£15k EV Challenge - the Long Journey! Ioniq v Leaf v Zoe road trip and charging speeds. 

When I look up reviews for these cars, YT only ever brings up videos from 5 years ago when they were new! Hardly anybody, filming long range tests on older EV's!

Fantastic that, about time there was a proper comparison test on second hand electric cars, showing real everyday driving tests, and what a good job you guys did. Looking forward to seeing your £20000 comparison test.

Efficiency on the day; Hyundai 5.3 mi/kWh !!! Zoe 4.0 mi/kWh Leaf 4.1 mi/kWh (driven steady to make the distance)

I took a Hyundai Ioniq on a 460km drive from Rangiora to Pohara in Golden Bay, a 6 hour drive. There is 3 charging stations along the route, Culverden, Murchison, and Motueka with a 2 hour 20 minute leg between Culverden and Murchison that passes through the Lewis Pass at just over 900m elevation. Despite it being summer it was cold as we went over the Lewis and we needed the demister on for periods. Having used ABRP app we knew that we would need to reduce our speed to reach Murchison, which we did, and despise the cold we arrived with 16km range remaining. The return journey saw us arrive in Culverden with 32km range remaining, mostly due to it being a more pleasant temperature. These trips can be done, but planning is required.

The ioniq is by far the better car here. The assist systemsvand general feel are so much better.

Excellent series, thank you. Glad I bought my Ioniq when I did. A very capable EV. 20k just means a newer leaf/zoe/ioniq from what I can see.

By watching this video, the choice is clear: Ionic is iconic. Zoe is no bother. But Leaf, well, I won't bother.

Honestly, Richard, you and your team are to be commended for creating this 'affordable EV' series of back-to-back tests...! 👏 I, for one, found them absolutely fascinating - this long-range video in particular, as the Edinburgh trip data comparison was mind-blowing...! I (now wrongly, so it seems...! 😞) had discounted the 28kWh Ioniq way back when I eventually got my first EV - a 30kWh Leaf - as I presumed that a bigger battery equated to longer range... a fairly understandable assumption to a non-EV driver at the time, I guess...? Don't get me wrong - I love watching all your 'antics' in Teslas, Audis and Porsches but, for your average Joe (no offense, Joe... 🤣) who can't afford £50k on a car, this series has been absolutely what the UK car buying has needed to persuade them that a used EV is still a perfectly viable purchasing option, even for a single-car family. Brilliant work, chaps - I think you are trail-blazing in the EV community 😎 Oh, just had a thought re your suggestion on the next series... I've tried to research this online, but doing it in 'real-world' would no doubt be WAY more enlightening. My research was along the lines of trying to answer the question: "What usable battery capacity, combined with what charging speed makes for the 'perfect' every-day, every-use EV?" I came down to probably the 58kWh iD.3 - roughly 200 miles (3 hours' drive) any-weather, any-journey on a 75% battery capacity used, but able to then recharge to 80-85% in a 30 minute, stretch-your-legs / grab-a-coffee comfort break...? What do you reckon...? 🤔

Interestingly we did drive London to Edinburgh in our 2017 Leaf 30, 412miles in early 2020 (before COVID hit) took us 11hrs with 4 stops, we coped with it fine, though you do have to watch the battery temp. We’ve still have the car and I’d happily do it again. Surprised the one in this video got so hot after one rapid charge, in those circumstances I wouldn’t advise during it 400miles.

IMO the zoe is the best overall,depending on your needs. newest,lowest mileage,longest range its just the ac 22kw. i love mine there is only me and my partner so no kids and stuff they need. i paid £11k battery lease 10 months ago for a 68 plate ze40 with 18k on the clock.they have shot up to stupid money now .if i sold i would prbably make £3-4k but my next car would go up the smane so meh.

Back in 2016 I took a 24kWh Nissan LEAF from Sussex to Edinburgh, which was 461 miles. Nine recharge stops! They were only about 20 minutes each as I stopped at 80% to help prevent the battery heat getting into the red and didn't go below 20%. There was a lot of drafting behind lorries, too! Left home at 05:30 and arrived in Edinburgh at 18:40. So just over 13 hours. Much the same on the way back a few days later. My current car could probably do it with a single midway charge, on a good day. More realistically it would be a couple of stops, which is at least as many as I'd need as a human being!

