Zoe Vs ID.3?

niceguy1966

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Based on my personal research, there seems to be 2 cars that offer good range at reasonable cost. The ID.3 is slightly more expensive, but it's a slightly better car (size + features).

Which would you choose?
Any other cars in the same price range that you would consider?
 
Not sure what miles you do, but if you want to charge out and about on long trips I’d ensure you have factored in what CCS charger the cars have. Zoe from memory (not an expert or owner) Im not sure comes with a DC / CCS charger but you can buy a 50kw one as an extra. I think the ID3 being a more modern car come with a CCS DC socket charger as standard, there may be a few tiers of what it comes with but some are 100kw/125kw which means you’ll be able to charge up faster on those probably infrequent longer trips, but often it’s those 3/4 longer trips a year that make an EV good / bad to have. Charging at home 90% of the time is the simple bit..
 
Not sure what miles you do, but if you want to charge out and about on long trips I’d ensure you have factored in what CCS charger the cars have. Zoe from memory (not an expert or owner) Im not sure comes with a DC / CCS charger but you can buy a 50kw one as an extra. I think the ID3 being a more modern car come with a CCS DC socket charger as standard, there may be a few tiers of what it comes with but some are 100kw/125kw which means you’ll be able to charge up faster on those probably infrequent longer trips, but often it’s those 3/4 longer trips a year that make an EV good / bad to have. Charging at home 90% of the time is the simple bit..
I'm looking at cars that can easily drive from SW London to Brighton and back, mid-winter with all the lights and heat on without stopping to recharge. That's a drive I have to do several times a year. Occasionally I have to drive further, but only a couple of times a year, when I will need to recharge on route (e.g. SW London to Manchester and back, or SW London to Bath and back).
 
Not sure what miles you do, but if you want to charge out and about on long trips I’d ensure you have factored in what CCS charger the cars have. Zoe from memory (not an expert or owner) Im not sure comes with a DC / CCS charger but you can buy a 50kw one as an extra. I think the ID3 being a more modern car come with a CCS DC socket charger as standard, there may be a few tiers of what it comes with but some are 100kw/125kw which means you’ll be able to charge up faster on those probably infrequent longer trips, but often it’s those 3/4 longer trips a year that make an EV good / bad to have. Charging at home 90% of the time is the simple bit..

From the Zap website:
"VW ID.3 models are capable of ultra-rapid charging, either at up to 100 kW DC for the 58 kWh battery, or 125 kW for the 77 kWh models."

"The Renault Zoe Z.E.50 R110 is fitted with Renault’s Chameleon charger which covers all AC applications, from slow to rapid charging. This means that when connected to any charger up to 22kW, the Zoe will be able to accept the unit’s maximum power rate. The addition of the CCS option opens up DC charging capability up to 50 kW."

So you are correct, without the optional CCS, charging is AC only, and even with, it's far lower power.

I think this is the deciding factor, thanks.
 
I’m sure there’s many other differences, size, drive, cost etc. The main one for me personally in an EV is you really need to look at charging speed and range. The 77kwh ID3 real world range from EV Database is 280 which is good, but the most impressive bit is being able to add up to 200 miles charge in ~30 mins, the Zoe range = 190 and can only add up to 136 miles in ~56 mins, so nearly 3 times slower rate in the Zoe which could get a bit limiting and tedious ‘if’ you do long trips regularly. The ID3 for instance may need 1 x 30 mins stop, the Zoe may need 2 x 56 in stops.
I know it’s not the be all and end all, but often the minority use case that you do much less can really outweigh the day to day short trips.
 
There’s actually 3 ID3 battery / charger options, the lowest is 55kwh, range = 170m, charge rate up to 119 in 44 mins.
 
I’m sure there’s many other differences, size, drive, cost etc. The main one for me personally in an EV is you really need to look at charging speed and range. The 77kwh ID3 real world range from EV Database is 280 which is good, but the most impressive bit is being able to add up to 200 miles charge in ~30 mins, the Zoe range = 190 and can only add up to 136 miles in ~56 mins, so nearly 3 times slower rate in the Zoe which could get a bit limiting and tedious ‘if’ you do long trips regularly. The ID3 for instance may need 1 x 30 mins stop, the Zoe may need 2 x 56 in stops.
I know it’s not the be all and end all, but often the minority use case that you do much less can really outweigh the day to day short trips.
I totally agree. My plan is to have a car I very rarely charge at a public charger, which is why I want to get to Brighton and back on a cold dark winter's day on a single charge. But a couple of times a year I do need to go further than even premium EVs can do without recharging, so speed to recharge is important (otherwise I'd be tempted to hire a petrol car for those journeys!).

The price difference isn't that much between the Zoe and the ID.3 (comparing similar spec cars). I think Renault need to improve their offer or drop their price.
 
The Zoe was a trailblazing car but even with facelifts is starting to show its age a little. As a town car it’s fine, but longer journeys are where the latest generation start to shine. The id3 is a brand new platform only just released and designed from the ground up as an EV.
 

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