Bolt vs Leaf: These Are the Cheapest New Electric Cars You Can Buy, but Which One Is Best?

The Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Bolt are the cheapest new electric cars on the market, but which on is worth your money?

Watch more videos from TFL Studios:

TFL Podcasts:

#chevroletbold #nissanleaf #EV

[stevenesheim]

I have owned both a 2015 Nissan Leaf and now a 2022 Chevy Bolt LT2. Both are great cars. Our leaf was the first generation with only a 24 kwh battery. It was a local car only, but it was reliable, fun to drive and a great car. When we traded it off for the Bolt it was almost 8 years old and the battery was at 80% state of health. We had planned on driving it for several more years but the trade in value was so high it made sense to do it sooner vs later. Now obviously we decided to go with the Bolt over a new leaf. Why? Range, CCS charging, active battery management, and even though the Bolt is smaller it feels bigger inside. I really like our new Bolt and would recommend it if you need an affordable commuter car. I have taken it in a 500 mile round trip. The slower CCS charging speed added to the time it took but for the few times a year I will be making that trip it is acceptable to me.

[lizburgess]

We have a '23 Bolt EUV and love it. But, I hate that you can't turn the radio off! You can mute it or turn it down, but not off. Why?

[ilikecookies]

I have a 2021 leaf SL Plus. I didn't even consider a Bolt when I was searching in 2021 due to lack of adaptive cruise control. That was paramount for my purchase decision as I sit in a lot of traffic to and from work. Range varies a lot between summer and winter months but the battery has never overheated, even on a 117 degree day in the PNW.

[stephenzerfas]

I have owned a Volt, Bolt and ID4. I personally like where the Bokt has the charge port. Front is more convenient but feels like the areas of the car that takes more snow and ice. My other concern is even a minor fender bender is going to damage an expensive to repair charge port.

[quentin]

This was a really well-done video. I subscribed. I own 2022 Nissan Leaf base model. I just returned home after 1500 mile trip. I get between 5 and 5.4 miles per kWh which means ~175 miles on full charge. Chadmo was never an issue throughout the whole trip though I'd like CCS also. Ater driving. 4 days straight and DC charging non-stop, battery heat only was close to an issue when I drained down to 8% and charged all the way up to 83%--though I wish there was a battery cooling system Space in back hatch is enough to lay down my bicycle. I am 16, 000 miles into this car and do not regret it one bit as a daily commute 30 miles a day. Nissan's quality is high. I considered a Chevy but then it has a history of battery problems---couldn't pull the trigger on a GM with such trust issues.

[hereigoagain]

Tommy gives the real skinny about cars on YouTube. Good for GM and Nissan for making affordable EVs. I'd go with the Bolt to support the home team.

[ryzen]

I like the way the leaf looks more than the chevy. the chevy just looks like a rental car. The chevy also purposely hides the percentage charge. It is ridiculous they don't display that in an electric car.

[jmer]

6:22 as an automotive journalist you should already know why the lights are in the bumper and that it is a rapidly growing trend as most vehicles need to satisfy US and European standards when the rear hatch is opened

[nospamallowed]

Excellent comparison. Very clear and focused on the things that matter.

[zlatonicbuzz]

The back of the new leaf reminds me of the juke with tail lights I love it

[dontbanmebrodontbanme]

With EVs, you have to account for two things when it comes to range.

1. During normal, day to day charging, you're advised to only charge to 80% of a car's range, in order to preserve the battery as much as possible. If the battery in the Leaf is air-cooled, you'll absolutely want to follow this rule as much as possible. So you're already at less than 120 miles.
2. Then in the winter, when you lose range naturally, let's be honest, you'll be lucky if you get 90 miles out of it.

For the average commuter that's doing 45 miles a day, this is more than fine. But I'd much rather go with the 259 miles of range in the Bolt. With its liquid cooled system, the battery will last much longer and you'll get 180 miles out of it, even in cold weather and charging to 80%, which is more than doable. Both cars, however, should work on their charging speeds. 50KW charging makes it such that you really have to plan things out if you're road tripping.

