Renault driver issues warning after £7,500 bill and says 'we are very upset'

THE MOTORIST WROTE INTO A NEWSPAPER CONSUMER AFFAIRS SECTION BEGGING FOR HELP FROM THE GUARDIAN'S FINANCIAL EXPERTS. 08:48, 12 Mar 2024 Renault drivers have issued a warning after the

company said it wants to charge £7,500 to fix a motorist's Zoe electric car. The motorist wrote into a newspaper consumer affairs section begging for help from the Guardian's

financial experts. A driver warned: "We have a 2017 Renault Zoe electric car which we bought secondhand from a friend in 2020. We were initially very pleased with it. However, in July

2023, it stopped charging. It still drove fine, and there was nothing else wrong with it. We live in north-west Scotland, and as none of the local garages will deal with EVs it had to go on

a low-loader to the Renault dealership in Inverness. "There, the technician established that the connector from the charging socket to the charging unit had burnt out. They said the

whole charging unit had to be replaced, and quoted us £7,500 for the work. As the car is only worth £5,600, this effectively writes it off. READ MORE KATE 'VERY SAD' OVER

MOTHER'S DAY PHOTO STORM AND 'WANTED IT TO BE PERFECT' "We bought an EV for environmental reasons, and are very upset that it has been written off so easily, with such a

huge waste of resources. We found a qualified independent garage that was prepared to work on our car. However, it has been unable to source the required parts. Article continues below

"We have also been in regular contact with Renault. We’ve written to its UK managing director a couple of times, but just get a call back from customer services saying there is nothing

they can do. Renault seems to think that a six-year-old car is good for the scrap heap." Renault has agreed to get the car moved to Edinburgh, where it will send an expert to examine it

and establish how it can be repaired in a cost-effective way, the Guardian newspaper reported. Replying to the story, one motorist warned: "Sadly, the lesson Renault wants us to learn

here seems to be: don't buy one of their EVs. Their cars are faulty and the company isn't committed to a greener future." A second said: "This is one of those issues

where I'd love an update on what the outcome and costs were in the end. I'm thinking of buying a second hand electric car as my next car for environmental reasons so it looks like

a Renault is off the table for me currently."