Leaf or Volt as first car?

[edatoakrun]

Hey all,

I've been following this forum since I was about 15, when I seriously started believing in the EV Revolution. Since I'll be going away to college in less than a year, I have been debating in my head whether or not to get an '11-'15 Chevy Volt or a '11-15 Nissan Leaf, used of course. ...

I suggest you consider why used BEV prices are so low today, and for the same reason you probably would want to lease a new BEV, rather than buy a used one.

The inability of compliance BEV manufacturers to sell new BEVs has led to incredibly cheap lease rates.

For California residents who qualify for $4,000 or higher rebates, you just can't beat a ~free new BEV for
~three years at current highly subsidized lease rates:

Best BEV lease/sale deals, 2016

8/13 survey posted, and compliance BEV (and Chevy volt) lease costs just keep going lower, and it looks like GM (+ CARB, $4,000 rebate) may actually pay you to drive a Spark for three years:

http://ev-vin.blogspot.com/2016/07/current-lease-offers-for-selected-evs.html

Notice the lowest rates are almost all in CA.

The LEAF S is now the costliest non-Tesla powered BEV you can lease in CA ?

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=21614&p=455353#p455353

 

[Spectre12]

I was thinking of going the leasing route with the help of my parents as I'm a minor, but I'm worried about the mileage limitations on those deals. Furthermore, having to either give up my car or buy it in the middle of college sounds like a hassle. I'll have to research and think more about all of the available options and deals out there in the months to come.

 

[LeftieBiker]

If you lease a car with a low residual (this is the only option for Leafs at the moment) then leasing and then buying it is little or no more expensive than buying it upfront. There is the added advantage of not being 'stuck' with a rapidly-depreciating car as well. You can also negotiate more allowable miles up front.

 

[RegGuheert]

If you lease a car with a low residual (this is the only option for Leafs at the moment) then leasing and then buying it is little or no more expensive than buying it upfront. There is the added advantage of not being 'stuck' with a rapidly-depreciating car as well. You can also negotiate more allowable miles up front.

The other big benefit of leasing is that you get the $7000 tax break even if you don't have the income to allow you to take it.

 

[jjeff]

If you lease a car with a low residual (this is the only option for Leafs at the moment) then leasing and then buying it is little or no more expensive than buying it upfront. There is the added advantage of not being 'stuck' with a rapidly-depreciating car as well. You can also negotiate more allowable miles up front.

The other big benefit of leasing is that you get the $7000 tax break even if you don't have the income to allow you to take it.

Good point! But besides income the amount of taxes withheld is also important. I wasn't able to fully take advantage of the $7000 tax break because my the particular year I purchased my Leaf my withholding(or maybe it was tax liability....) was something like $2000 less than $7k, still got ~ a $5k break but not the full $7k of course the year before and years after would have been no problem to get the full $7k but I guess thats the way it works! but in my case leasing may have been the way to go.....

 

[Spectre12]

I keep forgetting about the tax credits and rebates available. The tax credit alone would be enough to get into a lease and the rebate will help over the course of it. The only thing is that I haven't seen many lease deals on the 30 Kwh Leaf since it hit dealerships. Going new, should I still consider the Leaf when there are a lot more options out there?

 

[GRA]

I keep forgetting about the tax credits and rebates available. The tax credit alone would be enough to get into a lease and the rebate will help over the course of it. The only thing is that I haven't seen many lease deals on the 30 Kwh Leaf since it hit dealerships. Going new, should I still consider the Leaf when there are a lot more options out there?

If you can qualify for a lease the Spark EV is the best BEV deal going now if its range meets your needs, essentially allowing you to drive a car for 3 years for nothing. Unlike the LEAF it's got a liquid-cooled Active TMS, so the battery will degrade slower in L.A. temps. It's smaller and more fun to drive than the LEAF, albeit not as good a car for long cruising (which neither is capable of) or ride generally. Just depends on your personal preferences, but if you can wait until the Bolt is out, prices on the Gen 1 BEVs will probably plummet.

If you get a new Spark EV on lease, 3 years from now you'll have far more and better options.

 

[RegGuheert]

I keep forgetting about the tax credits and rebates available. The tax credit alone would be enough to get into a lease and the rebate will help over the course of it. The only thing is that I haven't seen many lease deals on the 30 Kwh Leaf since it hit dealerships. Going new, should I still consider the Leaf when there are a lot more options out there?

There is supposed to be a LEAF with a 40-kWh battery available very soon. That would make your trips home very simple.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The only thing is that I haven't seen many lease deals on the 30 Kwh Leaf since it hit dealerships.

The SV without Premium Package is usually the last version to sell, aside from the S without Charge Package. Your dealer may be able to get one from another dealership for a good price.

 

[Spectre12]

The SV without Premium Package is usually the last version to sell, aside from the S without Charge Package. Your dealer may be able to get one from another dealership for a good price.

I hope so. When I went to my local Nissan dealer to browse a few days ago, they only had one SL and around 6-7 S's with the Quick Charge package. IF I were to go for a new Leaf, I would want a SV solely for the bigger battery.

If you can qualify for a lease the Spark EV is the best BEV deal going now if its range meets your needs, essentially allowing you to drive a car for 3 years for nothing. Unlike the LEAF it's got a liquid-cooled Active TMS, so the battery will degrade slower in L.A. temps. It's smaller and more fun to drive than the LEAF, albeit not as good a car for long cruising (which neither is capable of) or ride generally. Just depends on your personal preferences, but if you can wait until the Bolt is out, prices on the Gen 1 BEVs will probably plummet.

If you get a new Spark EV on lease, 3 years from now you'll have far more and better options.

This is what is is driving me away from the Leaf right now. The Spark EV's lease rates are crazy low near me and on paper it is waaayy faster that the Leaf, and has a liquid cooled battery. If I really want to dream big, BMW Ontario's lease rates on the i3 BEV are hovering around $150-$200 per month with around $3,500 down, effectively nothing with the tax rebate. So i'll have to talk to my parents and go visit some dealers, and compare lease rates. Thanks for all of your help forum members!