I have loved running my 2015 Renault Zoe Dynamique Nav since the beginning of December 2017, having covered just over 8000 miles in the 9 months of ownership. I have loved being able to say that I am doing my bit to lessen the impact of exhaust gases which are affecting human beings so much! However, there had been something niggling at the back of my mind since the purchase...the ongoing battery lease issue ( I was paying £79 per month for the privilege of leasing my car's batteries from Renault) which added £948 per annum to my running costs!
Renault Zoe's without a battery lease are beginning to come onto the second hand market at around £9000 for a 3 year old car, this compares with around £6000 for a battery lease version. I was not willing to wait for these to drop in price, and had recently started looking around for an alternative. My alternative was always going to be electric, like many other EV owners I have vowed never to return to ICE even though I still remain a petrol-head at heart!
I did not expect Zoe's replacement to be a 2011 Mitsubishi I-Miev but, one came up being sold by my friend Matt West of Go Green Autos near Oxford recently.... I bought Zoe from Matt back in December 2017.
The I-Miev is 7 years old now and has a much lower range per charge (16KWh battery pack compared to 22KWh for Zoe)... but from a buying perspective the car has undergone a full service recently and has:
* 4 new tyres
* 4 fully refurbished alloy wheels
* new 12 volt battery
* gear box oil changed
*new brake pads on front wheels
* pollen filter replaced
The MOT runs until March 2019. The car comes fitted with:
AM/FM radio
CD player
Sat Nav (Garmin)
Bluetooth hands free kit fitted as standard
Reversing camera
Retractable wing mirrors
Heated drivers seat
Automatic headlights
All electric windows and..... a cup holder
I happened to be in Oxford this week for a business meeting and had previously discussed with Matt doing a no cash swap of the I-Miev for my Zoe which we had more or less agreed. Go Green Autos was on my route home.
The I-Miev is based on a 2006 design of a japanese i-car and was the first electric car manufactured for general release worldwide in 2011. I-Miev stands for I-Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle.
While the I-Miev won't necessarily win many prizes for its looks, I don't think that it is an ugly car, especially by comparison with V1 Nissan Leaf. Also, it is not particularly swift and with a nominal top speed of 85 MPH not a 'boy racer' ... and then there is the range of......around 65 miles ( apt to give you severe range anxiety!) ... I have to say I took a liking to the car and not only because it will save me £79 per month simply by sitting on my driveway! It will also alleviate a rise in my monthly electricity fees from my current green electricity supplier. All in all I hope that we are going to enjoy our life together
Having agreed on our 'swap' on Thursday afternoon the deal was done and I began my return trip of around 90+ miles in the I-Miev... more of this journey in Part 2 ( to be continued!)
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