Been a while since ive needed a new car, so many choice, Electric, Lease, or 2nd hand?!

DrEskimo

Grumpy_chap said:

mickym said:

Thanks @herzlos but I think it has to be an actual practical test to try it out. 

I quite like the look of the MG ZS. It's just the issues with the app, including scheduled charging (to take advantage of night time cheap rates) and preheating of car that put me off a little. 

I would expect the MG ZS to have sufficient ground clearance for most driveways - if yours is unusually extreme, then checking it out first is practical.

Why would you be put off by the pre-heating of the car?  As I understand it, this is to heat the interior of the car before you plan to get in for two benefits:

• Comfort - warm and toasty on a cold morning
• Range - uses electricity from the mains to warm the car interior rather than battery charge

What's not to like?  Or, are we talking about something different?

I think the OP means the problem with the app, which means they can't reliable schedule reheating!

This is kinda true with other EVs as well to be fair. My Zoe still doesn't connect via the app 100% of the time.
For most EV's however, you can set a schedule from the car's menu without using the app. This is also true of scheduled charging. It should also be noted that the OLEV grant for the charger relies on the charger itself being 'smart', so you could control charging via the app on the charger itself, and never have to rely on the car.

Grumpy_chap

DrEskimo said:

I think the OP means the problem with the app, which means they can't reliable schedule reheating!

This is kinda true with other EVs as well to be fair. My Zoe still doesn't connect via the app 100% of the time.

I guess you must need reliable WIFI to the parking lot?

Bluebell1000

If you are considering the MG then their Facebook group are excellent, very helpful, and the dealers on there will get in touch with prices if you ask. They also have recommended dealers for electric vehicles, it seems some MG franchises are better than others. https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=420239695456564&ref=content_filter

DrEskimo

Grumpy_chap said:

DrEskimo said:

I think the OP means the problem with the app, which means they can't reliable schedule reheating!

This is kinda true with other EVs as well to be fair. My Zoe still doesn't connect via the app 100% of the time.

I guess you must need reliable WIFI to the parking lot?

It's not based off of WiFi. I think the car has it's own data sim which it uses to communicate the app.

It's more that it gets stuck and doesn't update sometimes. Every time I refresh it, it still reporting the status from 11/04....I'm sure if I just restart the connection process it will fix it, but can't be arsed!

mickym

Grumpy_chap said:

mickym said:

Thanks @herzlos but I think it has to be an actual practical test to try it out. 

I quite like the look of the MG ZS. It's just the issues with the app, including scheduled charging (to take advantage of night time cheap rates) and preheating of car that put me off a little. 

I would expect the MG ZS to have sufficient ground clearance for most driveways - if yours is unusually extreme, then checking it out first is practical.

Why would you be put off by the pre-heating of the car?  As I understand it, this is to heat the interior of the car before you plan to get in for two benefits:

• Comfort - warm and toasty on a cold morning
• Range - uses electricity from the mains to warm the car interior rather than battery charge

What's not to like?  Or, are we talking about something different?

As someone else said, I meant something different. 
I like the idea of having a toasty car!  The issue is that the UK MG ZS has been reported to lack an app which means scheduling of charging and pre heating of vehicle cannot be done that way or is problematic.

I do like the idea of the charger actually handling the timing of the charge though, that does sound much more sensible.

Thanks again everyone, this has eneded up a very informative thread and very useful. I think this weekend will be doing more research to try and make a decision!

BOWFER

The Nissan carwings app used to get a lot of grief, but I honestly didn't have a single issue with it.
I didn't schedule pre-heating, I just used to press 'pre-heat' on demand if I noticed it was frosty.