Great video. Does show that people need to know how their own car charges, even newer cars all have different characteristics! The Zoe40, was a great car to own until needing to charge on a long trip, due to its AC only charging. Again, the leaf at a disadvantage due to its smaller battery. The extra charging time, over ICE isn't actually that much TBF. To the ICE drivers, see how long you spend in the services, from parking to leaving, if using the loo, having a snack & coffee (of course not driving while eating/drinking). #HyundaiForTheWin Nice to see the Taycan back!

Enjoyed this series. Its confirmed that the Ioniq 28 is the best car for me in my price range. Cheers chaps. 👍

Another really good video, Rich. Good to see a channel demonstrating real everyday use cases rather than just a 70mph test and a walk around. For a lot of people getting into EVs on a budget, these are the kind of cars they’ll be looking for and not necessarily EV6s or a Tesla. I think you’ve done well considering I know how time consuming the testing is. Keep up the great work! P.S. would love to see a video on the maintenance of used EVs. Ie costs, anything to look out for?

Mr. RSymons you are the best of the EVs Congrats

A great series on used EVs. I hope your getting enough interest in these videos to justify a 20K series. Lots of interest in EVs now but many will be looking at used and need help.

great video yet again guys!! keep it up!!!!

Subscribing because of this series. Everyone tests the new ones and forgets these. And most people who would like to get an EV can't afford a 40000€ car.

A point not always mentioned about the Zoe is that the charge rate above 80% doesn't drop until you get much closer to 100% as opposed to many cars that really slow down past 80%. Also quite a lot of ZE50 Zoe I have seen for sale have dc charging - most of them ?.

I brought my LEAF 2017 6 months ago while I waited for the Y, now I am keeping it. Its great for london use.

Love this format, you can really see what would be the real life experience for a future EV driver, picking one of these models! Thank you for sharing! 🔌⚡🚘

Absolutely brilliant. Yes the 28 ioniq actually charged faster than my Tesla ever did. The magic speed on the motorway for the leaf is 58/59 mph. Go over that and range just drops. Add wind n rain and it’s almost like a countdown timer lol. But I do love my leaf. Appx 130 miles range being careful. As mentioned before if you’re selling the ioniq I could well be very interested. Great vlogs. Loved this side by side comparison. Brilliant.

I’ve done 2 trips down to the Alps using Channel Tunnel & Ouistreham ferry to Portsmouth. 550 miles with 3-4 charges, about 1h30 total charging time. That’s in an etron which doesn’t have massive range but does charge fast. It’s amazing how quick the Hyundai is over a long trip with multiple charging stops. It’s so efficient that the decent charging rate adds a lot of miles in a few minutes. Not far off my etron that costs 4 times as much!

Great video! Audi E-tron and old Mercedes B-Class electric can also be ordered with dual AC chargers - 22 kW

Great series of videos on all these cars. So impressed with the efficiency of the Hyundai.

One clear winner . Did you see the temperature of the leaf battery. Thanks for doing these videos and the grath at the end was great visual representation of how long the journey takes

I have the Nissan Leaf 30kw/hr. It's a brilliant daily runabout if you charge at home. A solid hundred miles but it's really not a long-distance vehicle. It works for us because we knew its pros & cons.

I've owned an Ioniq for three years and it's been a great car, the fast charging speed (for the time) and efficiency really make the most of the small battery. It's also been a practical family car although the boot is a little small.

Very good series. Three good options for city driving and occasional mid range trip. The options narrow down quickly for us in state side. Since we purchased a Model X, we are hyper aware of the usage. Mostly because of the brilliant app giving us all the data at our fingertips. Just doing school runs and sports, we average 1,200 miles per month. As soon as occasional unplanned longer trip we have to make, it will definitely bring range anxiety with these options. That’s why I believe Tesla has a such a big lead in US market where distances are generally further.

Kudos for the hard work and series! Thank you.

Yes. The one we were waiting for! Oh yes........... 1st!

