Thanks for posting this really informative video, im going to look at one later today, which is a 15 plate Vauxhall Ampera with 122k on the clock. Youve highlighted some top things to be aware of and check over. Hopefully the one im viewing is all ok 🤞
I love my Ampera. Have owned it since 2014, but will be selling it soon as needing a car with bigger boot and 5 seats. Mine was a fleet car owned by Vauxhall in Luton. The lifetime MPG was also very low (46mpg), but that meant the battery pack had hardly been used meaning the batteries were like brand new. The current mpg is 84.6. This car is very cheap to run and if you charge off peak on cheap rate, it can cost as little as 64p which can get you 45-48 miles in summer, winter time around 35 miles. Try and find that range on a BMW plugin. This car is built to last. The only bug bear for me is having to drive to a specialist each year to get it serviced and checked by an approved Vauxhall service center (Bellinger Vauxhall - Grove), thankfully I can get there on a full charge and they fully charge it for me so my return journey is also on electric. Will be sad to see it go :(
Hi. This is a great review. I originally had a 2012 Ampera. Now I own a 2013 Chevrolet Volt (I prefer the styling and also enjoy having an even rarer car in the UK). The later version cars have v1.1 software which has improved brake regen, better battery management and has a neat little graphic on the dash console to show how much energy is being used from the battery. It also shows how the energy from the engine is being split between driving the motors and recharging the batteries. These cars were definitely way ahead of their time, so much so that the market and people just were not ready for them. Love mine, and is the best car for me. I drive mostly shorter journeys using pure electric and have an occasional long journey with the petrol generator providing all the energy the electric drive system needs. I fill up with fuel two or three times a year. If you don’t own one, and want to get into electric cars, the ampera/volt is a great stepping stone and provides the best of both worlds with its electric drive system and petrol range extender.
@@Jazda it was introduced on the MY13 models. As I understand it though, the Ampera/Volt sold so slowly that even a 2014 registered vehicle could still be a pre 2013 model.
@@Jazda rule of thumb: if you have the flip-top box between the rear seats (instead of the Velcro-pouch), you also have the energy distribution display in the DIC.
Actually, one of the electric motors has about 74 HP and the other about 149 HP. Sometimes run together at lowers speeds in electric mode, sometimes only the main 149 HP motor runs at higher speeds, providing more torque (for example during acceleration). When running on gasoline, the first motor is used as a generator to power the main motor.
"And even in some scenarios the 2 electric motors and the petrol motor will all combine to power the propulsion." 🤔 In 2019 we bought our Opel Ampera, model 2014. We drive it electric. At longer distances we switch between electric and petrol depending on driving at the highway or in the cities. For me, electric is motor 1. And if circumstances ask for it, motor 2 will help. (Going up a viaduct, climbing out of a tunnel or speeding up where motor 2 will reduce the speed of motor 1). With switching to petrol, motor 2 will act as the generator. The (bigger) motor 1 will drive the car. Driving is still 'full electric'. And you can hear in the background that driving has no connection with the petrol engine; while going up viaducts or climbing out of a tunnel on Cruise Control the car will maintain speed BUT! you can acually hear the pertol engine speed up! It gives more power to the generator. And slowing down again when extra force is no longer needed. I heard this story of combining the two electric and the petrol motor together but I never experienced a 'scenario' in which that happened. And up to now, nobody could explain me in which scenarios this would happen. But as they say, you're never to old to learn. 😂 Maybe you can point out when this happenes?
Míle buíochas Jazda! But you highlight my problem with this answer. Of course, it wasn't the first time I asked and always the answers are, "I have read" or "didn't experience myself" or "Saw it in a movie at TH-cam but can't find it right now." 🙂 And let's go back to the beginning, the car was sold as a Serial Hybrid and not a Parallel Hybrid! So, no connection between the petrol engine and the drive-train. And what should be the advantage of driving that way? I mean, the battery is empty. So the petrol engine is feeding motor 2 which is the generator for motor 1. If there was a direct connection, the petrol engine would drive the car (Parallel Hybrid!) not motor 2 and motor 2 isn't feeding motor 1. And all that would happen at top speed? (I think 169km/h is the cap) That would give a nice vortex in the petrol tank! 😂
2 years ago I almost bought ampera , all I had to do was pickup.I backed out as was concerned how to get it serviced and parts and concerned with low seating postion as have bad back ,worried about getting in and out of ampera. regretted Not buying it.
