Used Renault Zoe review and buying guide (2012 to present): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Renault Zoe should you buy?

There's no year of Zoe you can call the safe one, because its one known fault, an on-board charger that stops the car taking a charge, covers every car built from 2013 to 2019 and shows up between 30,000 and 80,000 miles. That rules out picking by age alone. What decides it is whether the car in front of you charges properly and what's been done to it.

A car past 30,000 miles on its original charger is the bigger gamble, since that's when the fault starts to appear. A lower-mileage car isn't immune, it just hasn't reached that point yet. Dealer invoices for a replacement charger count in a car's favour, but a new unit is the same part, so the charging test on the day still matters just as much.

Zoes built after 2019 sit outside the charger fault's years, but apart from recalls for a battery short-circuit risk on some 2021 cars and a loose rear seat on some 2022 ones, there's nothing on them either way. That's a gap in the record rather than a clean bill, so don't pay extra for a late car on reliability grounds, and give it exactly the same charging and battery checks you'd give an older one.

Which Zoe motors and batteries are the safe choices?

Every Zoe drives through a single reduction gear, so there's no gearbox to choose and nothing in the motor itself that separates a good one from a bad one. What does is the battery: how much range it really gives and what it's been through. Choose on that and on the charging test, not on the spec sheet.

Real range can fall well short of the claimed figure. One owner of a 2014 car with the 22kWh battery saw a full charge show just 55 miles in winter at 35,000 miles. Another owner was told at the showroom to expect 85 miles and got between 58 and 78. Ask the seller what range it shows after a full charge, and believe that over the brochure.

The later ZE 40 battery doesn't have a clean record either. One owner of a 2017 ZE 40 Q90 had three traction battery failures that kept the car at the dealer for 3 months, and another 2017 car needed its traction battery replaced twice. Those are two cars, not a known fault, but they're a reason to ask exactly what's been replaced and when.

What should you check when viewing a used Zoe?

Plug it in. The charger fault shows as a Battery Charging Impossible message on the dash, a red light at the charging port and a car that won't accept power at all. Ask the seller not to charge it before you arrive, connect it to a home or public point, and don't leave until you've seen the charge level climbing with no warnings lit.

Ask whether the battery is owned or hired, and get the hire agreement if it's leased so you know what you're taking on. Then ask for dealer invoices for any charger, battery or software work. One owner of a 2015 car was quoted £3,500 by a dealer for a new charger, so a fault the seller hasn't owned up to isn't a small job.

Look at the tyres across their full width. One owner found the Michelin EV tyres worn on the shoulders at 12,500 miles, and another's were down to 3mm after only 5,200 miles. Open the charge flap and check the inner dust cover's hinge hasn't cracked, as one owner's snapped off within three weeks. One 2017 car also let water into the boot, so lift the floor and feel for damp.

Ask for proof the recall work was done, because some of these were serious. Cars built from 2015 to 2017 could roll away with P selected, as a part inside the reduction gear wasn't up to the job. On some cars the front wheel arch liners rubbed against the front brake hoses until they leaked fluid. Some 2021 cars needed battery modules checked for a short-circuit risk, and some 2022 cars had a rear seat bench that didn't latch securely.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What do Zoe owners like about them?

It's a properly relaxing thing to drive around town. The motor gives you all its pull the moment you press the pedal, so it's punchy away from junctions, and there are no gear changes to interrupt it. It's near silent on the move too, with no engine noise at all, which makes town driving far calmer.

It feels like a normal car rather than a science project. The styling's cute without being odd, and it seats four with no fuss. The heat pump warms or cools the cabin using very little electricity, and you can set it running while the car's still plugged in, so the cabin's already at temperature when you get in without using battery charge to get it there.

• The Zoe offers practical electric transport for four passengers, presented with an appealing design.
• The Zoe achieved a 130-mile NEDC cycle range, utilising regenerative braking, a heat pump, and specific tyres to maximise distance.
• A heat pump system provides effective cabin heating or cooling with minimal electricity use, maintaining consistent temperatures.
• Michelin Energy E-V tyres, co-developed for the Zoe, enhance energy efficiency and range while maintaining safety and handling.
• The Chameleon charger allows flexible charging at various power levels up to 43kW, enabling a full charge in 30 minutes to nine hours.