Ranging far and wide

New electric Renault Zoe can do 250 miles on a charge.

The electric car revolution marches on, with each generation becoming more affordable and improving range.

Renault’s electric Zoe is a case in point. The 2017 model has just been released and has a range 100 miles greater than the outgoing model.

It will now do up to 250 miles on a single charge in range-topping Z.E.40 guise. The new battery in the Zoe EV boosts power from 22kW to 40kW, significantly increasing the range on the official NEDC test cycle.

Renault adds that in real-world driving, the battery will do 186 miles in everyday conditions, and even stretch to 124 miles when it’s extremely cold.

The new battery also offers quickcharge functionality. Renault bundles each Zoe with a free fast-charging wall box, capable of charging a battery from flat to 100% full in less than four hours.

Renault’s curious battery lease scheme has been further tweaked for the 2017 Zoe, with the newer, more straightforward and less divisive outright purchase scheme sitting alongside it.

Drivers who cover up to 4,500 miles a year can lease a 22kW battery for £49 a month or the Z.E.40 battery for £59 a month.

Other options are available, including an unlimited mileage scheme for the Z.E.40, costing £110 a month.

The new 2017 Zoe range starts at £18,995 for the iExpression Nav R90 22kW, once the government Plug-in Car Grant has been taken off.

That’s if you buy the batteries: lease them, and the price falls to £13,995 (lease cars lose the ‘i’ at the start of their name).

Available to order now and in showrooms from January, the Renault Zoe also features a new Signature Nav trim – boasting previously unseen levels of kit on the all-electric supermini.

These cars add heated leather seats, a Bose stereo, rear parking camera and 16-inch alloy wheels.

It joins the familiar Expression Nav (£13,995) and Dynamique Nav (from £18,595) models, which – as the names suggest – both feature satnav as standard.

Powering ahead: The Renault Zoe.