection and a mere 14 per cent for safety assist features".
"The European New Car Assessment Programme or Euro NCAP has released the crash test results for the all-electric Renault Zoe, which has received a disappointing zero-star crash rating from the safety watchdog. The Renault Zoe scored 43 per cent for adult occupant protection, 52 per cent for child occupant protection, 41 per cent for vulnerable road users protection and a mere 14 per cent for safety assist features. Euro NCAP says that the new Zoe offers poor protection in crashes overall, and lacks meaningful crash avoidance technology, disqualifying it for any stars. Euro NCAP recently also crash-tested Renault's subsidiary brand, Dacia's electric hatchback Spring, which scored a poor 1-star safety rating in the crash test".
"Euro NCAP says that the new Zoe offers poor protection in crashes overall, and lacks meaningful crash avoidance technology, disqualifying it for any stars
Commenting on the safety performance of Groupe Renault's two EVs, Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary-General at Euro NCAP said, "Renault was once synonymous with safety. The Laguna was the first car to get five stars, back in 2001. But these disappointing results for the Zoe and the Dacia Spring show that safety has now become collateral damage in the group's transition to electric cars."
He further added, "Not only do these cars fail to offer any appreciable active safety as standard, but their occupant protection is also worse than any vehicle we have seen in many years." David Ward, the Executive President of Global NCAP also expressed his disappointment regarding the Zoe's performance on social media".
www.carandbike.com/news/all-electric-renault-zoe-scores-zero-star-rating-in-euro-ncap-crash-test-2645881
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>>I checked the EuroNCAP for the BRZ. It doesn't have one.
"The Subaru BRZ has not been tested by Euro NCAP as of my current knowledge, as it has not been submitted for official crash testing under the Euro NCAP program. Euro NCAP typically focuses on vehicles widely sold in Europe, and while the BRZ is available there, it hasn't undergone their standardized safety assessment protocol recently.
However, the BRZ generally incorporates strong safety features like multiple airbags, electronic stability control, and a rigid chassis design, which are common in modern sports cars. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, I recommend checking the official Euro NCAP website or contacting Subaru directly for any recent testing results or safety ratings".
AI :)
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But essentially the same car that received a 5* rating in 2013.
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>> But essentially the same car that received a 5* rating in 2013.
Not exactly - I believe that the side protection was removed for some reason, probably to reduce weight.
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That must be a "nice day at the office" SLO76, though not so sure once you get into the thick of winter!
I'm over Motherwell way myself.
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“ That must be a "nice day at the office" SLO76, though not so sure once
you get into the thick of winter!
I'm over Motherwell way myself.”
Yes, tis a very pleasant drive currently, but I’m sure it’ll be a little less relaxing in December.
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I always had a Zoe earmarked for SWMBO when her Beetle eventually died as it would be ideal for her to commute to and from work and be able to be heated up and defrosted for her going to work in the winter.
But her 2013 Beetle is still going strong though it has a tendency to have a lot of moisture in it, not helped by the frameless doors and dodgy seals. Nightmare in winter when it freezes up as the windows need to drop to allow you to open the door.
A quick glance on autotrader shows Motorpoint with GT spec for £10k.
Or do you sue that 10k and take a lease on a cheap small Chinese EV....
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>.. not helped by the frameless doors and dodgy seals.
If the seals aren't too far gone buy some "gummi pflege" and treat them every couple of weeks or so to regain some suppleness. Then every now and again to keep them from drying out.
I use it on my convertible hardtop and frameless doors and it's leakfree.
www.amazon.co.uk/Liqui-Moly-7182-Rubber-Care-75-ml/dp/B00CSYM1K8/?th=1
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"gummi pflege"
yeah I use that already, I think its more the seal at bottom of the glass where it meets the door - the work around for it (believe it or not) is to use a plastic fish slice (a bit more leverage than a credit card) and run it along between the glass and the seal strip.
Of course my missus just loves going out at 6am in the winter to start her 12 hour nursing shift with a fish slice in her hand......
Last winter I also tried the "night before sprays" but was late in the season when I did and there really wasn't too much frost about to see if it was working
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>> Been running one of the firms fleet of Renault Zoe’s this week as transport to
>> and from our latest (and very scenic) rural bus routes, from Lanark to Wanlockhead up
>> the Lead hills.
The youth hostel at Wanlockhead was well placed for sto #1 en route the Western Isles when my kids were young. Unfortunately it was culled by SYHA some years ago.
Nowadys we have a 'one stop strategy' with a call in the Central Belt and then press on to Uig/Ullapool for an evening ferry.
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I think a Leaf would be a good starter EV, decent range and from reports very reliable.
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Friend had a Leaf, would be a 2022 one, said although it was good, the range was awful and as the sole car in the household, it was far too restrictive
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We had a Mk II Leaf. Very much liked it, but the range was pretty poor compared to the 50kwh Zoe. Plus the Renault is nicer to drive, has thermal battery management and has a better reputation for battery pack reliability. I’d take the wee Renault.
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Renault - First EV? - Dog
