When It Comes To Pioneering Electric Cars In Britain The Renault Zoe Often Doesn t Get The Kudos It Deserves

When it comes to pioneering electric cars in Britain, the Renault Zoe often doesn't get the kudos it deserves.
The Tesla Model S, at one end of the scale, and Nissan Leaf at the other, are often held up as leading the charge for early-adopters, but the Zoe is something of an unsung hero that deserves plaudits for bringing pure electric cars to the UK mass market too.
As an affordable (by electric car standards) and practical family hatchback, the Renault Zoe did as much to promote electric vehicle ownership in Britain as the luxury Tesla and Nissan's heralded Leaf, which won European Car of the Year back in 2011.
Choice in the small electric car market has stepped up a gear recently, with Peugeot, Mini, Fiat, VW, Vauxhall and Honda all joining the party, but Renault has also been busy refining and improving the Zoe - and extending its range to 238 miles.

So, what is it like to drive and live with? Simon Lambert spent a fortnight with a Zoe to find out.
The Renault Zoe is playing against a bigger field of small electric cars nowadays, so how does the pioneering hatchback stack up?
The Renault ZoeThe Renault Zoe was launched in 2013 and swiftly became a hit with electric car early adopters, thanks to its competitive price and familiar small car feel.
A roomy five-door, five-seater hatchback with a well laid out interior, the Zoe is comfortable and practical.  Beyond being battery-propelled it's in no real way out of the ordinary; unlike the futuristic stripped-back, big-screen dominated interior of a Tesla, for example.
Early versions of the Zoe were powered by a 22kWh battery that was good for a real world range of about 93 miles.
Over the years, Renault has updated the Zoe and in 2016 introduced a 41KWh battery, before upgrading that to the current 52kWh battery in 2019, which has a quoted range of 238 miles under the WLTP test (the latest standard to measure the emissions and fuel efficiency of new cars in).
That should be more than enough to keep all but the most range-hungry happy - and the Zoe now comes with a 50 kW rapid charging option too, which means it can go from 15 to 80 per cent of battery in 54 minutes.
An updated Zoe last year saw a sharpening up of the exterior, a new interior and the addition of a 135 hp, R135 motor with 52 KWh battery and 50 KW fast charging capability
The Zoe comes in three specifications, starting at £26,995 after the £3,000 government plug-in car grant: Play, Iconic and GT Line.
Both Play and Iconic get you the R110 version of its battery-powered motor, Tour du thuyền Hạ Long giá rẻ with 110bhp, as standard.

GT Line starts at £30,495, including the grant, and gets the R135 motor with 134bhp and an improved interior with a higher spec.
Working out what a Zoe would cost you to own used to be a trickier prospect, as previously there was the choice to pay a monthly fee to lease the battery or kynghidongduong.vn pay more for the car and the battery outright.
That is no longer the case, battery leasing has been axed and a Zoe comes with just one simple price.
Renault does now chuck in a 7kW home charger wall box though with the car, which is a handy perk.
First impressionsThe Renault Zoe that I tested was in top-of-the-range GT Line R135 Z.E.

50 specification, with the £1,000 50kW rapid charge option and a £500 Winter Pack, which added heated seats and steering wheel, to deliver an on the road price of £30,120 after the £3,000 grant.
Simon Lambert with the Renault Zoe that he spent a fortnight testing
It was decked out in metallic Celadon Blue paint, a colour that suits the Zoe. 
The subtle revisions to the Zoe's exterior styling that Renault made last year included a new front bumper, refreshed LED lights and some chrome-style detailing.
This was very much a case of gentle evolution rather than revolution but they brought the Zoe's look up-to-date and it is a handsome small car.
It's not as small as you think, however, was one of my first impressions.

The Zoe isn't just an electric clone of a Clio: it is higher riding, 12 centimetres taller and slightly longer but a little bit narrower than its petrol-powered cousin.
Inside, the Zoe is roomy and while last year's refresh also brought a totally new interior, there's still a fair amount of black and grey plastic and half synthetic leather and half fabric seats in GT Line specification that look reasonable but don't add much of an air of luxury.
Nonetheless, the interior is well laid out and doesn't look cheap.
It doesn't set the world on fire but the Zoe has a certain charm - something that's Tour du thuyền Hạ Long giá rẻ been the hallmark of all decent small French cars.
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox money floatRHS" data-version="2" id="mol-67fa1de0-332a-11eb-8b0f-5bd74d999b42" website Zoe 1 - Range Anxiety 0: A fortnight with the electric hatch