LEAF owners/experience

[AtomicPunk]

After all my rants against, I'm seriously considering getting an EV. Quite the hypocrite; perhaps I have a future in politics. But I digress...

Anyone have a LEAF or have experience with one in the past? Looking at a 2018 SL with 30k, but unsure (and ignorant) about range and battery degradation. Really surprised how much I liked it on the test drive. My daily commute is 55 miles round trip, 90% highway; will the 40kwh be enough, or should I get the newer Plus?
Thanks in advance for any info posted.

[Fummins]

Karl has a 2012 Leaf. I don't know much about them. https://mirageforum.com/forum/showth...l=1#post149706

[Top_Fuel]

Any reason you are looking at a Leaf instead of something like a Chevy Bolt?

Are the winters cold where you live?

[AtomicPunk]

Any reason you are looking at a Leaf instead of something like a Chevy Bolt?

Are the winters cold where you live?

There's several available near me (vs. Bolt) and cheaper than the Bolt. Also, I'm not a fan of GM.

My winters are the same as yours, as I believe we're in the same general area. You have a shorter drive to grab a Bill's donut if I remember right.

[Top_Fuel]

I'm not a Leaf expert. A friend of mine owns 2 of them. One is a 2015 and the other a 2017. He likes them but they are mainly used around town because the range on older Leafs is pretty limited. I think the range on his 2015 is something like 70 miles on a good day.

According to this article, the range of a 2018 is about 150 miles. I asked about winter because that's where an EV's range takes a dive. If the range drops by close to 50% in extreme cold and that battery has degraded a bit (10%?) since 2018, then a 55 mile freeway commute (in extreme cold) might put you close to the battery's capacity. I hate to quote Consumer Reports but you can check out this article regarding winter EV battery range. I think you'd be fine 99% of the time because our winters aren't that cold.

Do you have a garage and/or the ability to charge at home with a Level 2 (240 volt) charger?

I mentioned the Bolt because every used Bolt is getting a new 66 kWH battery with a warranty. So even if a Bolt is a little more expensive, it might represent a better value with a new battery. I owned a Bolt for the last 2 years and sold it (that's a whole other story and I will post a separate thread on that later).

My winters are the same as yours, as I believe we're in the same general area. You have a shorter drive to grab a Bill's donut if I remember right.

How did I forget that you're in my area?!?

[AtomicPunk]

I'm not a Leaf expert. A friend of mine owns 2 of them. One is a 2015 and the other a 2017. He likes them but they are mainly used around town because the range on older Leafs is pretty limited. I think the range on his 2015 is something like 70 miles on a good day.

According to this article, the range of a 2018 is about 150 miles. I asked about winter because that's where an EV's range takes a dive. If the range drops by close to 50% in extreme cold and that battery has degraded a bit (10%?) since 2018, then a 55 mile freeway commute (in extreme cold) might put you close to the battery's capacity. I hate to quote Consumer Reports but you can check out this article regarding winter EV battery range. I think you'd be fine 99% of the time because our winters aren't that cold.

Do you have a garage and/or the ability to charge at home with a Level 2 (240 volt) charger?

I mentioned the Bolt because every used Bolt is getting a new 66 kWH battery with a warranty. So even if a Bolt is a little more expensive, it might represent a better value with a new battery. I owned a Bolt for the last 2 years and sold it (that's a whole other story and I will post a separate thread on that later).


How did I forget that you're in my area?!?

Did not know that about the Bolt and new batteries. I do have a garage and would install a level 2 charger for overnight charging were I to purchase. Wasnt planning ever going ev, but had a close call heath-wise in December, and figure "get busy livin', or get busy dyin'". Maybe try some new tech before I kick it. But I don't have a Tesla budget, and honestly the LEAF seems to have fairly good reliability, from what I've read so far. Thanks for the info!

[Top_Fuel]

I got interested in EV's when my friend took me for a ride in his Leaf. Let's face it...a Leaf feels like a Top Fuel dragster after riding in a Mirage!

I had a Bolt for 2 years and only charged it using a 120 volt outlet (which adds about 4 miles of range per hour). I never drove the Bolt anywhere except around town, so I never had a need to charge it any faster. If I was doing the commute you have, I would have installed a Level 2 charger.

[MetroMPG]

Friend of mine has a 2018? Since new, now with about 80k kms / 50k miles on it. Loves it - no problems.

Wait... I think he recently did front pads/rotors. Not from wear but due to corrosion on the rotors from lack of use.

Not sure which battery, but I think he said he gets 220+ km in warm weather. Mostly rural driving.

[Mark]

There's several available near me (vs. Bolt) and cheaper than the Bolt. Also, I'm not a fan of GM.

My winters are the same as yours, as I believe we're in the same general area. You have a shorter drive to grab a Bill's donut if I remember right.

I looked up the difference between them, because I did not know.

Nissan Leaf MSRP = starts @ $28,040
Chevy Bolt EV MSRP = starts @ $26,500
Chevy Bolt EUV MSRP = starts @ $27,800

I believe the same $7,500 tax credit would apply to all of them. In my area the Bolt would be more popular, because there are 13 different Chevy dealerships within a 50 mile radius of the county seat (Richland Center). By comparison, there would be 0 Nissan dealerships within that same radius.

I know two who live in RC, but work in Viroqua (approximately 35 miles apart), & they both use a Bolt to commute to work. One is driving a new 2023 Bolt (got it earlier this month), & the other is driving an older model. The new Bolt is charged at home (set up a 220 for it). The older Bolt is charged at work, but he works for a Chevy dealership. He used to work for them years ago, & he left to work at a closer Chevy dealership. They wanted to lure him back, & provided him with an EV to drive back & forth to work. It's plastered with dealership advertisements, but I doubt he cares.

I know a third family that got a 2023 Bolt earlier this month, too. The two that bought the 2023 Bolts recently are guys who research the heck out of everything.

[MetroMPG]

I had a Bolt for 2 years and only charged it using a 120 volt outlet (which adds about 4 miles of range per hour). I never drove the Bolt anywhere except around town, so I never had a need to charge it any faster.

That's funny - I was just going to post the same story about a friend with a Bolt who did the same thing (no level 2 charger at home). And the battery is big enough that even if he did "extra" driving, he caught up over the next night's charge (or two).