Testimonial – Two electric Renault Megane models at the same price: this is why Fabrice chose the one with 22,000 km more on it

Same model, same color, same trim level, same options, same year of release, same state of health SoH, and even the same listed selling price... Yet Fabrice chose the Renault Megane electric that had 22,000 km more on it than the other. It marked a return to electric vehicles for the household after several years away due to a mixed initial experience. That was with a Peugeot e-208, which replaced the family’s main car: a diesel 308.

First EV in 2020

Like many of our readers, Fabrice, a surveyor approaching 50 years old in the area around Caen in Normandy, became interested in electric mobility news long before he bought his first electric car: “It started in 2013 with the first deliveries of Tesla’s Model S in France. There weren’t many media outlets covering this topic at the time. In 2018, I began following electric vehicle news even more closely. It was then that I started reading articles from Automobile Propre, for example.”

The purchase of their first electric vehicle came two years later: “It was in 2020, at the end of a lockdown period. Back then, with an environmental bonus of 7,000 euros, a dismantling allowance of 5,000 euros, and regional support of 1,000 euros, that totaled 13,000 euros to switch to an electric car. Thanks to an additional promotional offer from a Peugeot dealership, we bought a new e-208 for around 21,000 euros. The experience with the seller was a bit complicated because he knew less about this model than I did.”

This lack of knowledge on the part of the salesperson was the first disappointing aspect: “As a result, we missed out on quite a lot of information, especially regarding charging. A simple example: we were given a Green’Up charger when the Peugeot e-208 was delivered, but we weren’t told that although the socket is rated for 16 A, the charging unit itself limits it to 8 A. That’s why charging took so long. In fact, we didn’t have that reinforced connector installed to connect our electric vehicle to a regular household outlet.”

Numbering issues

Another missing element with this first electric car was: “There was no cable to use the Type 2 socket at the charging stations. Our experience would have been much better if it had come included with the vehicle. Shortly after purchase, we encountered our first problem: it was impossible to charge. A simple software update resolved it, but our Peugeot e-208 was unusable for four days. Other than that, it was a very pleasant car to drive. I really enjoyed driving it, preferring to utilize its performance on small roads.”

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The reason behind Fabrice and his wife’s disappointment with this electric multi-purpose vehicle lies in the issue of range: “The e-208 came equipped with a battery having an energy capacity of 50 kWh [NDLR: Of which 46.3 kWh is usable]. Our average consumption was around 15 kWh per 100 km, but we were never able to cover 300 km without recharging. Based on calculations comparing the battery capacity to our consumption, we should have been able to travel that distance. Yet we always encountered a discrepancy of 15 to 20%.”

For the mechanic, there could only be two explanations: “Either the consumption figures reported by the vehicle were incorrect, or the battery’s energy capacity was poor. We took the car to Peugeot because of this issue. At first, they refused to provide us with information on the battery’s condition. It was finally given to us later, but it was just a set of incomprehensible numbers. Having lost trust because of this, and after 35,000 kilometers driven, we sold the car a year later for the same price we had paid for it.”

Back to diesel for a few years

Fabrice didn’t decide lightly to part with the Peugeot e-208: “Before that, I compared it with a Hyundai Kona that we were able to test extensively. With the Kona, the numbers worked out well—we could easily cover over 400 km on a single charge with similar fuel consumption, given its 64 kWh usable battery capacity. However, it’s a model we wouldn’t have purchased because it was beyond our financial reach, even as a used car, and my wife didn’t like it much either, preferring the e-208 by far.”

Our reader’s wife didn’t want an electric car in 2021 anyway: “She ran into charging issues twice just before important trips, and at that time it was still often quite difficult to find chargers along the routes. Used daily by my wife, this Peugeot e-208 was also our main car. For short trips and vacations, we had an old diesel Renault Espace that we still have today. And I have a service car for my professional trips alone.”

What model to replace the Peugeot e-208? “We got a DS 3 Crossback Diesel that caused us a lot of problems, especially with the belt. This isn’t limited to the PureTech 1.2 liter gasoline engines either. We had to fight hard with DS and lost 3,000 euros in the process, even though the manufacturer still covered 7,000 euros of the cost. For us, Stellantis is done! Luckily, I’ve always kept a close eye on electric vehicle news, looking for good used car opportunities.”

Choosing a more suitable electric vehicle

A quick glimpse of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 in the Norman region: “I found it used at an attractive price, in the high-end Exclusive trim with a 73 kWh battery. It’s a model well-suited for fast charging. But my wife wasn’t comfortable driving it, finding it too large with a wide turning radius. We kept it for only four months, during which we still managed to travel 10,000 km. Sold in February 2026 before oil prices rose, it would likely have fetched a higher price a few months later.”