Thanks for the Review. Im driving an Ioniq 2017 28kwh bev at present. With used prices so high for my Ioniq and Most Electric cars i was thinking about selling my Ioniq and buying one of these, that are going for around 10k average and the Ioniq 18k or more. Plan to upgrade to a much larger EV battery eventually so the money saved would add a bit to my deposit albeit the Car would be worth less than my Ioniq as Trade in. I rent an Ice on longer Trips to Donegal and Connemara and have short Commutes.
We still love ours, but I'm not sure I'd cash out on your Ioniq to get an Ampera. It's all about the devil you know - if your Ioniq is running well, you may be better off keeping it and trading it when you want a bigger battery. The Ampera will be older so you'd need to make sure it has a service history. Amperas hold their value well in the second hand market, but I can't imagine you'd get much for a trade in as dealers have no clue what they are, as they were never sold in Ireland.
Thanks for the great review. Own one myself and very fond of it but had a few issue and faults. Is there anywhere in the south of Ireland that are prepared to service these? Opel won’t touch them so it’s Vauxhall in the North otherwise.
I saw it mentioned on the Ampera UK Facebook group that these guys in Dublin can work on Amperas: www.bmg.ie I haven't used them myself, but a friend uses them for his Renault and has had a good experience.
Test drove a hybrid Yaris and an Ampera and it boggles me why anyone would get the Yaris for roughly the same price. Made an absolute racket at 80kmh and the throttle response is that of a regular petrol car. I can't charge at home so the Yaris would be significantly cheaper to run even though it only takes petrol, but the Ampera is in an entirely different class.
You're right. You can't really compare them as they are so different. After 4 years of owning the Ampera, my wife wants to get a new car, but we're struggling to decide on what comes next... probably a full EV
another great review.. much appreciated as its so imformative. This car seems to fly under the radar for sure and i remember you did and have a CRZ as well. You mention about the 'Granny charger' does this mean this car can be charger directly from home with an extension lead... and how long to charge using the 'Granny charger'
Yes. You can use a regular 3 pin socket. Takes much longer. 6-8 hours as far as I remember but not sure. We only used it until we got a proper charger installed.
@@Jazda the oil engine never drives the wheels. no matter the mode used or the scenario. so when you say that in certain situations the oil engines combine with the other 2 electric motors. it is through one of the 2 other electric motors. and not directly to the wheels.
@@Jazda what year is your ampera? Would you favor the 2013/2014 versions in terms of reliability and improvements? in particular the failure of the coolant system which requires software and electronic reprogramming of the lithium traction battery. which reduces the usable capacity of the battery and therefore the autonomy.
Good video. I will be looking to buy one early next year hopefully. Did the later models have the Bluetooth audio? As in the 2013 onwards? I thought I read somewhere that they did.
How do compare your Ampera to your i3? I almost bought an Ampera but ended up getting an i3 instead. It was a weigh up between electric range for commuting or the odd long distance road trip. I love the i3, but sometimes wonder if I'd feel the same way with an Ampera.
Very very different cars. The Ampera is more comfortable but no where near as fun to drive. Personally, I'd pick the i3, but the Ampera is also a great car.
QUALITY Buyers Guide review right here, thanks a lot for that! Looking to get 1 of these in the next couple of months, and experienced the grazing you mentioned from the front bumper/skirt, which I can see being a problem. Can this be removed? & Has yours ever got the car stuck? 🤔 Also, what was that device you used for the Bluetooth streaming? 👀That was something else I saw as a BIG NEGATIVE!
The front splitter has taken a beating for the last 2 years and its holding up well, so you don't really need to worry about it getting damage. I just brought it up in case you freaked out the first time you hear it and are unsure what happened. Bluetooth unit was an MPOW one from Amazon, but there are loads of them on there for very cheap.
Jazda Fair enough, I get it, and appreciate the inclusion of info. 'cause I did notice it on my test drive, and realised it was because of the low front/splitter 😕 Does it look/seem easily removable though? Cool, MPOW's a good company, I just didn't think it was an easily workaroundable issue....Glad to hear it is though!👌🏾 Lastly, can faster charging stations really not charge it quicker than 3HRS?
I *think* the splitter is separate from the undertray so can likely be removed, but you'll lose a little efficiency. As for the fast charging, even if you could hook it up to a Tesla supercharger, it would still take the same amount of time to charge - it's a limitation of the on board charger.
@@Jazda thanks for the reply, i have a bmw i3 rex as i will never never never public charge , i am to old to play hunt the charger and wait...but i love the electric drive and it only costs me 2p a mile in fuel...
