The All-Electric Renault Zoe E-Tech Hatchback: The Complete Guide For The UK

The All-Electric Renault Zoe (credit: Renault)
Price: £29,995
Type of electric vehicle: Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV)
Body type: Hatchback
Battery size: 52 kWh
Electric range (WLTP): 223 - 238 miles
Tailpipe emissions: 0g (CO2/km)


Overview


Groupe Renault (Renault Group/ Renault S.A.), is a leading player in the global automotive sector. The company was established in 1899 and has over the course of its history, manufactured varied vehicles, to include: trucks, tractors, buses and even tanks! Renault has been part of the global Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance since 1999 (previously, Renault-Nissan Alliance). The partnership makes the partnership the 3rd largest automotive group in the world after Volkswagen and Toyota.

Renault is headquartered in France and the French state owns a 15% stake in the company. The company manufacturers across a number of global locations, to include: Romania, Morocco, Türkiye, Spain, South Korea, Argentina and others! Renault has also been involved with motor sport, both, Formula 1 and Formula E. Renault offers both, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) for passenger cars and commercial electric vehicles. The portfolio includes:



Electric Cars: The Basics


For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:


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The All-Electric Renault ZOE


The all-electric Renault ZOE was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012, with deliveries commencing in the French market in December 2012. Since then, the ZOE EV has been a success for the French automotive behemoth, Renault.

It has ranked as one of the best-selling top 10 electric cars globally in 2015 and 2016 and also been a top selling EV in Europe for the same years. In 2018, the ZOE won the ‘Best Green Car‘ at the inaugural FirstCar awards. In 2021, WHAT CAR? awarded the pure electric car, the prestigious accolade ‘Car of the Year 2021: small electric car best value’. According to Renault, more than 150,000 ZOE EVs have been sold across Europe over the past six years.

The Zoe electric car is available in only one EV battery size (52 kW), with a WLTP emission-free electric range up to 238 miles on a full charge. The EV is positioned primarily for urban driving, but given its range, is also useful for motorway trips.

Of course, the real-world electric range will be lower than the quoted range. For those new to electric driving, it is worth noting that the real-world EV range is influenced by a number of factors. Some include: driving profile, weather conditions, road conditions, passenger load and regenerative braking profile!

For the Zoe electric hatchback, expect a real-world e-range closer to 200 miles. Sufficient electric range for most day-to-day driving needs and also motorway trips. Do keep in mind that the average distanced travelled in a day is a mere 30 miles and the majority of our commutes are short trips. In fact, the average trip in the UK is just 12 miles.

The manufacturer also offers a 3-phase 22 kW AC onboard charger as standard. However, as most homes in the UK are limited to single-phase power supply, taking advantage of the 22 kW charging speed will only be for those with access to 3-phase EV charging at home, workplace or a public charging station.

Using a dedicated three-phase EV charger, like the 22 kW easee EV charger, the Zoe electric car can be fully charged in 3 hours. Charging at 11 kW, the EV will take up to 6 hours to fully charge. Single-phase 7.4 kW charging will take longer: 9 hours and 30 minutes. We at e-zoomed recommend charging overnight at home, when the electricity tariff rates are cheaper. We also encourage using solar energy to charge an electric car.

We discourage the use of a 3-PIN domestic plug for charging an electric car. It would take up to 32 hours to charge the EV. We also encourage charging on a regular basis. This way, there is always available ‘electric miles’ and regular charging is good for the long-term maintenance of the onboard EV battery. Renault offers a 8 years or 100,000 miles warranty.

The EV can be rapid fast charged up to 50 kW DC. Not the fastest, nor the slowest. But given the EV battery size, it is appropriate. The EV can be charged from 10%-80% state-of-charge (SOC) in 70 minutes.

In terms of performance, the front-wheel drive (FWD) ZOE R135 can deliver 0-62 mph in 9.5 seconds. The electric car delivers a maximum power up to 135 hp and 245 Nm torque. The top speed of the EV is 87 mph. Of course, the EV also benefits from instant torque.

The Zoe E-TECH electric car offers 12 advanced assistance systems, to include: regenerative braking, electronic stability control, cruise control/speed limiter, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, hill start assist, traffic signal recognition, lane keeping assist, blind spot warning, front and rear parking sensors, side parking sensors and hands-free parking. The EV also incorporates a 10″ digital cluster and a 9.3″ central screen that provides real-time updated navigation information with TomTom. The 5-door Zoe offers decent practicality for rear seat passengers and offer a 338 L boot.

Company-car drivers can take advantage of the lower Benefit-in-Kind (BiK-2%) tax charge for pure electric cars. The Renault Zoe is available to lease via e-zoomed at fantastic prices.



