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I own an eight-year-old Renault Zoe and lease the battery for £50 a month from Mobilize Financial Services. As the vehicle is getting older, I asked what would happen to the lease if the car broke down and was too expensive to repair.
Mobilize says I have two options: to buy the battery and end the lease or pay for it to be removed and returned to Renault.
In March, I asked how much it would cost to buy the battery and was told £1,586. I asked the same question in September and was told it was just over £2,000. I asked why it had gone up and was told Renault decides how much batteries are worth. This seems unfair.
I asked Renault customer services about the cost of removal and it said my local dealership would do the job for about £400. This is better than paying £2,000, but is still a charge I don’t think I should have to pay.
PH, Fleet
Battery leasing was a model used, mainly by Renault and Nissan, to reduce the upfront cost of going electric. Buyers paid less for their car and leased the battery separately, paying a monthly fee based on the expected mileage. It aimed to give buyers peace of mind at a time when battery longevity was uncertain.
This arrangement is now being phased out thanks to more reliable batteries and better warranties. Nissan stopped offering leases a few years ago, while Renault Group only has ongoing ones for a few older models such as the Zoe.
Mobilize, which is Renault’s financial services provider, no longer offers battery leases on new vehicles and existing customers have the option to purchase their battery, which will come with a 12-month warranty.
As you discovered the cost of doing this can change with the price dictated by the market value (determined by Renault) of the components which are reused. “A while ago, this was in the hundreds, but as the value of EV batteries has increased, the cost to end the lease has also risen,” says the Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England.
If you were to sell your car the new owner would have to take over the lease unless you end it first. If you scrapped it, there would be a fee to remove the battery. EVA England has heard of places charging about £250, so costs vary by dealer. You have been quoted £400. It may be worth shopping around when the time comes.
Mobilize told us it would be happy to help you “reach the best and most appropriate outcome” for your situation. “Unfortunately, we have little control over the price of batteries as that is determined by the value of the component parts which fluctuate in line with things like inflation,” it added.
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