2020 Renault Zoe ZE50 Review 

Everywhere I look, reveiwers love the new ZOE. Had a go in it last autumn and loved it too - definitely my gonna be my future car.

Currently have a 2015 Zoe, cannot wait til I can upgrade to the new one! Fantastic little car

Really great car and brilliant review....Glad you had lots of sunshine for the video too as really shows off the looks of the car.

Great review guys, thanks. Agree on all counts I think. We got our ZE50 at the end of May, our third Zoe having had an R240 and then R90 before. This is so much better in so many ways, it’s not just the range, but it feels so much more refined. We also think it is quieter than the ZE40 and seems more efficient. Not sure how, but we’re consistently seeing near to 5mpkWh over the past 500 miles and the weather has been very mixed over that period. Having CCS just makes it so much more useable, I think 160 miles before needing to look for a charge on the motorway would be comfortable, but it’ll take on a decent range in 40-50 minutes now.

I’m loving my ZE50, massive step up from the ZE40. I added the optional accessory armrest in mine; well worth it!

Great review! I've bought my ZE50 and love it. Couldn't afford a GT Line, but ended up with the R135 motor on my Iconic with Tech Pack.

If we decide to go from hybrid to EV the Zoe ZE50 would be our choice. It is an almost identical in size to our present car so would still fit our drive way and accommodate our range requirements. Would need a good deal on price though. Your reviews are always very informative and a pleasure to watch.

Nice review lots of information well explained, enjoyed the journey with you!

Will Adams will spec you an armrest. Great video guys as always! I am yet to drive this new model but I did have the original 22 kWh Zoe for a few days and found the backend quite twitchy on uneven surfaces. Glad to hear the suspension setup has improved on this latest model. 👍

What a great camera guys 👍 great video too as always

Should be taking delivery of mine next week, same colour as your model. Thanks for the video - I'm really looking forward to getting mine now! Managed to negotiate £28,500 for the GT Line (without Bose) - I used Carwow and the dealers do want to compete as you said on your video. I went to my local dealer for a test drive and they matched the best carwow offer.

Excellent as always guys! 😎

Great review guys. Pity we won't see the top spec in Australia any time soon, although with no govt grants and limited BEV's available for competition prices are much closer to RRP. This model really sounds like a step change from previous though which is good.

Delighted to say that my ZE50 GT Line has arrived at DSG in Morecambe. Will be picking it up next Monday! Can't wait.

Got mine (GT-Line with CCS & self-parking, no Bose or heated seats) a couple of weeks ago, and love it. The insurance hike from a VW Up (group 2) to the Zoe (group 22) was only £50 for the year.

I just went from a Zoe 40 kwh to a MG ZS EV last week, but the newest Zoe does look very good. It's just a bit too cramped for carrying four adults, and I've come to realize that I do that quite a lot. I love your channel, keep up the great work!

I've missed you guys!

Another good review J&K - looks like big improvement over original. Thanks..

Another brilliant review. I saw this car in Paris last year October and I instantly loved the update. However... I am now driving a 2019 BMW I3. And I LOVE IT. For me, part of the appeal with EVs has to be the aesthetic STYLING with functional purpose. As you know I had a mark 1 Nissan LEAF which I thoroughly enjoyed driving. Unfortunately, the PCP deal was horrendous for the 4 years including the 1 year waiting time they promised I would not have while they were tactically releasing the mark 2 to the market. By the time it came round I refused to pay £5k deposit for a new LEAF (Which on the level something or someone has to talk to the car manufacturers about their outdated financial system that ensures they are getting paid without sharing the risk with careful drivers) . Especially as nothing was changed on the inside of the LEAF. I was not going to endure another 4 years of the same boring interface. Fast forward two years later to 2020, I waited and waited, tested the Hyundai, Kia etc while stubbornly using public transport. In the end because of COVID19, BMW won me over. It has the screens and regular buttons and 1 pedal driving. Because of the RD, EVs are expensive. However, with increased range, WHAT A DIFFERENCE 🤭 gopro.com/v/qzDB5lL5p220b

Glad you mention the 2nd stage of pull on the e208 as I’ve noticed that but not many agree.

Thomas and Gunilla from Tjoern, swedish westcoast, just fell in love with your car!