A number of more compact models were considered afterward: “For a budget of 20,000 euros, used, with a similar size and the same range, there was the Hyundai Kona which had already been ruled out, along with the Kia e-Niro and the Renault Megane E-Tech. Even though its fuel efficiency was slightly worse, I preferred the French model as it also suited my wife. We bought it not long ago, last August, waiting to be able to sell our DS 3 diesel, which took quite some time. Since my wife changed jobs and we needed to cover 100 kilometers per day, it became quite urgent.”

Fabrice had plenty of options to choose from: “I was looking at two electric Megane models, both in the same metallic night blue color with a slate gray roof, featuring the same Techno finish, identical options including a 22 kW charger, the same 93% SoH battery health level, both delivered in 2022, and at the same selling price of 19,950 euros. One was in Guingamp with only 98,000 km on it, while the one in Caen had around 120,000 km. Not only was the one in Caen much closer to our home, but it was also available within two weeks, compared to a delivery date in mid-September for the one in Brittany as it needed to be reconditioned.”

What really tipped the scales

It was mainly a certain offer from the Caen dealership that tipped the scales in favor of the longest-range electric Megane: “We were offered an extended warranty that also covered the traction battery beyond the standard coverage. Extending over six years until 2032, it has no mileage limit. Since we drive a lot, we knew we would reach 160,000 km, which is usually the limit for battery warranty coverage.”

The proposal is not free, as it comes with financing: “We took out a loan of 3,000 euros over six years from Mobilize Financial Services France. We pay 91 euros per month, of which 40 goes toward extending the warranty. Given the costly problems we’ve had with the DS 3 diesel, any issue with the electric Megane would make our financial effort worthwhile. My wife uses this car every day, and we’ve already racked up 4,500 kilometers.”

For Fabrice, this extended warranty is not insignificant: “With it, we’re no longer afraid to buy a used electric car. To offer this, Renault must surely have confidence in its technologies and the durability of its batteries. That’s why this extended warranty is reassuring for us. I think we’ll keep this car as long as possible, at least until the end of the contract, which cannot be transferred. We’ll see how far the Megane E-Tech can take us.”

A Highly Appreciated Return to Electric Vehicles

With the new electric car, our reader regained a sense of calm: “I enjoy driving the Mégane more than our old diesel DS 3. The electric version offers greater responsiveness, more power, much better acceleration, and improved road holding thanks to its lower center of gravity. Plus, with the paddles on the steering wheel, it’s possible to adjust the strength of regenerative braking. In short, a regular electric car provides far more driving pleasure than an equivalent gasoline car.”

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Do you remember, dear readers, the Green’Up offered by Peugeot? “Since we built a garage in our detached house, we installed a reinforced charger there, which works much better with our Renault Megane electric vehicle, thanks also to a more suitable charging cable I bought from Mister EV. Arriving a bit late, after our car was delivered, we had to charge it the first three or four times at an Electra fast charger, taking advantage of a promo code from a YouTube creator.”

The first 4,500 kilometers driven have already yielded initial savings: “Compared to a car that consumes 5.5 liters per 100 kilometers on diesel at 2.30 euros per liter, and with recharging mostly during off-peak hours where we live, we’ve already saved 450 euros on fuel costs. The actual range of 300 kilometers is a bit limited, forcing my wife to plug in the car every other day according to her commute between home and work. So far, the longest trip has been taking our daughter to Rennes, which is about 400 kilometers round trip. Maybe we’ll go skiing with the electric Megane this winter.”

Automobile Propre and I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Fabrice for his excellent hospitality, great responsiveness, and for sharing his experience after we asked our readers to provide feedback.

For your reference, any offensive comments directed at our interviewees, their lives, choices, and/or opinions will be removed. Thank you for your understanding.

Author’s Note

The journey of our reader’s primary vehicle is quite unique: diesel, then electric, back to diesel, a brief attempt with an electric car, and finally the choice of a model better suited for a couple hoping to keep it for a long time. This approach based on experience also echoes the path taken by those who used rechargeable hybrids for a while.

In the end, the extended warranty increases the car’s purchase price by 2,880 euros, not to mention the interest on the loan. But for Fabrice, it’s the price of peace of mind to drive high mileage annually with an electric vehicle that has already covered a significant distance in its first life. It will certainly be interesting to see how this Renault Megane E-Tech performs in five years or more.

Purchasing a car with more mileage than another isn’t necessarily a bad idea. It also depends on how well the vehicle has been maintained. This story reminds me of an anecdote from my second career. It was in 1986; I bought a Renault 11 diesel model with 100,000 kilometers on the odometer for 29,000 francs. A colleague was convinced I had made a bad deal because he had just bought the exact same model but with only 60,000 kilometers. Yet he still paid 3,000 francs more for it. Eventually, his engine broke down after a few months and thousands of kilometers, while I sold mine for 170,000 francs with a perfectly functioning engine. Buying a car will always be like playing the lottery, whether it’s new or used, with little or much mileage, old or new, electric or gasoline-powered.

Philippe SCHWOERER