WHAT CAR AWARDS - Renault ZOE takes 2nd successive award for best Electric car under £20k .

• ZOE named ‘Best Electric Car under £20,000’
• Second consecutive What Car? Award for ZOE
• UK sales of ZOE soared in 2014 by 169% to 1,016 vehicles

Renault has won the title of What Car? 2015 ‘Best Electric Car for less than £20,000’ with its pure electric ZOE Expression hatchback, making it two What Car? awards in two years for the 100% electric hatchback. 

Since being named What Car?’s ‘Best Green Car for less than £15,000’ in 2014, the ZOE has proved extremely popular with UK motorists with sales up some 169 per cent in 2014.

Commenting on the decision to give the award to ZOE, Jim Holder, Editor, What Car? said: “Renault set out to make the ZOE a genuinely affordable option in the otherwise seemingly expensive electric car market – and it’s worked. You can lease the battery from £25 per month, so the cost of the car is brought down to a very reasonable level.

“The really good news is that cost-saving isn’t the be-all and end-all for the cheerful, refined ZOE. On top of the cost and eco-conscious incentives, it will seat four adults comfortably, has a slick, well designed cabin and gets a good amount of standard equipment, including sat-nav. The ZOE is also perky to drive, with a good ride; it’s great to look at and affordable to run”, added Holder.

Darren Payne, Sales Director, Renault UK, said of the result: “The number of electric vehicles on sale in the UK has more than doubled in the last year so we’re thrilled that What Car? has recognised ZOE’s talents for the second year in a row.

“Sales in the UK were up nearly three-fold last year where the beautiful and efficient ZOE is proving popular with motorists who not only want an environmentally clean and serene driving experience but also an uncompromised well-equipped 5-door family hatchback.”

The ZOE is an all-electric, five-door family hatchback available in three trim levels that comes with a very high level of standard specification, despite its competitive price-tag. Standard specification includes items such as climate control and sat-nav. 

ZOE is available with a number of features that make for seamless electric vehicle ownership including remote monitoring of the battery and pre-heating the cabin via your phone as well as the Chameleon™ Charger that allows ZOE to make the most of the widest range of power supplies meaning excellent charging times in the real world. Retail ZOE customers also benefit from the free installation of fast-charging wall box at home.

ZOE is available to purchase in two ways. Firstly, under a Battery Hire scheme, where ZOE pricing starts at £13,995 after the Government Plug-in Car Grant with battery leasing from £25 per month. Benefits include a lifetime performance guarantee for the battery and 24/7 roadside assistance – even if you run out of charge.

You can also buy your ZOE outright. ZOE i ‘full purchase’ models start from £17,793 after the Government Plug-in Car Grant, giving the buyer full ownership of the car and battery and no monthly battery lease payment.

The ZOE is one three models in Renault’s diverse electric vehicle range which also includes the Twizy urban roundabout and the Kangoo Van Z.E.