I’ve been looking forward to this one……….curious to how it worked out. Here goes!

I have the Kona EV 64kWh and the efficiency is great, these are a few years old now and should start to hit the second hand market (from company car users) very soon. Pretty much the same bits and bobs from the Ioniq in a different styled package. Definitely worth a look if the 3 in the test don't flip your switch - I would love to see the same tests with the Ioniq 5, Audio Q4 E-Tron and VW ID-4.

we get about 80-90 miles from our 22kwh ZOE which will charge at 43kw. Bought the car with the battery for 9.5k, costs £1 to fill it at home

Ioniq very impressive and appeared to be ahead of its time, how will the Ioniq 5 fare in 5 years time vs. the new competition? Will the new cars be 500 miles plus range and we’ll all be wondering how we coped with a 250 miles range; stick a reminder in the diary for another test 5 years time.

Really enjoyed this real world series and would love another. I have a Corsa e on order and I'm very excited to be going EV but it wouldn't feel so impressive if I just saw your Tesla/Taycan vids so these will make it feel even better haha

Great to see those cars can still do a job

Well I’ve never been sure about the usefulness of the earlier style Leafs due to claimed range and this proves it. I like the Hyundai but wasn’t sure about its millage but it seems better than I expected plus, like you say, decent charge speed. I’m quite impressed. As for the zoe, I’ve just never been a fan as I’ve never been a fan of French cars to be honest……(after years of doing my own and friends mechanics on ICE cars)

Under certain conditions, the Renault works really well. The Leaf is what it is - a local environs traveller. Did you mention you were impressed by the Hyundai Ioniq? I was. Best all-rounder.

Really enjoyed this series. I have a 4 year old 28kWh Ioniq and love it. A note on Lane Keep Assist - it disengages with no audible warning (icon changes colour) which, considering all the other bongs and beeps, is annoying. The adaptive cruise control is very good. I have the SE which also has: Blind spot assist 2 Memory driver's seat. Ventilated front seats Rear cross traffic alert Front parking sensors. I paid about £17000 a year ago. The efficiency is astonishing.

We use the co-cars service in Exeter, they have the CCS version of the Zoe and have happily done 350 mile round trips in that with a single rapid charging stop of about 30 mins. Used their ID3 most recently for a 600 mile round trip with 3 rapid charges (hotel charger wasn’t working). All for about £45 a day. We use it instead of having a second car, saving us about £4k per year

A fascinating comparison. I still have a sneaking admiration for the small battery Hyundai Ioniq. Genuinely does what it says on the the tin. I mean battery. I keep telling my wife that driving slower on the motorway but then avoiding an extra stop can still work out to be quicker. If you intend to stop anyway then fill yer boots. My father-in-law blasts along at a steady 73 just so we get to where we are going so fast we end up having to hang around for the place to open.

09:45 - Main benefit for faster car charging is to avoid Car Park time penalty Fines, and Home Charging time sensitive off-peak rates. I had 3 Phase Charging at home installed for fast charging within 4 hours at 5p rate

420 miles - a couple of months ago I did 430 mile round trip on a cold, windy and a bit wet February day in my Ioniq - I stopped more often but for less time each stop. My total charging time was under 90 minutes so I think your calculation of 2 stops of 30 minutes might just be possible in better weather - but you probably won't charge to 100% after the first stop - so you will only have 80% or so and might need a short plug and dash before the end.

Thanks for another great video. You can get a rapid charging Zoe ze40 with 43 kW charging think it was a q90 I remember we nearly got one but the order was messed up and they ordered the slow version so we rejected it , it was a pitty the 38 kWh Ioniq was slow charging compared with the 28 as the extra 10 kWh battery would be quite useful looked at a 38 kWh but didn’t like the local dealership so Then got the ze50 2 years later was great car for the money but only problem was 50 kW charging limit would have been nice to have say 100 kW max but was nice flat charging curve so was good upto quite high Soc , don’t forget the leaf rapidgates so might be longer than u guessed as it looks like it was cooking after than one charging session! But this rapid charging would cut the Zoe’s charging time down .

My Leaf 2014 is always going exactly 10% slower than indicated.