It's not really a driver's car. Steering has zero feedback. It's decent enough in the turns though. More of a commuter car and motorway muncher than backroad blaster. The generator setup did take off kind of - there's a few of them around, including the BMW i3.
@@Jazda yes, i exchanged couple of texts with that guy in the last couple of weeks, the problem is is not quite in Cork, but some 40 km away, hard to get there on Sundays when I'm off. He's no car history, I also checked the car on Cartell, there's some red flags there too.
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Thanks for posting this really informative video, im going to look at one later today, which is a 15 plate Vauxhall Ampera with 122k on the clock. Youve highlighted some top things to be aware of and check over. Hopefully the one im viewing is all ok 🤞
Good luck 🍀
Great video, I'll hopefully be getting one of these soon. That selfie stick looks like you've made it invisible, very nice garage :)
Thanks. It's a 360 degree camera that automatically edits out the selfie stick.
I love my Ampera. Have owned it since 2014, but will be selling it soon as needing a car with bigger boot and 5 seats. Mine was a fleet car owned by Vauxhall in Luton. The lifetime MPG was also very low (46mpg), but that meant the battery pack had hardly been used meaning the batteries were like brand new. The current mpg is 84.6.
This car is very cheap to run and if you charge off peak on cheap rate, it can cost as little as 64p which can get you 45-48 miles in summer, winter time around 35 miles. Try and find that range on a BMW plugin. This car is built to last.
The only bug bear for me is having to drive to a specialist each year to get it serviced and checked by an approved Vauxhall service center (Bellinger Vauxhall - Grove), thankfully I can get there on a full charge and they fully charge it for me so my return journey is also on electric.
Will be sad to see it go :(
how much do they charge for the service?
Erm...did you sell the car or do you still have it? :)
Hi. This is a great review. I originally had a 2012 Ampera. Now I own a 2013 Chevrolet Volt (I prefer the styling and also enjoy having an even rarer car in the UK). The later version cars have v1.1 software which has improved brake regen, better battery management and has a neat little graphic on the dash console to show how much energy is being used from the battery. It also shows how the energy from the engine is being split between driving the motors and recharging the batteries.
These cars were definitely way ahead of their time, so much so that the market and people just were not ready for them. Love mine, and is the best car for me. I drive mostly shorter journeys using pure electric and have an occasional long journey with the petrol generator providing all the energy the electric drive system needs. I fill up with fuel two or three times a year.
If you don’t own one, and want to get into electric cars, the ampera/volt is a great stepping stone and provides the best of both worlds with its electric drive system and petrol range extender.
Thanks for the info. What year did the V1.1 software come in from?
@@Jazda it was introduced on the MY13 models. As I understand it though, the Ampera/Volt sold so slowly that even a 2014 registered vehicle could still be a pre 2013 model.
@@Jazda rule of thumb: if you have the flip-top box between the rear seats (instead of the Velcro-pouch), you also have the energy distribution display in the DIC.
Great thoughts. Except people were ready for the car just not the £40k tap. It was overpriced.
Just viewed. Excellent all round helpful and informative video.
Actually, one of the electric motors has about 74 HP and the other about 149 HP. Sometimes run together at lowers speeds in electric mode, sometimes only the main 149 HP motor runs at higher speeds, providing more torque (for example during acceleration). When running on gasoline, the first motor is used as a generator to power the main motor.
I believe the peteol motor has 86hp and the electric has 149.
Thank you. This is very good review. I've rarely seen this car on the roads, so almost forgot about it.
Yeah, pity they were overpriced when they were new.
"And even in some scenarios the 2 electric motors and the petrol motor will all combine to power the propulsion." 🤔
In 2019 we bought our Opel Ampera, model 2014. We drive it electric. At longer distances we switch between electric and petrol depending on driving at the highway or in the cities.
For me, electric is motor 1. And if circumstances ask for it, motor 2 will help. (Going up a viaduct, climbing out of a tunnel or speeding up where motor 2 will reduce the speed of motor 1).
With switching to petrol, motor 2 will act as the generator. The (bigger) motor 1 will drive the car. Driving is still 'full electric'. And you can hear in the background that driving has no connection with the petrol engine; while going up viaducts or climbing out of a tunnel on Cruise Control the car will maintain speed BUT! you can acually hear the pertol engine speed up! It gives more power to the generator. And slowing down again when extra force is no longer needed.
I heard this story of combining the two electric and the petrol motor together but I never experienced a 'scenario' in which that happened.