Great review, we get our GT line rapid charge with winter pack in metallic black next week. High list price but with discounts and offers came in around 26k. (Ordered feb) will be our second car with a model 3 as our main car. With the 45p a mile the wife gets for her work miles the Zoe is cost neutral for PCP payments, a no brainer

Just bought a Zoe, GT Line, so far very pleased. Got mine on the road for under £28k new. Still too pricey really but in EV terms no other small car offers the range, and big discounts are available, so haggle. I have ordered the armrest and will fit myself, £111. I think that ought to be fitted on the GT Line. Always thought the Zoe was cute looking, the new version looks a bit sharper but has not lost its personality. Looks great in Flame Red. Equipment is very good and the boot is large

Great review! Thanks!

Great video guys

Thanks for this honest review, very helpful. Debating between this and Kia e soul, I live in France.

As usual good reviews

James , fancy getting your kWh and kW mixed up ! 🙄🤣🤣👍👍 great review pal 👏👏

Love the Zoe , great little car.

Great video as usual thanks looked at few evs and went with Zoe ze50 in gt line as it fitted the bill nice looking good to drive good range at a good price and over 1600 miles later in 4 weeks We’re happy with our choice only thing missing is acc I miss that from last car, but not big thing, love auto handbrake and the way the car drives is great. Got armrest fixes that problem but u lose 1 cup holder so had to have one on air vent. Don’t think seats are as comfy as last car ioniq but not bad , did you get numb bum Kate ? Well impressed with Efficiency of Zoe ze50 had upto 5.8 miles per kWh on 50 mph a road to the coast and mostly between mid 4s to mid 5s at speed limits is good and done 190 miles motorway trip at 60-65 mph in wind and rain and Still had 26 left at 4.5-5 miles per kWh at sensible motorway speed was good I think . Had range between 210 and 260 estimate range after trips so the Zoe can do good range well done Renault also cheap to run at about 1p a mile on octopus agile so that better than around 8 p of hybrid think we saved about £150 on fuel in last 4 weeks on hybrid or about 200-250£ on normal petrol car that is good!

Love the part in the video where you go "hands free"

I fell in love with this new Zoe….

It’s great to see that Renault have finally produced the car the Zoe should have always been. That said, I’d like to hear what you thing of the Kia Soul 64kw with the same underpinnings at the multi award winning Kia E-Niro but with a different look?

Looking at this as my first EV, hopefully pick one up next year. Im doing 60mile round trip on the M6 each day. From reviews ive seen to date looks like it should be ok 👌 🤞

An amazing package for the price. Thanks for the review. Love it.

Thanks for your review, where was Florence! I’m off to test drive the Zoe today! First time in an EV.

In France the Zoe 50 top of the range costs 36600 E or 28500 E if you rent the battery. Then less 7000 E gov. grant = 29600 E or 21500 E. We do low mileage so the battery rental is a good idea plus it gives you complete breakdown cover for every eventuality.

My ZE50 has a dashboard that squeaks on the passenger side. In summer, when I got it 4.5-5 mkwh was no trouble. In winter, heater at 18C etc down to the 3.5 mkwh region.

Great review thanks, as well as the preheat button, I think Renault have also removed the charge flap open button from the remote?

There’s a van version now, would be great of you could get hold of one - there’s so little information available 👍

Another nice review; as always ;-) , just wondered how is the regenarative braking in the new Zoe;is it better than the previous models; and can you do one pedal driving until full stop?

Great review once again, thank you :)

Zoe 50 Vs Clio? No question, no choice. Zoe is far and away the better car. Traded my ZE40 Zoe PCP into a GT Line, fully spec (bar Bose stereo) 50 Lease and I'll be paying £10 LESS a month overall for a far better car. Should have been delivered by now but,... Well, y'know. Hopefully next month.

How much difference does it make with Bose sub woofer? Not sure if I should add this £500 option or not on a lease car. Also, how well the auto park assist work? Both Park in and Park out? Thanks for a good review and thank you in advance.

If you added an extra CT on your Zappi it would show your house and PV load, only £12 roughly and you could fit it yourself.

Headroom rear is an issue if you above 175 cm (5"10 or so). You might say that extreme but our teenagers getting taller every year! Otherwise brilliant!

