Anyone interested in looking after or repairing a Zoe or how to terminate a Renault battery lease should have a look at Gary C EV Repairs channel on Youtube, plenty of good videos on there.

I would agree with all of that SLO76.

They aren't good for spirited driving though due to their weight and that makes me still prefer an ICE car (so far) for enjoyment.

Commuting and pottering around, they are a sound buy.

I would agree with all of that SLO76.

They aren't good for spirited driving though due to their weight and that makes me still prefer an ICE car (so far) for enjoyment.

Commuting and pottering around, they are a sound buy.

They go and grip well, but the weight is very obvious when hustling it along.

Whereas my BMW I3 is great fun to drive : much lighter c1350kg vs Zoe c 1500kg .. the benefit of carbon fibre body shell

That the Zoe isn't much fun to hustle is as much to do with its suspension being setup for comfort rather than handling, than it is the weight. Yes, it is a bit porky for a car of that size, but the biggest single aspect of that weight (the battery pack) is right at the bottom as low as it can be and slap bang between front and rear wheels, so they couldn't really do any better with it than they have in that respect.

The i3 is a very different car in terms of purpose and execution, aimed at very different buyers. The aim was to make an ultra modern and ultra lightweight EV which drove as well as a BMW was expected to. For its development, financially, there was pretty much free reign (hence the carbon fibre monocoque). So a comparison with the Zoe isn't very fair!.

That said, I have taken a Zoe on a test drive, and while I wasn't pushing very hard over the 10 miles or so, it's road manners felt absolutely fine to me.

BBD, it pushes wide very easily if pressing on in a series of corners.

Define "pressing on"?. As I said, I wasn't pushing that hard when I had my test drive, but nor was I taking it easy. Difficult to find a stretch of road near me which doesn't contain a series of corners and that was the case then, felt fine to me with not a hint of understeer.

All that weight cannot really be hidden.

I'd be willing to bet they could hide that weight much better than you'd expect had that been their aim.

Colin Chapman had it right all those years ago.

Which parts?. Safety unimportant, driver expendable?

There are a lot of armchairs on wheels on the market these days which is fine if that's what you are after.

I just wish we had adopted Japan's approach for these small islands.

Pretty much all Kei cars are auto (CVT) and have suspension optimised for comfort. Also, because most are loaded with the gadgets and gizmos most modern drivers want, they are not as light as you'd expect a car that small to be. The Suzuki Ignis in its pre-facelift form with manual gearbox is lighter than most Kei cars of the time despite being 30cm longer and 20cm wider. It also has at 89bhp rather than 64bhp (the most any standard Kei can have)

Kei cars are lighter, smaller yet space efficient and would suit quite a few UK driver's needs.

I do love Kei cars, and yes they very small, very space efficient, and undoubtedly would suit many UK drivers needs (if not image). But as I said, they aren't that light in relation to their size*, and with the exception of a few outliers like the Cappuccino, and Beat, most of them really aren't "drivers cars", which is what you seem to place a priority on.

*As an example of a typical tall and boxy Kei, the Honda N-Box in its current form weighs between 910 and 1030kg depending on exact model. Our 2020 Suzuki Ignis with the AGS automatic weighed 865kg and the current Swift (as an automatic) weighs 950kg.

Zoe's do not have a great reputation amongst the motor trade.

Not sure how deserved it is but Aircon/heat pump issues are one of the things cited but the main worry seems to be motor/bearing failures although I don't know if that just affects certain models.