[BIMRFRK]

The funny part is, I compared these two vehicles back in 2018, yes the bolt had more range, but in my market, at that time... it was $10k more than the Leaf SV, and the Leaf was better equipped, lvl2 autonomy, heated front and rear seats, android auto compatibility (I believe the 2018 bolt could only do mirroring). Nice to see Chevrolet stepping up, making it more affordable and a better value... The thing that really set me off with the Bolt though was the hatch storage with the seats up... I use this configuration much more often as I usually have rear seat passengers or a dog, and that was much more functional, so I went with the Leaf instead for my use case, didn't need the range and rarely do fast charging so it being not thermally managed and CHADEMO was a mute point... I do have to say though, after 4 years and 135k km's on the odometer, and other than normal wear and tear, the only thing I've had to replace until recently was a 12v battery. That was until the pressure sensor switch for the AC went, here's where things got ugly with me and Nissan. There was no EV service techs in the area, had to drive to cross the border and get service in Michigan, they spent three whole days diagnosing it, then told me it was a $1600 USD to repair the problem and needed the cash upfront since I was a Canadian customer. I got a second opinion with a dealership in Canada, slightly futher away, they took 2 days diagnosing the same issue (which I already knowledge shared what I believe was the issue). They charged me 2000$ CAD for the fix. Turns out, the pressure switch is welded in place and you need to replace the entire AC lines in a package to fix the broken pressure switch. Whoever engineered that was smoking something... All and all, I have to say the car paid for itself in savings, but man, the dealership service experience has been the worst I ever experienced with any car brands I had in the past... Kind of wish I got the Bolt now...

[williammodlin]

I hope you will put some winter tires on the Bolt and show us how it does in the snow!

[nevco]

There are several facts to be taken into consideration: only Bolt EUV has decent leg room in the rear seats comparable with new LEAF; LEAF has the best luggage capacity, more practical (the calculation of luggage space in LEAF is unfair vs Bolt since companies calculate it differently); upper trims of LEAF versions come with heat pump standard thus in cold weather the range of LEAF plus is comparable with Bolt EUV which does not have the option of a heat pump; there are many more versions of pre own Nissan LEAF on sale these day becoming cheaper and cheaper. Since LEAF has air cooled battery it is advisable to be bought only in colder states, while Bolt in hot climate states. Seats are much better in Bolt EUV especially in Premier trim vs Bolt EV or cheaper trims of Bolt EUV. Bolt EUV in premier trim comes with unique feature: heated rear seats. If charged home at level 2 Bolt has a much faster internal charger 11 kW thus is advisable for longer commute vs LEAF less than 6 kW. Conclusion: in South of the USA if no need to commute with long leg kids buy Bolt EV or better EUV if one has to give ride to kids; up North buy a pre own low mileage Leaf in plus versions giving much better value per each spent dollar. LEAF is predominantly a commute car due to cold and heat gating on the public charging stations especially considering CHADEMO standard is rare while Bolt can be a quite SLOW road tripper due to limited CCS charging speed up till 50 kW. Obviously that makes Bolt a car for people who buy a car to be used for very long time - more than 15 years since it comes with a larger liquid cooled battery charged in DC current under 50 kW without vampire drain. LEAF will last at least 10 years only in colder climates. Finally Bolt still comes with home installation of level 2 EVSE from GM company if bought new. In Northern states both cars can be bought in the same household for commute of 2 people when somebody commutes a longer distance in Bolt and somebody else a shorter one in LEAF but gives the ride to school and back to kids as well.

[WrHwkXX]

the leaf not having a thermally managed battery was the deal breaker for me, so BOLT for me! ⚡⚡🔋🔋

[OldThomMerton]

I do prefer either the front charger or the one in front of doors, so both would work for me. For me, the garage plugs are on my right, but I have a long 12 gauge cord. The charging for road trips would be slow but that would be the only time I'd use a commercial charger.

[miked]

I like so much about the Nissan, but the battery size and thermal regulation are what sent me to the bolt EUV.
- I love the more comfortable ride and buttons galore!
- The heat pump is an added bonus!
However, the larger battery pack & better thermal management sold me on the bolt.
- I have also come to love the one-pedal driving - I only use the hydraulic brakes on sudden stops & to make sure they don't seize up.
- I did have to upgrade to heated seats/steering wheel to reduce reliance on resistive heating.
- The heated seats & wheel are plenty to keep me warm!
- I really only use the air heater to de-fog windshield/windows. Even so, it is a major energy drain!

[jacobcarlson]

@Tommy, I hate to say it; but you goofed up hard. When comparing the cargo capacity of the Bolt you gave it the advantage by mentioning the extra space by folding the seats down, but conveniently didn’t go over the fact that the LEAF seats also fold down for more space. I hope it was an honest oversight, because otherwise it was a relatively good video.

[LouisDuran]

57 cu ft. vs 30 cu ft of storage space is massive for the Chevy Bolt. However, it is completely unbelievable. C'mon man! Use your head. Your facts are wrong.

[tjs]

The reason for the Bolt's brake and signal lights being at the bottom on the rear of the car is because the upper lights are on the hatch, and as such would have to be duplicated to a fixed surface in case the hatch was open. Didn't the pre-refresh Bolt do that? I imagine GM just decided to cut costs by limiting themselves to a single set of fixed lights. The taillight thing has been a DOT law for decades.