Hi, a great video and pretty much reflects my experience as a new Zoe GT Line owner. However, I am having no luck with the preconditioning function either via the Renault app or in the car via the console. Just curious, have you guys managed to figure out the pre-conditioning which probably isn't too much of a problem during the summer but as the winter approaches this will be invaluable and was one of the reasons I decided to get an EV (this is my first EV)? Btw my Zoe is currently back with the dealer to sort out a creaking tailgate and see if they can figure out why the preconditioning isn't working. Despite these 'teething' problems I am really enjoying the Zoe and honestly can't ever see me going back into an ICE car - it's just too much fun!

Love your videos James and Kate and really considering a Zoe as our 2nd EV to be used for school runs etc. From a longterm reliability perspective (now that it's a few years after you posted this video), do you believe the are a good used, longterm option?

Good review but this is another review of the range-topping R135. What about the R110 basic model? And what about insurance? No-one ever mentions that e.g. for younger drivers.

In Germany you can lease the Zoe for free now, just have to pay battery lease, cheapest is 39€ a month. Also France, but have to pay 79€ a month.

I wouldn't buy top of the range so interested in actual on the road cost of lower variants. Other things - is it quiet on the motorway (wind and road noise), is the driving position comfortable (e.g. fully adjustable steering wheel) and does it have active battery thermal management? The latter two would underline it's competitiveness compared with the Leaf.

In terms of value , how do you rate it compared to the MG ZE ? I accept the MG has a lower range

Good car, and I really would like an electric car, but is it really worth £30,000 when equivalent ICE cars (eg. Renault Clio) are just over half of the price? Unless you do mega mileage you will never get close to recouping the extra cost. How can it be justified, when batteries are so much cheaper than they were say 5 years ago? Great review of the car by the way. Thank you both.

Strongly considered the Zoe ZE50 but ultimately the MG ZS was more car for less money if you want CCS.

It's perfect as a family car.

"Start Engine stop"..... engine? Good to see the glovebox has been modified to fit more than glove in now. Still no centre arm rest though. Honest answer. Has the dash update reduced the glare on the inside of the windscreen? The biggest issue seemed to be the windscreen rake (but the Clio which isn't as raked ha similar glare issues).

Looking at getting one of these ZE50 GT models with CCS soon - what do I need to check when looking at a used one and how near to the 5-year warranty running out should I get Cleevely to look over it? - I need to buy private as max budget £9k sadly - can't justify spending more on my 4k miles per year.

I think the new Zoe is super but £29k is ridiculous and just shows how completely the car companies still think they can fleece early adopters... No the early adopters have been and gone! My advice would be wait until you can get one for 20k new then fair enough which should be quite soon. The top of the range Clio costs £17k so you would need to use this Zoe very heavily for about 8 years to see a pay back. That's a stretch for most people.

hi there yr arms looked like it might be an uncompfortable ride was it or did it fit in ok thank you i might be looking for a renault soon cheers

Looks a great car. Do you guys still have your MG? I had a test drive in one yesterday morning and quite liked it on the test. Do you still like yours?

Traffic police: 8:20 Hmm.... 14% above the 70 mph speed limit... Aha! 🚔 😬 Thanks for the excellent review, James and Kate. The Zöe really has become a capable car. A genuine 200+ mile range is on a par with most small fossil fuelled cars, exactly what many potential purchasers have been waiting for.

I test drove the new Zoe and the Peugeot 208. I much prefer the 208, just felt a lot sportier to me and I know many won't agree but other than acceleration I didn't really feel it was massively different to my ZE40. It is obviously posher but it would cost me over twice the value of my car to swap. List prices haven't gone up but the combination of lower government grant and not much in the way of discounts mean it is over £9 k more than I paid for my ZE40 yikes. I paid £18k for my ZE40 and £27.5 is best I can get an GT line with rapid charging for. I hate to say it but I had a convertible before my Zoe and miss it so much I am looking at swapping my Zoe for a 2014 Mercedes SLK. I feel so dirty and it is going back to the dark ages but probably my last sinful purchase.

A mate of mine in Norway has a 40 and every day we went out the range was 300 km so i would look for a nearly new one for around 12k in the UK. £26,000 basic sounds still a bit too expensive for this.