And up to now, nobody could explain me in which scenarios this would happen. But as they say, you're never to old to learn. 😂
Maybe you can point out when this happenes?
I've not experienced it myself, but I've read that when travelling at very high speed (160km/h+) it can occur.
Míle buíochas Jazda! But you highlight my problem with this answer. Of course, it wasn't the first time I asked and always the answers are, "I have read" or "didn't experience myself" or "Saw it in a movie at TH-cam but can't find it right now." 🙂
And let's go back to the beginning, the car was sold as a Serial Hybrid and not a Parallel Hybrid! So, no connection between the petrol engine and the drive-train.
And what should be the advantage of driving that way? I mean, the battery is empty. So the petrol engine is feeding motor 2 which is the generator for motor 1.
If there was a direct connection, the petrol engine would drive the car (Parallel Hybrid!) not motor 2 and motor 2 isn't feeding motor 1.
And all that would happen at top speed? (I think 169km/h is the cap)
That would give a nice vortex in the petrol tank! 😂
You're probably right. Just drive and enjoy!
We will! The car is 10 years old now and it passed the Dutch MOT last month without a problem! 👍
2 years ago I almost bought ampera , all I had to do was pickup.I backed out as was concerned how to get it serviced and parts and concerned with low seating postion as have bad back ,worried about getting in and out of ampera. regretted Not buying it.
Really nice review! Glad you shared your experiences with this car. 🙂
Best Vauxhall ever made....
Personally, I'd prefer a VX220 Turbo, but I guess that's not a "proper" Vauxhall 😂
Great review 👍 looking at getting one of these for a run about. Cheap car to have as a second car.
Its the only car with no degredation off the batterypack.
Wait, surely not true?
Thanks for the Review. Im driving an Ioniq 2017 28kwh bev at present. With used prices so high for my Ioniq and Most Electric cars i was thinking about selling my Ioniq and buying one of these, that are going for around 10k average and the Ioniq 18k or more. Plan to upgrade to a much larger EV battery eventually so the money saved would add a bit to my deposit albeit the Car would be worth less than my Ioniq as Trade in. I rent an Ice on longer Trips to Donegal and Connemara and have short Commutes.
We still love ours, but I'm not sure I'd cash out on your Ioniq to get an Ampera. It's all about the devil you know - if your Ioniq is running well, you may be better off keeping it and trading it when you want a bigger battery. The Ampera will be older so you'd need to make sure it has a service history. Amperas hold their value well in the second hand market, but I can't imagine you'd get much for a trade in as dealers have no clue what they are, as they were never sold in Ireland.
Thanks for the great review. Own one myself and very fond of it but had a few issue and faults. Is there anywhere in the south of Ireland that are prepared to service these? Opel won’t touch them so it’s Vauxhall in the North otherwise.
I saw it mentioned on the Ampera UK Facebook group that these guys in Dublin can work on Amperas: www.bmg.ie
I haven't used them myself, but a friend uses them for his Renault and has had a good experience.
hallo beste wat kan ik its vragen welke koelvloistof moet ik bijvoelen want 2 soort kool system
Pre-mixed Dexcool (or equivalent) for both coolant systems.
Geen gewone koelvloeistof, krijg je de gekste storingen. Enkel dexcool gebruiken. Koelwater accupack elke 150000km verversen door je dealer
Thank you very much!
Thanks for the video! I'm planning to buy a 2013 version, is it the same probems?
Yes
I live in the US and have a 2013 Volt. I wonder how hard it would be to swap the bumper cover and the grill and really confuse people?
Not sure to be honest, but I do prefer the look of the Ampera over the Volt.
Such a shame that that they never brought the second gen Volt to Europe. I love mine to pieces
True. Or the Spark.
Test drove a hybrid Yaris and an Ampera and it boggles me why anyone would get the Yaris for roughly the same price. Made an absolute racket at 80kmh and the throttle response is that of a regular petrol car. I can't charge at home so the Yaris would be significantly cheaper to run even though it only takes petrol, but the Ampera is in an entirely different class.
You're right. You can't really compare them as they are so different. After 4 years of owning the Ampera, my wife wants to get a new car, but we're struggling to decide on what comes next... probably a full EV
another great review.. much appreciated as its so imformative. This car seems to fly under the radar for sure and i remember you did and have a CRZ as well. You mention about the 'Granny charger' does this mean this car can be charger directly from home with an extension lead... and how long to charge using the 'Granny charger'
Yes. You can use a regular 3 pin socket. Takes much longer. 6-8 hours as far as I remember but not sure. We only used it until we got a proper charger installed.
