Budget EV Battle | Kia Niro EV vs Nissan Leaf

Coming up soon is our full review on the new 200+ mile Leaf Plus, but first, let's talk about how the Leaf in general compares to the newest EV in America: the new Kia Niro EV. With pros and cons on each side, which would you pick?

[whydoineedahandle]

Alex is like a mail carrier, delivers rain, snow, or shine.

[pbziegler]

Bought my Niro EV three weeks ago. Love it. Love it. The best car I have ever owned. Zippy, quiet, 250 miles on a charge. Plenty of room. Only complaint is the back up noise signal is too damn loud.

[danieljones]

I recently bought a leftover 2018 Leaf SV new, the standard not plus. Why did I choose it? Price. I was able to negotiate a big discount. I tried shopping for the Niro EV but if I could even find one, dealers wanted MSRP. Or more. With tax credits and rebates I was able to snag a *NEW* 2018 leaf for ~ 15.5k (MSRP was 37k) In the end, it was all about price. So far I really like it. Its not perfect but again, for the PRICE I couldn't do better. I really like your videos Alex but sometimes I don't think you weigh "REAL" price enough in these discussions. Thank You!

[greenergenes]

liquid cooling and room for a full size spare tire ... go Kia for the win

[shiakas]

The Leaf's lack of active cooling has caused major issues with battery life in hotter climates and has hurt the images of EV's. I dont care if Nissan makes a bit less cash by not adding the trivial 100 year old technology of liquid cooling. And it wont cost less to maintain for not having it, the battery degradation will make the car worthless long before anything else fails on it. Add the cooling Nissan!

[donnolin]

I leased a 2018 Nissan Leaf standard range and couldn’t be happier. Am averaging a good 4.7 miles per kWh and have no issue with fc which I use almost exclusively, and I live in Florida with May temps in the upper 90s with no battery problems. Am getting 180 miles per full 100% charge. Love it.

[bernardcharlesworth]

I think Kia electric cars have a long waiting list in some countries over a year. The leaf is very much available.

[prberg]

Bought the standard LEAF last year and it has been a great car (pricing was really good on it). More basic than some of the other EV's.. but works great, and is much cheaper to run and maintain than a gas vehicle.

[johndoyle]

Thanks, today I put a deposit on the Niro. UK here.

I prefer the standard SUV look.
I like the longer range, I can use the longer range battery to enjoy sport mode for shorter routes, and Eco when i need the range.
Long waiting time in UK, but whatever.
This is not a criticism, just a comment on the difference between our Countries, we say Niss, as in Hiss, and San as in Man.
Thanks for a very good review.

[ReevansElectro]

I am buying the top Soul EV with the 64KW battery. It will arrive onshore in the next week or so.

[tgc]

I will choose e Niro. The opening in the back is more desirable. Having the ability to take a space tire is also a plus. I wonder if there is any improvement for the 2020 model.

[tjs]

Regarding the J1772 Combo 'covers'. I know they seem sloppy; but I can understand why the bottom cover for the DC ports has to go on first- the simple fact that people are going to be using the Level 2 CCS connector far more often, and thus keeping the DC ports covered when not in use.

[TheSeanUhTron]

I would only get a Leaf if I leased it. The lack of cooling for hot days and/or fast charging it will inevitably wear out the batteries faster. The lack of heating really hurts range during the cold days. Not the kind of car I want to be stuck with when the value plummets.

[mrspeigle]

Not a big fan of frontal charge zones. 1 minor tap and you damage a critical energy system. I prefer it on the driver side rear of the body, because the overwhelming majority of the time if you get T-boned hard enough to damage that connector your vehicle is totaled out anyway.

[ggt]

Avoid the Leaf. Without liquid battery cooling you'll be hauling around a brick of useless batteries after a few years.

Also, the Leaf E+ batteries should degrade even faster as the battery pack is denser. This means they fit more cells in nearly the same physical space as the regular leaf. This creates even more heat buildup in the pack.

The only way for Nissan to understand the significance of liquid thermal management for the Leaf is for consumers to avoid buying it. A big decline in sales and profits will get management to consider liquid thermal management.

[oscarlopez]

Kia Niro all the way. Plus the long warranty covers all of the EV system.

[hadtobe]

Leaf has let themselves down with the air cooled battery and the ridiculous subwoofer in the middle of the rear storage area.

[Pikminiman]

It seems obvious to me that the Niro EV is superior to the Leaf due to its liquid-cooled battery, but there's no doubt the Leaf is easier to get. Still, if the Niro EV and Kona EV are what Kia/Hyundai are producing just because they need the ZEV credits, I can't wait to see what their EV output will look like by the time they're truly all-in on all-electric.

[dzoey]

I just finished shopping for an EV to replace my leased 2016 Leaf and I agree with all the points you made. I wound up paying the Tesla premium and couldn't be happier with my model 3.

[Jeanlofy]

Doesn't the Kia Niro have a better warranty than the Leaf?