UK: Renault quit battery leasing option for Zoe EV
The new Renault Zoe can now only be bought in Great Britain with a battery-electric version. The possibility of battery leasing is thus eliminated. In Germany, however, Renault will continue to offer both options.
The British Renault importer justified the step with the changing market environment. “One of the main reasons that the battery lease option was initially introduced was to lower the initial purchase price of a Renault EV to be as close as possible to that of an equivalent diesel vehicle,” the company writes in a press release. “The recent improvements to the RV [residual value] on the new Zoe in the UK mean that this financial gap has now been reduced and we are able to offer a simplified choice to consumers”.
GAP’s industry experts estimate that after three years and 58,000 kilometres the Zoe will still have a residual value of 42 per cent – one of the highest BEV values in this segment and comparable to conventional small cars. “As more consumers choose electric cars in the UK, residual values of full-electric vehicles have improved considerably, with the ZOE at the forefront of this trend, meaning they are more affordable than ever,” says Renault. For this reason, the leasing option for the battery has been removed. “The recent improvements to the RV on the New ZOE in the UK mean that this financial gap has now been reduced and we are able to offer a simplified choice to consumers.”
In the revised UK price list, the Zoe still costs £25,670, including the government subsidy of £3,500. Renault also offers zero percentage financing: after a down payment of 2,995 pounds, 25 monthly instalments of 269 pounds each are due. At the end of the lease, the car can be purchased for a final instalment of 15,657 pounds – which adds up the leasing costs to the original purchase price of 25,670 pounds.
For the time being, Renault Germany does not seem to follow the UK importer’s justification for residual value or simply expects other values for the local market – the Brühl-based company is sticking to its current price model and confirmed on request that this will not affect the German market. Both options will continue to be offered on the website and in the configurator. The cheapest model costs 21,900 euros (before the environmental bonus), with the larger 52 kWh battery it is at least 23,900 euros. Here the battery rent of at least 74 euros per month (depending on the mileage) is added. Renault in Germany charges 8,090 Euro for the purchase of batteries, regardless of their capacity. This means that the basic prices for the respective equipment are between 29,990 euros (LIFE Z.E. 40) and 35,990 euros (INTENS Z.E. 50).
Renault gives the Zoe electric car a guarantee of eight years or 160,000 kilometres. The battery should then still have at least 66 per cent of the initial charging capacity. The entry-level version LIFE Z.E. 40 with the well-known 41 kWh battery and the 80 kW electric motor is offered at the same price as the previous basic model. However, this only had a battery capacity of 22 kWh. The range of the Z.E. 40 is given by Renault as 316 kilometres according to WLTP. With the new 52 kWh battery presented by Renault in June, the range is 390 WLTP kilometres.
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