*WIND RESISTANCE:* It's important to note that road speed and drag (so called wind resistance) doesn't scale proportionately - its exponential. So the difference in energy consumption driving at 80mph is significantly greater than driving at 60mph. A good example is the fact that the Bugatti Veyron needed double the McLaren F1's power just to go that 30mph faster. Drag starts to have a noticeable affect around 50-60mph in still air. Obviously any reference to drag here makes no reference to wind speed and direction and would also need to be taken into account on top of this.

hope to see more of this like you mentioned

Always informative and entertaining, many thanks to you and your team…. I’m going through the process of learning about the charging and so this has been useful, Australia seems to have less infastructure

Really interesting comparison and as always find the data informative, it would be great to have seen what the effect of a car full of people in their efficiency!

I have leaf 30 with 111,000 miles on it , battery does about 70 miles on fast roads between charges. I mostly charge on 7kw as tend to be doing other things . Interesting to see how much more usable the ionic and Zoe are. Thanks for posting

Bought the IONIQ in 2017 glad I did. Still going strong. With a $14,000.00 incentive I did well.

Zoe has the 50kw DC as an option. With the 22kw AC I think it's a very versatile car.

7:35 For comparison, a small town in Qld Australia (Eromanga) is 861km (537 mi) from the nearest ocean (in a direct line or "as the crow flies").

The new Nissan Ariya will also do 22kW Level 2 charging. It's an option for the entry level trim but standard on all others. It's one of the best features I think, since it will give you a full battery within 4 hours even with a 87kWh pack, so perfect for city trips, visits, business trips etc.. Arrive, plug it in, do your thing and leave with 90-100%. Less rapid charging can only be a good thing for all parties and components invovled.

The reason I never bought the 2nd generation Zoe , 3rd gen with ccs and larger battery is a game changer

Great content like it how using the electric cars in different ways

Thanks to you and The Team another useful test/review. Joe im not sure Rock Stars wear nice comfy warm cardies like the one your sporting. 😄

Leaf (up to 2016) is a definite "no" for long journeys. Anything above 50mph will see the range shortened. I bought a Leaf 120miles away from home and it was a nightmare to drive back. Was driving 50mph but still had to charge twice, the first time had to do it for 40mins and then 15 mins. I have encountered a problem with a fast charging station which decided to throw errors rather than charging, this nearly got me stranded if it wasn't for luck to find another fast charger hidden on a hotel car park, this was the day I experienced first hand what range anxiety feels like. Until EV charging infrastructure gets better I'm not going to get an EV as my main vehicle.

Liking the top gear challenges!

Great series of films. Good work.👍🏻

That Dude abides! Far out!

Leaf: town car; Zoe - medium trips fine with the longer range but don’t buy if you do regular long trips due to the AC charge speed limiting you; Ioniq - jack of all trades really flexible

The price of rapid charges still shocks me compared to charging over night at home (forgot the high rate, but think it was still under 20p). 7.5p per KWH vs 65p to 79p per kWh. When I get my electric car on friday, definety sticking to home unless I have to.

That time chart is great!

A fascinating series of videos. Especially the real-world timing analysis for long distances. But when do you guys find time to do any real work...?

4:58 that's only half accurate. The Zoe does have a low regen power when you lift off the accelerator. However, the brake pedal is not (always) coupled with the brakes, and at the beginning of its course, that actually increases the regen which can then go up to 43 kW. And the classic brakes are only applied if you go further. I think this is very user friendly for people which are new to EVs

Just spotted one of your Teslas in Newquay! About 100 yards from where I live...(all black)

To increase the regen on the Zoé, you have to press the brake pedal. The beginning of the course is regen, then friction brakes.

Love the mini series! Please let us know how much you sold each car for?

Great review. I feel a more fair review would be to do a comparison with the base m3 as they are closer in msrp. And maybe wait till the full fat i4m drops to compare with the full fat m3 comp X ? 70k v 100k … they def aren’t in the same category. This review was Like comparing a Porsche 911 turbo s with a base Taycan. The EV’s are at a disadvantage from the off!!

Turning the heater off makes the biggest impact on range in my experience.

