Best used EV? Zoe, Leaf, something else?
Discussion
That's a bit like asking what's the best used car for under £10k; it rather depends what you want to use it for. 
Neither car has a liquid cooled/heated battery pack so you need to be pretty wary of battery condition. Personally I'm waiting for something with proper battery temperature management to become affordable before I switch to an EV. Of course the other option is a leased battery but that works out fairly expensive in the long run too.
Neither car has a liquid cooled/heated battery pack so you need to be pretty wary of battery condition. Personally I'm waiting for something with proper battery temperature management to become affordable before I switch to an EV. Of course the other option is a leased battery but that works out fairly expensive in the long run too.
Edited by kambites on Friday 1st February 15:37
kambites said:
That's a bit like asking what's the best used car for under £10k; it rather depends what you want to use it for.
I guess. But the choice of EV's under £10k are far fewer. In fact, is there more than just the zoe/leaf?The Zoe looks to be quite a bit cheaper. I suspect lower range and maybe less speedy, but I don't know.
I was just hypothesizing if it was possible to trade a monthly fuel budget for an EV on lease/PCP type arrangement. New they are to pricey and include battery 'hire'.
But seeing as electricity is fairly cheap or sometimes free when charging an EV, I just wondered.
A used Zoe is likely a leased battery you'll need to pay for.
I'd say your only choice is an early leaf, a 24kw one. We had one. Well built, but lost a couple of bars in our ownership and would realistically only do 50 miles on a charge when it's cold and you use a motorway.
I believe there is some horror stories about handbrake on those, but the only issue we had was the 12v battery dieing and it refusing to start (really!).
What's the draw of an EV for you?
I'd say your only choice is an early leaf, a 24kw one. We had one. Well built, but lost a couple of bars in our ownership and would realistically only do 50 miles on a charge when it's cold and you use a motorway.
I believe there is some horror stories about handbrake on those, but the only issue we had was the 12v battery dieing and it refusing to start (really!).
What's the draw of an EV for you?
The <£6k ZOEs will all be battery rental, £45/month up. There are a few owned battery ones around but these will probably be closer to £10k.
TBH they're still pretty reasonable even with the rental - it does include full breakdown recovery and a good guarantee on the battery.
I haven't heard of any ZOEs losing significant capacity yet, so 60 miles winter / 80+ summer is pretty reliable rule of thumb
TBH they're still pretty reasonable even with the rental - it does include full breakdown recovery and a good guarantee on the battery.
I haven't heard of any ZOEs losing significant capacity yet, so 60 miles winter / 80+ summer is pretty reliable rule of thumb
I can only speak for Leafs.
Second hand ex Japanese cars are flooding into New Zealand, there are literally hundreds available here.
The only thing to bother about with a Leaf is the number of bars left on the battery.
Less bars means less range (which isn't large even when new), which should mean less cost.
Starting price in NZ? about £6000.
Second hand ex Japanese cars are flooding into New Zealand, there are literally hundreds available here.
The only thing to bother about with a Leaf is the number of bars left on the battery.
Less bars means less range (which isn't large even when new), which should mean less cost.
Starting price in NZ? about £6000.
As the others have said, Leaf or Zoe with monthly battery rental. What do you want it for? Slightly leftfield, If you wanted just 2 seats and loads of cargo space look at a Nissan e-nv200. 4 seats for short journeys with no frills but low outlay: Mitsubishi i-Miev/Citroen C-Zero/Peugeot Ion. Other vans: Peugeot, Citroen and Renault are all turds by comparison to the aforementioned Nissan.
I bought a 24kwn leaf just as they launched the 30kwh version. - i came out of an RS4 and don't regret it !
I would say it all depends upon whether you are ging to have to stop to charge on the way to work on a daily basis for example or if you can get there on a charge and charge at work, or can get there and back on a charge.
When it's pouring with rain at below 0 degrees is when you will wish you thought about these things.
Mine is 4 years old now and has done about 36k miles (first year it was owned by the nissan sunderland factory so was presumably a factory car but only had 300 odd miles on it).
The tekna is well specced imho with heated seats front and back, heated steering wheel and a more efficient air source heat pump heating system compared to lower spec versions which is supposed to help with battery charge preservation.
