Our electric van costs £650 a month… we haven’t driven it in seven months – here’s why
A COUPLE who pay £650 a month for their electric van say they have not been able to drive it for seven months.
Jo and Darren Moody are still shelling out for the costly EV despite having no access to it.
The pair, from Derbyshire, have been waiting for their Citroen Berlingo to be repaired for more than half a year after it broke down almost instantly.
They first leased the van in February, only for it to stutter to a halt the next week.
It came back from the shop four weeks later, after Jo had to pay the Highways Agency £150 as the breakdown company couldn’t tow the car within 45 minutes.
However, it only took a further 24 hours to break down a second time.
At that point they sent it off to be repaired by Bristol Street Motors and it has remained at the garage ever since.
Despite that fact, they still have to pay their provider Lex Autolease £650 every month.
The company has provided them with a petrol Ford Transit in the meantime.
But Jo and Darren say they are “horrified” by the service they have received, which has seen them splurge £1,500 on a home charging point that now sits unused.
On top of that, they have to pay for fuel at premium prices to keep the Transit, which they use to help run their shop, on the move.
Jo told Derbyshire Live: “It’s been appalling. We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.
“We’re absolutely horrified by the service we’ve received.”
A spokesperson for Citroen said: “I can confirm that Mr and Mrs Moody have been kept updated on a weekly basis, but we have found it difficult to get responses from them.
“We have made an offer of goodwill and are still awaiting a reply. This includes costs incurred for breakdown and recovery, 50% of the charging point cost and fuel costs for the hire vehicle.”
Lex Autolease said that they offered to cancel the contract in March but that Jo and Darren rejected this as it would have meant losing their replacement car.
A spokesperson said: “We are sorry for the ongoing issues with Mr and Mrs Moody’s vehicle.
“A temporary vehicle has been provided and we are working closely with the manufacturer as it completes its repairs to ensure the vehicle is returned as soon as possible.”
It comes after a motors expert revealed 10 major issues you should know about before buying an EV.
Meanwhile, a personal finance whizz shared his top seven tips for getting the best deal on your car insurance.