+ for an idea that cars should be tested and compared at one day, so the weather and traffic do not affect the range cars can show. Came to the same conclusion. Later, when You test other cars - you can add one of those which tested before - so there is an "Zero point" in comparison.

The speed convoy comparison is really interesting. The Ioniq is efficient, no doubt, but if it’s doing 65 at indicated 70, it will appear more efficient than it actually is. My experience with Zoe is it’s really inefficient at 70, found 63 indicated to be the sweet-spot of distance vs charging need, but at least Zoe is doing nearly 70 when it says it is!

Would be an interesting comparison is between the 28kWh and 38kWh Ioniq as to which is faster on a long run as to at what point the longer range gets negated by time lost at a longer charge stop.

I think car speed is calculated on wheel travel distance - so one you will get bigger or smaller wheels your speed be different, but still calculated on the default wheel size. I'm still surprised this isn't somehow calculated based on GPS, if possible and if not then go with the good old wheel size.

I would really love to see how the facelift Ioniq compares to the old one in real life conditions. I’ve holding out for the new Megane to come out but if it takes too long I’ll have to buy something used and I’ve been struggling to decide between the original Ioniq or the facelift.

If you drive around at 80, your range will drop to 0 when you get pulled over for speeding

Thanks for this series. Have really enjoyed it. Interested in that Ionic. How do you know if you're getting the early or late model? What do I look out for in listings?

Great video as always… I was going to ask if that was the old Ioniq, but you answered my question at the end of the video. Agree that despite smaller battery, better than newer one. Great car despite its age. Good equipment! What was the efficiency/consumption? I can’t remember you saying it for the Ioniq.., surely better than the others.., 4.5mi/kWh maybe? Do all “old” 28kwh Ioniqs come with CCS or is that an option? And how many miles had it done? Wondering about degradation… Also, where do you find Ioniqs for £15k? All in Autotrader at £19k+….

Etron can do 22kwac but think it’s just an option, but not sure if ipace also can do it

Wow those chargers in the services are very expensive.

Great mini series, having just bought a 28kw Ioniq coming from a Leaf 40kwh the Ioniq is very impressive. Same range Has another legacy auto maker made a car as efficient or with as flat a rapid charging curve? I couldn't find one and I didn't have enough pennies for a Tesla model 3. I'd like to put out there that the Ioniq 28 is the Benchmark for Legacy auto and everything produced by them should be judged against it, Tesla are way too far ahead. Incidentally what was the Ioniq efficiency over the trip back?

The Ioniq is a impressive package for the buck..

At times left me feeling confused . And Richard maybe speak bit slower/ clearly.. but generally good 👍🏽 content

These will probably be £20k cars soon the ways things are going

As new Gridserve chargers have 100kw Chademo would that help the Leaf?! Also did you just happen to have a CCS car against Chademo against Type 2. Up to date Zoe has CCS now?!

I love the LEAF but it will never achieve 109 miles on a motorway.

Unreal is that a vw eup on a 22 charger?

09:33 - Cable over BMW bonnet... was that a protest by an Ev owner?

2 shorter charges with the leaf would have saved him time

Enjoy the real world videos.

Electric ioniq for 15k! Can you hook me up 😀

If you drive down the motorway at 80mph you will (eventually) get nicked!

Shame to see resorting to and old tired “top gear format” envelope and all…

Sorry - totally unimpressed as I don't spend my time doing nothing waiting for a car to fill. Did 870 miles in my BMW 5 series before a fill. But - and this is the kicker - more and more evidence that EV's are worse - yes worse for CO2 than an ICE and the car industry knows this as not telling the true cost to the planet. Please only buy one of these if 1) you get a load off your tax which you can spend on your jet holidays - but don't drive past the food banks - it must hurt you. 2) you have a weak bladder 3) you need the munchies and coffee on a regular basis.

Apreciando a una mujer tan hermosa. 2:3 sentadillas son unos Kimmy-jka.Monster muchas y un buen ejercicio. 5:25 Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😍👍 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world loss mortales abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer

stop this nonsense

Love this! Perfect for people who is thinking of buying a cheaper EV!