The Early Nissan Leaf Is A Very Cheap EV - But Here’s Why You Should Never Buy One!

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[theaterlightman]

This is a perfect teenager car, go to school and back with no frills. With a used car tax break they are almost free

[tyroneshulace]

Own a 2014 leaf sl, live in western nc. Dont need a garage to charge, we trickle charge overnight from outlet on porch. Wake up to a full charge, as a retired couple this car has and contiunes to serve us well, 7 years of no maintenance, just rotate tires, replace wiper blades and in cabin filter. Our 4x4 suv is used so little we only fill the tank once a year! Still have 11 bars, perfect run around car for us. 😊

[-Jethro-]

Hang on, you’re completely missing a big part of the story here: Yes, the 2011 - 2012 are a hard pass, but starting around March 2013, they greatly improved the battery and added an optional heat pump. I bought a used 2013 in 2017 and it has been a wonderful commuter car here in the Pacific NW. The whole family loves it, and now my son drives it to college every day, and the battery is still at 80% of its original capacity. The realistic 100% range is still 70+ miles. This is surely helped by the mild weather here and the fact that we always limit the charge to 80%. If you do your research, you can get a great first EV / commuter car with a used Leaf. (Just please don’t buy a new one. There are way better EVs out there now).

[MattLesak]

One thing I will give Nissan credit for is battery health transparency. No manufacturer made it as easy as they did to glance at the dash and see overall health of the pack. Loved my 2015 but I don't see how the economics work out for battery replacement unless you get the car for next to nothing.

[donE]

Good news about the Nissan Leaf. I own both a 15 and a 16 Nissan Leaf. the 15 has 54K and still has 11 bars. It was from the San Francisco area and was never DC fast charged. My wife and I live in the Washington State and my wife will drive this Leaf all day long and still go over 80 miles in her daily commutes. If She uses freeway only, the range will degrade to about 60. Around town is the key. For example, our newer 16 Leaf has 43K on it and still has all 12 battery life meter bars. If I drive around town and no freeway. I can go over 90 miles on one charge. It's an amazing bargain if you have a secondary vehicle for out of town trips, only use the Leaf for daily short commutes, and then plug in at home with a level 1 or 2 charger. Gas prices here in Washington state are hovering around 5 bucks a gallon, but my wife hasn't had to use a drop of gas in the last 6 months since owning the Leaf. They are peppy quiet and comfortable and can be had for under 8K.
On a side note, I almost bought a third 2015 Leaf at auction. It had over 120K on it and still had 10 battery life bars. I was hoping to get for under 2k, but it went for 3k.

[pfunk]

I've owned a 2015 Leaf for 5 years, which I got for $10k and I've put about 30k miles on it. I'm still waiting for that degradation that's been promised. Still at 11 bars like when i bought it. The ultimate in affordable, reliable and practical semi-urban transportation. Less flaky doing car things than my Rivian.

[Theaggressivesalad]

Me and the missus have bought one over here in England. It's only got a range of roughly 60 miles but its more than enough for what i use it for.

I live very close to work so i can walk it in 15 minutes but I've been using this a lot lately with the awful weather as well as doing local journeys (shopping/swimming etc) and we can't fault it! We're only charging it on the home charger when it gets to 15-20 miles so fingers crossed it'll last. We've got a diesel Kia Ceed we use if we need to go any further.

The range isn't great, but if you're only using it locally you can't beat it!

[charchar_welcome]

Great first car. My husband and I Purchased a 2014 Leaf for my daughter to get back and forth from school. Paid $2800 from a nice gentleman has 8 bars 70 miles @ 100%. Charge it at home, hardly noticeable on my electricity bill. I live in So Cal, got the Edison rebate $4000 (you do the math). Car drives perfectly made $1000 off of this car. My daughter loves her leaf. And the added bonus is me and my hubby don’t have to fork out gas $.

[MarriottLatino]

I own a 2011 Nissan Leaf .. gives me 40 miles full charge .. it's a Great car to go to work if you live close by .. I charge it every 4 days .. and the cost to buy one was only $2500.. saying that .. before buying this car over s month ago I was paying $135 a week on Gas on my truck.. close to $500 a month .. plus maintenance.. your looking at $6k a year .. owning the leaf over a month has been awesome..passing gas pumps in California for $5.89 a gallon .. and this car has a awesome stereo .. great speakers and XM radio .. don't listen you this guy ..it's worth it.. for short communtes around town .. for long distance..keep your other car .. but short distance .. BEST CAR EVER

[jiovaniloncarevic]

Many people buy these cheap and swap them with the newer 40kwh or 62kwh batteries that get around 200 miles of range, totally costing about 14k "ready to ride". The new batteries are exactly the same shape and size as the old ones and companies like Ingenex make conversion plug kits for it.

[sgrdpdrsn]

I just bought a 2012 24kvh car gone 100 000 km with 12 of 12 bars. I paid about $6500 for the car (NOK 69900). It can go about 150 km in summer. I am OK with it!

[OwnYourOwnBus]

I love the LEAF! I had a 2013 SV. Fastcharged the battery pack down 2 bars in just 2 years, and sold it to a guy with a short commute in town. I should have never sold that car! I would definitely buy another one for $1k.
One thing about the LEAF I love is Nissan KNOWS how to make a car. This car has a respectably comfy interior with appropriate functionality. I’m not a fan of all these copycat touchscreen EVs hitting the marketplace. That stuff is a nuisance to deal with, especially while driving.

[KennyGillis]

Only the 2011 and 2012 had severe battery issues. I bought a 2013 model S five years ago it's still at 10 bars. Still goes 70 miles in the summer, less in the cold. Best car I've ever owned. Only spent $120 on charging for 25, 000 miles due to free charging at work. Only spent $200 in maintenance including tires (I buy barely used ones from CL and Facebook Marketplace).

[jamespaul]

Tommy you missed the fact that it is a perfect cheap vehicle that costs almost nothing to run and would be ideal for the proverbial old lady who uses it for grocery trips and chuch on Sundays.😊 Some offices also have charging available, which could make this a good commuter vehicle.

[wzDH]

For a battery replacement, a 62 kWh long range upgrade will set one back approximately $16k. Basically a Chevy Bolt upgrade, with well over 200 miles, for $18k - $20k (car + battery upgrade). A flop for resale value, but a bargain as a daily driver. Curious if anyone attempted this.

[Totalyscuffed]

I’m buying one tomorrow, $1, 900 bucks I have a 22 mile round-trip and right at the bottom of my hill, is a free charging station

[directorjustin]

I wish there was a way to remove the Leaf from average EV battery longevity studies. You just know this car alone drags that number down way more than it would be otherwise.

[laloajuria]

unfortunately have to agree. however, this car is perfect for a teen driver or student. low range, have to come home, and cheap.

[joshc]

So let’s say you get this car for 2500, spend 4, 000 for a new upgraded battery. You still have a super cheap EV with low miles. I don’t think it sounds so bad with todays car prices. Would I do it? Nope haha

[djksfhakhaks]

I bought my 2011 used a year ago. Its got over 100k miles on it. Fully charged the battery gets 65 miles. It hasent fallen at all since we got it. Maybe four times a year we use a fast charger but for the majority of the time its plugged into 110. It drives about 20 miles a day, usually has heat or ac on. If its really cold or hot out ill even leave it running and locked to go shopping. Oh. Also, ive never had to change the oil in it.