PROS CONS
Affordable and practical city electric car Not as compelling a proposition as some alternative compact EVs
22 kW AC onboard charger as standardReliability assessment poor in the 2020 What Car? reliability survey. Awarded Zero-Star for NCAP safety rating assessment
Decent electric range Headroom and legroom for rear seats limited

Gallery


The All-Electric Renault ZOE (credit: Renault)


At A Glance
EV Type:Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV)
Body Type:Hatchback
Plug-In Car Grant (PiCG):Not Available
Engine:Electric
Available In UK:Yes

Variants (2 Options)
Techno (from £29,995)
Iconic (from £31,995)

EV Battery & Emissions
EV Battery Type:Lithium-ion
EV Battery Capacity:Available in one battery size: 52 kWh
Charging:50 kW Rapid Charging (10%-80%: 1 hrs 10 mins). Onboard charger: 22 kW AC (0%-100%: 3 hrs)
Charge Port:Type 2
EV Cable Type: Type 2
Tailpipe Emissions:0g (CO2/km)
Battery Warranty:8 years or 100,000 miles

Average Cost Of Residential Charging
Battery net capacity : 16.7 kWh £2.40
Battery net capacity : 30.0 kWh£4.32
Battery net capacity : 39.2 kWh£5.64
Battery net capacity : 45.0 kWh£6.48
Battery net capacity : 50.0 kWh£7.20
Battery net capacity : 64.0 kWh£9.22
Battery net capacity : 71.0 kWh£10.22
Battery net capacity : 77.0 kWh£11.09
Battery net capacity : 90.0 kWh£12.96
Battery net capacity : 100.0 kWh£14.40
  • Note 1: The average cost of residential electricity in the UK varies depending on the region, supplier and type of energy used. An average for the UK is 14.40 p/kWh.
  • Note 2: Not all EV manufactures make available the data on net EV battery capacity, and in a number of instances the EV battery capacity advertised, does not state if it is gross or net capacity. In general, usable EV battery capacity is between 85% to 95% of the gross available capacity.

Charging Times (Overview)
Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW):6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC)
Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW):3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging AC (43 kW):0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging DC (50 kW+):0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Ultra rapid charging DC (150 kW+):0-80% : 20 mins to 40 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Tesla Supercharger (120 kW – 250 kW):0-80%: up to 25 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
  • Note 1: SoC: state of charge

Dimensions
Height (mm):1562
Width (mm):1730
Length (mm):4087
Wheelbase (mm):2588
Turning Circle (m):10.56
Boot Space (L):338

ZOE R135
EV Battery Capacity:52 kWh
Pure Electric Range (WLTP):223 – 238 miles
Charging: 50 kW Rapid Charging (10%-80%: 1 hrs 10 mins). Onboard charger: 22 kW AC (0%-100%: 3 hrs)
Top Speed:87 mph
0-62 mph:9.5 seconds
Drive: Front-wheel drive (FWD)
Electric Motor (kW):100
Max Power (hp):135
Torque (Nm): 245
Transmission:Automatic
Seats:5
Doors:5
Kerb Weight (kg):1,502-1,563
Colours:8
NCAP Safety Rating:Zero-Star
Note: Available in 2 Engine Options (R135, R135 Rapid Charge)

While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.


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Author

Ashvin Suri

Ashvin has been involved with the renewables, energy efficiency and infrastructure sectors since 2006. He is passionate about the transition to a low-carbon economy and electric transportation. Ashvin commenced his career in 1994, working with US investment banks in New York. Post his MBA from the London Business School (1996-1998), he continued to work in investment banking at Flemings (London) and JPMorgan (London). His roles included corporate finance advisory, M&A and capital raising. He has been involved across diverse industry sectors, to include engineering, aerospace, oil & gas, airports and automotive across Asia and Europe. In 2010, he co-founded a solar development platform, for large scale ground and roof solar projects to include, the UK, Italy, Germany and France. He has also advised on various renewable energy (wind and solar) utility scale projects working with global institutional investors and independent power producers (IPP’s) in the renewable energy sector. He has also advised in key international markets like India, to include advising large-scale industrial and automotive group in India. Ashvin has also advised Indian Energy, an IPP backed by Guggenheim (a US$ 165 billion fund). He has also advised a US$ 2 billion, Singapore based group. Ashvin has also worked in the real estate and infrastructure sector, to including working with the Matrix Group (a US$ 4 billion property group in the UK) to launch one of the first few institutional real estate funds for the Indian real estate market. The fund was successfully launched with significant institutional support from the UK/ European markets. He has also advised on water infrastructure, to include advising a Swedish clean technology company in the water sector. He has also been involved with a number of early stage ventures.

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