I would say it all depends upon whether you are ging to have to stop to charge on the way to work on a daily basis for example or if you can get there on a charge and charge at work, or can get there and back on a charge.
When it's pouring with rain at below 0 degrees is when you will wish you thought about these things.
Mine is 4 years old now and has done about 36k miles (first year it was owned by the nissan sunderland factory so was presumably a factory car but only had 300 odd miles on it).
The tekna is well specced imho with heated seats front and back, heated steering wheel and a more efficient air source heat pump heating system compared to lower spec versions which is supposed to help with battery charge preservation.
Merry said:
What's the draw of an EV for you?
Thanks for all the replies. The draw is partly the technology. But also overall running costs. I currently run a Smart ForTwo on a PCP deal. The Smart is great but only gets 44mpg overall average.
I do approx 33 miles to work (66-70 round trip depending on route).
I used to run bangers but got fed up of the money and effort/time keeping them running. So went with the Smart as a brand new purchase. Including fuel and the PCP repayment it costs about £415/month.
People keep saying how cheap EV’s are to fuel and run. So I wondered if I could look at an approved used one with 12 months warranty and maybe pay something like £200-215/month for the lease/PCP including the electricity to run it. Or at least something to give me a saving on what I’m paying out at the moment.
As someone relatively new to commuting (worked on oil rigs for years) I’ve been quietly looking at EVs for my 16 mile daily return trip.
I don’t really need to change from the current pickup/v8 BMW/motorbike setup, I’m just intrigued.
Do the early leafs have the ability to preheat while still plugged in? I stay near Aberdeen and I’m now bored of defrosting cars, the Navara takes about half the trip to work to warm up.
Reading the above, is worst case range in winter about 50 miles once they get a bit older?
I don’t really need to change from the current pickup/v8 BMW/motorbike setup, I’m just intrigued.
Do the early leafs have the ability to preheat while still plugged in? I stay near Aberdeen and I’m now bored of defrosting cars, the Navara takes about half the trip to work to warm up.
Reading the above, is worst case range in winter about 50 miles once they get a bit older?
300bhp/ton said:
I do approx 33 miles to work (66-70 round trip depending on route).
A 24kWh Leaf will NOT do 66 miles in current weather on a charge unless you drive at 50mph and turn off all heating. Your get a bit more range from a Zoe but the one my inlaws needed multiple trips to the dealers and the heating was never very good.
For a decent winter range of 70 miles you need to look for a 30kWh Leaf or even better an Ioniqi.
i pre heat mine via the app (you can use a pre-timer on the dash if you prefer) before i get in, and can drive with the heated seats and heated steering on and the occasional top up of heat in this weather ie circa -2 - zero and can travel 54 miles at a constant 62mph with about 15% left for me to top up at the fast charger.
Edited by oilit on Saturday 2nd February 07:39
Speed addicted said:
As someone relatively new to commuting (worked on oil rigs for years) I’ve been quietly looking at EVs for my 16 mile daily return trip.
I don’t really need to change from the current pickup/v8 BMW/motorbike setup, I’m just intrigued.
Do the early leafs have the ability to preheat while still plugged in? I stay near Aberdeen and I’m now bored of defrosting cars, the Navara takes about half the trip to work to warm up.
Reading the above, is worst case range in winter about 50 miles once they get a bit older?
I think pretty much all EVs can preheat. On small battery EVs like the Leaf you need to keep it plugged in or your kill the range even before you start driving.I don’t really need to change from the current pickup/v8 BMW/motorbike setup, I’m just intrigued.
Do the early leafs have the ability to preheat while still plugged in? I stay near Aberdeen and I’m now bored of defrosting cars, the Navara takes about half the trip to work to warm up.
Reading the above, is worst case range in winter about 50 miles once they get a bit older?
Winter range is really awful in all EVs with no thermal battery management. In cold weather Lithium ion cells don't discharge as efficiently, expect a drop in range of nearly 50%.
This discussion is making me wonder, I normally just plug mine in at the end of the day and it charges and i use it the next time - so invariably the cells are at atmospheric temperature when I set off.
What if I used the charging timer so that the charging ended just before i set off - the cells would be warmer due to the charging process - would this help extend the range in the cold? Has anyone tried it ?