@@Jazda thank you
@@Jazda the oil engine never drives the wheels. no matter the mode used or the scenario. so when you say that in certain situations the oil engines combine with the other 2 electric motors. it is through one of the 2 other electric motors. and not directly to the wheels.
@@Jazda what year is your ampera? Would you favor the 2013/2014 versions in terms of reliability and improvements? in particular the failure of the coolant system which requires software and electronic reprogramming of the lithium traction battery. which reduces the usable capacity of the battery and therefore the autonomy.
I only have experience of our 2014 and haven't seen any cooling issues.
Good video. I will be looking to buy one early next year hopefully. Did the later models have the Bluetooth audio? As in the 2013 onwards? I thought I read somewhere that they did.
They all have Bluetooth calling as far as I know, but it doesn't support streaming music. Not sure if the later ones do.
@@Jazda yeah sorry that's what I meant, Bluetooth music streaming. No worries cheers.
How do compare your Ampera to your i3? I almost bought an Ampera but ended up getting an i3 instead. It was a weigh up between electric range for commuting or the odd long distance road trip. I love the i3, but sometimes wonder if I'd feel the same way with an Ampera.
Very very different cars. The Ampera is more comfortable but no where near as fun to drive. Personally, I'd pick the i3, but the Ampera is also a great car.
Very very informative, thank you very much.
Glad it was helpful!
QUALITY Buyers Guide review right here, thanks a lot for that! Looking to get 1 of these in the next couple of months, and experienced the grazing you mentioned from the front bumper/skirt, which I can see being a problem. Can this be removed? & Has yours ever got the car stuck? 🤔
Also, what was that device you used for the Bluetooth streaming? 👀That was something else I saw as a BIG NEGATIVE!
The front splitter has taken a beating for the last 2 years and its holding up well, so you don't really need to worry about it getting damage. I just brought it up in case you freaked out the first time you hear it and are unsure what happened.
Bluetooth unit was an MPOW one from Amazon, but there are loads of them on there for very cheap.
Jazda Fair enough, I get it, and appreciate the inclusion of info. 'cause I did notice it on my test drive, and realised it was because of the low front/splitter 😕 Does it look/seem easily removable though?
Cool, MPOW's a good company, I just didn't think it was an easily workaroundable issue....Glad to hear it is though!👌🏾
Lastly, can faster charging stations really not charge it quicker than 3HRS?
I *think* the splitter is separate from the undertray so can likely be removed, but you'll lose a little efficiency. As for the fast charging, even if you could hook it up to a Tesla supercharger, it would still take the same amount of time to charge - it's a limitation of the on board charger.
OK, cool. Something I'll try look into. Thanks again!
@@DNA_LDN there is also a smaller version of this rubber lib available (original part).
Thank you!
How the hell did you filmed this? :o I saw that sometimes you had both hands free... It's a 360º camara, but nice edition tho!!
Yep. Selfie stick an Insta360.
@@Jazda Nice!!! My ampera arrives in less than 10 days 😁
@@mafaldasousa1683 where did you buy yours? I'm also looking to purchase
@@tekkers313 In second hand in my country
which do you prefer this or your bmw i3
I don't own either car anymore, the the BMW i3 was a far better car. We have an Electric Kona now which is even better!
@@Jazda thanks for the reply, i have a bmw i3 rex as i will never never never public charge , i am to old to play hunt the charger and wait...but i love the electric drive and it only costs me 2p a mile in fuel...
The real question what's it like to drive ? Never heard of these, why do ya think the petrol generator electric drive never took off??
It's not really a driver's car. Steering has zero feedback. It's decent enough in the turns though. More of a commuter car and motorway muncher than backroad blaster. The generator setup did take off kind of - there's a few of them around, including the BMW i3.
bmw i3 rex the biggest i3 seller
Do you still have the Ampera? I'm looking to buy one, very hard to find.
Yep. Still have it. Are you based in Ireland?
@@Jazda Yes, Dublin.
There's a black one for sale in Cork on Donedeal at the moment. It's a little pricey, but looks good in the photos.
@@Jazda yes, i exchanged couple of texts with that guy in the last couple of weeks, the problem is is not quite in Cork, but some 40 km away, hard to get there on Sundays when I'm off. He's no car history, I also checked the car on Cartell, there's some red flags there too.
I don't remember seeing one of those on the roads in the last 15 years since I landed here. :)