Expert answer

Hi Patrick,

It's not easy to assess the damage from afar I'm afraid, so I'd suggest getting a good autoelectrician or mechanic out to have a look. It's possible that the ECU (engine control unit) has been damaged, but I'd also hope that has protection against such things built into it. Most likely there are fuses blown somewhere along the line. As I said, get someone to look at it for you and hope nothing expensive has been damaged.

Expert answer

Hi David,

Very hard to assess such a thing from afar, but certainly sounds like a flat battery to us. Try to charge yours up or get a 'jump' from someone else. If no luck then best bet is to get a good mechanic or auto electrician out to have a look.

Best of luck

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Hi Bob,

Like all Volvos, the V50 is pretty solid, but you do need to check for some specific faults. The air conditioning compressor is prone to damage from salt and road debris, so check to make sure that it’s working properly. The 1.6 diesel has a weakness in its oil and water pumps and it needs a steady diet of high-quality oil. The diesel particulate filter will also give trouble if the car has only done low mileage or has been mostly driven around town. Excessive vibration can be the dual mass flywheel on the way out. Black smoke from the exhaust is usually a blown turbo or exhaust gas recirculation valve. Sunroofs can leak, electric components can be tricky, especially the ignition and central locking system, and you need to check for cracked springs, broken balljoints, and wishbone bushes.

Expert answer

Hi David,

Yes, you could just about do 48km each way in an electric car, certainly in the Ioniq and just about in the 30kWh Nissan Leaf, although it would be hugely helpful if there could be some way of charging up at work. A Renault Zoe might do the trick too.

Hyundai asks for a minimum €5,000-odd deposit on a new Ioniq, and the repayments are quite steep so that one might be out of the question, although they come down to around €360 if you can put a €10,000 deposit down. A basic Nissan Leaf, with €6,762 down, will cost you just €264 a month, which might leave enough wriggle room to go for the bigger battery, and Nissan has some tempting free insurance offers on at the moment, while Renault asks just €179 a month for a Zoe, but the battery rental is extra and it comes with some quite tight mileage stipulations.

The other, possibly better, option would be to go half-electric. Toyota can put you into a Prius or an Auris Hybrid for as little as €199 to €263 a month (again, depending on deposits etc.) or you can get the rather impressive new Kia Niro for €353 a month with a €9,000 deposit. All of those should average as much as 60mpg, which would put a big dent in your fuel costs.

Read our relevant reviews here to help you choose:

Kia Niro review

Hyundai Ioniq Electric review

Nissan Leaf review

Renault Zoe review

Toyota Prius review

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Hi Gerry,

Not the most sophisticated car around, the Grande Punto, but it’s roomy, spacious and not bad to drive. Actually pretty reliable too — watch for electrical gremlins all over the place, but the only major mechanical issues are making sure that the cam belt has been changed at least every six years, and keeping an eye on the cooling system and head gasket. 

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Hi Michael,

There are no major reported issues for the SEAT Exeo (and SEATs tend to be pretty solidly reliable) and the Insignia generally only suffers from minor electrical issues (usually in the central locking and alarm system) and the boot seals (which can leak and let in water). Of the two, we’d go for the Insignia - it’s roomier, it’s nicer to drive and looks and feels a bit more prestigious.

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Hi Sean,

It probably won’t. Opel confirmed at the Paris Motor Show last year that there won’t be right-hand drive production of the Ampera-e and that position has not yet changed. If there’s a sudden jump in demand from the UK and Ireland for electric cars, then Opel may well reconsider, but for now, we won’t be getting it. 

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Hi Anthony,

According to the EuroNCAP crash test experts, the three best-performing cars tested in 2016 were the Toyota Prius, Hyundai Ioniq and Volkswagen Tiguan. That said, the NCAP crash test is a laboratory test, and its parameters can be designed in to a car's structure. Only two car makers still have teams that investigate real-world accidents involving their cars and they are Volvo and Mercedes-Benz. Generally speaking, if I'm thinking of safety above all else, those are the two brands I'd look at. 

Expert answer

Hi Alma,

The Nissan Leaf is the most affordable electric car, but the cheapest versions have limited range (less than 160km on a single charge). The new Renault Zoe has a brilliant claimed range of 400km, but that's quite pricey for a small car. The BMW i3 is probably the best electric car around at the moment, but is very expensive, sadly. So, I think the best one for affordability and useable range is probably the Hyundai Ioniq. It gets an easy 200km in real-world driving, it's roomy and not too expensive. Read our test drives of each below:

BMW i3 review

Hyundai Ioniq Electric review

Nissan Leaf review

Renault Zoe review

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Hi Robert,

The estate (or 'Grand Megane' as Renault insisted on calling it) TomTom edition was announced in 2009 and introduced to the market in 2010. It was much better built and more reliable than the previous Megane, but there are still some weak points to keep an eye out for. Those include fragile fuel line clips, burned out coil packs on the 1.6 petrol, particulate filter problems on the 1.5 diesel, electrical problems especially with the windows and the heating system and premature clutch wear.