I went very deeply into going electric for my last town car as you'll see below, but found it simply wasn't worth it, economically or environmentally. They are only good for politician's conciences and the wealthy with money to burn.
Jazper is right, the battery rental rates on all the Renault models are a con. Take the Fluence model which is the Nissan Leaf with a slightly different body (Renault and Nissan are effectively one company).
The Leaf battery at over £16,000 is just over half of the car's price and has a 5 year warranty, Nissan claiming it should last 7 years. So the £32,000 car without battery is just under £16,000.
THe Renault Fluence pricing was different, much more for what is effectively the same car but at £23,000, the battery rental was £800 a year. Work it out, 5 years battery at £800 pa amounts to £4,000, which added to the car's £23,000 is just £27,000, £5,000 short of the Leaf price that the company receives. It's clear that the battery rental will increase steeply each year to make up that shortfall, Renault knowing that once bought, the customer is trapped, having to pay.
Remember, as the motor trade acknowledges, these cars have zero value second-hand, no-one will buy a five year old knowing they face £16,000 for a new battery. Even at 2 or 3 years old the s/h value will be minimal, so in effect buying one of these electric cars is writing off the whole cost over 5 or possibly 7 years if lucky. Over 5 years that's depreciation of £6,400 a year for a small hatchback, which could buy nearly 1000 gallons of petrol enabling at least 30,000 miles a year in a small petrol car. And none of this takes into account the high cost of a the charging point installation.
An electric car purchase is just throwing money away for no good reason, the UK electricity that charges it is still 80% polluting at source.
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