What if I used the charging timer so that the charging ended just before i set off - the cells would be warmer due to the charging process - would this help extend the range in the cold? Has anyone tried it ?
oilit said:
i pre heat mine via the app (you can use a pre-timer on the dash if you prefer) before i get in, and can drive with the heated seats and heated steering on and the occasional top up of heat in this weather ie circa -2 - zero and can travel 60 miles at a constant 62mph with about 15% left for me to top up at the fast charger.
Just bare in mind 62mph indicated on a Leaf is more like 55mph in real life. I really wouldn't advise letting range drop to 15% on a 24kWh regularly. All it takes is some rain, a head wind, a diversion and your stuffed. Trust me I've there and done it, driving at 50 mph on a cold wet A14 been over taken by HGVs is not a pleasant experience, however the alternative was been stranded at the side of a wet/cold A14
.oilit said:
What if I used the charging timer so that the charging ended just before i set off - the cells would be warmer due to the charging process - would this help extend the range in the cold? Has anyone tried it ?
Thats what I use to try to do, but only had 3.3KW charger on the car so not sure if that actually provided enough heat during charging to do anything. The 24kWh Leaf is a fine commuter car, but you need to be aware of the limited range in winter. If you want a Leaf, buy sooner rather than later. Prices are creeping up.
In September 2018 when I paid for mine at the end of the PCP deal it cost me just £4k for the car and £3k for the battery. Even now, on WBAC, they're offering £7,500.
My local dealer reckons £9k trade-in against most things on his forecourt.
Hop over to AT and you'll be lucky to find any of the second generation 24Kw/h battery owner Leafs with sensible miles and full main dealer history for under £10k.
In September 2018 when I paid for mine at the end of the PCP deal it cost me just £4k for the car and £3k for the battery. Even now, on WBAC, they're offering £7,500.
My local dealer reckons £9k trade-in against most things on his forecourt.
Hop over to AT and you'll be lucky to find any of the second generation 24Kw/h battery owner Leafs with sensible miles and full main dealer history for under £10k.
SCEtoAUX said:
If you want a Leaf, buy sooner rather than later. Prices are creeping up.
In September 2018 when I paid for mine at the end of the PCP deal it cost me just £4k for the car and £3k for the battery. Even now, on WBAC, they're offering £7,500.
My local dealer reckons £9k trade-in against most things on his forecourt.
Hop over to AT and you'll be lucky to find any of the second generation 24Kw/h battery owner Leafs with sensible miles and full main dealer history for under £10k.
Yeah agree there WBAC are offering £8.7k for my 2015 leaf. I paid £8200 with 2 free services and 2 free MOT”s worth £400 back in 2017.In September 2018 when I paid for mine at the end of the PCP deal it cost me just £4k for the car and £3k for the battery. Even now, on WBAC, they're offering £7,500.
My local dealer reckons £9k trade-in against most things on his forecourt.
Hop over to AT and you'll be lucky to find any of the second generation 24Kw/h battery owner Leafs with sensible miles and full main dealer history for under £10k.
I have a 41kwh Zoe, I have done 185 miles on a single charge in the summer and I am still getting around 120 miles range even in sub zero temperatures. I have done just over 30k miles in a year and it has been faultless other than a rattle from the rear hatch. I only paid £11500 plus battery rental new so I it should be possible to get one for less than £10000 second hand.
I had a Leaf for a week before I bought the Zoe and hated it so I would definitely recommend a decent test drive before you buy.
Running costs are extremely low, my 18k mile service cost £63.00 and my electricity costs are minimal partly because I live in Scotland and most public chargers are free.
The Zoe has liquid cooling of the batteries but not heating.
My Zoe has air source heat pump heating and it works fine.
I had a Leaf for a week before I bought the Zoe and hated it so I would definitely recommend a decent test drive before you buy.
Running costs are extremely low, my 18k mile service cost £63.00 and my electricity costs are minimal partly because I live in Scotland and most public chargers are free.
The Zoe has liquid cooling of the batteries but not heating.
My Zoe has air source heat pump heating and it works fine.
Edited by Pooh on Saturday 2nd February 20:05
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