How does it compare to the mk2 Ioniq electric you tested, similar price, range etc?

i disagree about the missing P (gear select). It is actually logical that there is no P - like in a manual gearbox you put it in N and engage the handbrake

The lack of adaptive cruise is a glaring omission. It would be perfect for me if it did. How can we lobby Renault to add adaptive cruise ?

Great review! Just one thing, can you please keep hold of the steering wheel when you're driving.

What's not to like. Good car

Recent Euro NCAP safety/crash tests gave zero stars to this model there are some videos on You Tube about it think it only affects some variants .

I have wanted a Zoe for a long time but sadly Renault won't sell or service to us in the usa.

Winter pack a must , heated steering wheel , all seats , Bose don’t waste your money , flame red yes

One of your followers at 4:32

You did not mention reversing camera or parking sensors. Still too expensive, although I expect Carwow would do a good deal.

Does it have height adjustable front seats and reach/rake steering wheel adjustment? The brochure isn’t clear. Price seems odd. Has reasonable range but 50kw charging is too slow for long trips. So for me it’s a commuting/shopping car. And >£25k is too much for that. Our fully loaded Seat Ibiza was £17k. I believe that also has more interior and boot space than the Zoe.

I’m thinking of buying but when checking the car out I would not fit in the back I don’t think it’s big enough

Hi if you had to chance between peugeot e-208 or renault zoe witch one would u pick and why?

🤔 do you know if Renault will sell you spare parts for your Renault Zoé or sell it to your local mecanic ??? I have heard that Tesla will NOT sell spare parts for their Tesla cars, i just think thats wierd because cars will crash sometimes and need new spare parts, so I just think that is a big NO NO for me to buy a Tesla so i maigjt go for the Reanult Zoé...👍

your video is now 2 years old and electricity costs has hit the roof so im unsure if an ev is any cheaper than ice?

Nice car, but I'm not convinced about the way the display is dropped in. It looks like it blocks the vents.

Is there an app? Would be good to be able to set charge level and time slots from phone. Thanks

Whats all that blue stuff in the panoramic roof ?

CCS Combo finally? Am I correct?

I have the armrest. Was £150 and fitted for free when I collected my cat

Great little electric vehicle full of new technology. Gas and diesel vehicles are so last century, old polluting technology.

Arm rests are available on the French part and accessories website and can be delivered to the UK You just need to practice your French

I think new Zoe,s are over priced at the moment compared with the completion but there is lot low mileage Zoe,s on the market I bought a 2 year old s/h GT Line Zoe for £10,000 less than the new price with very low mileage from a main dealer the warranty still 3 years and 5 years on the battery warranty. For all the world feels like new really please. Compared to my Nissan leaf the Zoe feels like it's in a different league I was looking to buy a new Kia Soul or a Hyundai E Kona although the Zoe is as not as good but the money I've saved is going to pay for solar on the roof along with a Telsa power wall. So buying a low mileage Zoe makes perfect sense.

Will it do 300kms at 120kph.. or will it suffer to 250 at motorway speed ?

Nice car, but would you have this or the Pug e208?

Nice car, much improved but the price is ridiculous at the moment. They will have to come down to ICE car prices to drag me away from them at the moment. I can’t help thinking that the manufacturers are just milking those prepared to get onto the electric market early on

80Mph - has the national limit increased :-0

I like the old style handbreak in my ze40, once a while I use it when driving, to keep rear breaks clean, if breaks look rusty, the can not pass yearly inspection. Of course not easy to see the rust because ze40 has rear drum breaks.

I think a lot of EV buyers will start by buying their EV as a 2nd car which is why the obligatory battery rental was an absolute turn-off if you don't expect to do a lot of miles. At such a high price for the little Zoe I guess the battery is now "bought". For me, the VW e-up is now the car to beat, sure the range is less but is sufficient and the price is nearer to £20k than £30k+

Electric is the future, no ifs and buts on that. price must come down .

‘Battery Life’ RU-vid throws up backache problem for the driver. 30k for uncomfortable seats is not acceptable (Renault Capture seats killed me after 45 minutes).

I am so tempted to trade my ZE40 in for one of these.

Can you put Kate in the boot? :)

kate why not do an epidode showing your sister the car? letting her test it etc? maybe?

Let me just get up from the floor I fell over.. 😂

Nice car but needs to come down at least another 10 grand , EV cars are just to expensive.

Zoe or Peugeot e-208?