Why Did You Choose the Nissan Leaf over the Chevy Volt?

[Jagular]

Well, to answer I have to explain why I'd even want an electric car (not in order, just listed off the top of my head):

1. I'm a technology geek.
2. I'm tired of paying high gas prices (full tank of premium gas is > $100)
3. I'm tired of expensive ICE repairs.
4. I'm unhappy with America's wars for oil.

So, why I chose the Leaf over the Volt:

1. Volt != electric car. I'd still need gas. I'd still have an ICE and a much more complex drivetrain. This means the Volt loses on points 2, 3 and 4.
2. I went to the Chevy dealer to look at the Volt and the dealership had an increased $8,000 market adjustment. This just pissed me off.

Easy decision, really.

 

[Yodrak]

1) $5k cheaper - the Leaf was more than I would have liked to have spent so Volt was going the wrong way, out of the question really, so other the other reasons may just be rationalizations but I will list them anyway...

...

3) Leaf has a roomier interior, hatchback style is more versatile

4) Leaf has longer electric range

5) We have other cars available so if we need to go further than Leaf range we just take a different car

These were my reasons as well, although not necessarily in the same order.

To expand on #4, the Leaf's nominal range of ~80 miles is more than adequate for my needs even in adverse weather conditions and after allowing for some amount of battery deterioration over a few years. Unlike some others, I don't plan on keeping it for more than 3 years.

 

[Stanton]

I wanted a 100% electric car, plain and simple; if I wanted a hybrid (serial/parallel/whatever), I could have bought one years ago.

If we need to go on a "road trip", we'll take my wife's car.

 

[EvansvilleLeaf]

Initially? Simplicity of EV only, price, better EV range were combined just a tad better to me than the flexibility and more power. Had I been a 1-car family I would have gone Volt though.

After Nissan pissed me off with ever-changing dates and utterly uselss cuatomer "service"? I would have changed in a heartbeat had I not found the Volt awkward and frankly difficult to get into (I am both fat and reduced mobility - not due to weight FWIW).

 

[HighDesertDriver]

We used to live in the "Rust Belt" among 1,000s of GM employees, but I was never impressed with GM products. As a company, they obviously had the ability, but it never seemed to translate into durable, reliable cars. That being said, I still seriously considered the Volt. The technology of the Volt specs held promise for an only car with electric-only range of around 40 local miles and the additional ability to take longer trips. A single car would make room in the garage and keep insurance, license and tax issues at a minimum.

Our consideration of a Volt sadly ended two minutes after I got in -- I did not fit. With the seat as low as it would go, my head still hit the roof. Little changed in the next 2 minutes while I waited for any compression of the seat cushion. Leaving the seat in my driving position, out of curiosity I got into the rear seat. There was even less headroom there, but more importantly, only about 4"-5" of space remained between the rear seat and the back of the front seat. Sitting there would not only have been uncomfortable for adults, but unsafe in the event of an emergency exit due to limited maneuvering room.

The Leaf has at least two inches above my head and the interior is comparatively spacious, even for larger cars. The quiet of the car is awesome and I am happy to give up oil changes, timing belt changes, and related ICE maintenance on the Leaf. The "trunk" is sufficient for local shopping and around-the-town errands, and the 5th seat is OK (but not great) for those rare times it is occupied.

In almost 6 months, the Leaf has accumulated over 7000 miles within 30 miles of home. The more roomy and comfortable 192,000 mile Avalon "road car" has seen only 1200 miles in the same time. And as gravy, especially as gasoline locally reaches $4.39, we have now consumed all our former excess solar electric production plus an additional $64 to charge the Leaf. That is less than the cost equivalent of one tank of gas for the Avalon.

 

[mitch672]

Our consideration of a Volt sadly ended two minutes after I got in -- I did not fit. With the seat as low as it would go, my head still hit the roof. Little changed in the next 2 minutes while I waited for any compression of the seat cushion. Leaving the seat in my driving position, out of curiosity I got into the rear seat. There was even less headroom there, but more importantly, only about 4"-5" of space remained between the rear seat and the back of the front seat. Sitting there would not only have been uncomfortable for adults, but unsafe in the event of an emergency exit due to limited maneuvering room.

Same for me, I could not get into the Volt easily, I really wanted to buy it, the local Chevrolet dealers here have PLENTY of them, and you can now negotiate UNDER MSRP as well ($1700 lower at one dealer here). The Volt seems to be the only "1 car" solution availble to me right now (with an EV range that would work for my roundtrip commute), other than just keeping my Prius, which it appears I will be doing for now.

 

[Roadburner440]

Interesting. All the reasons you guys hate the Volt are the reasons I like it. :lol: I like the old 1980's C4 Corvette's, and it kind of reminds me of an updated version of the digital dash 84' model I had. I suppose it isn't for everyone. I am only 5' 6" so for me the car is huge. Not to mention the suspension is so hard when I go flying around corners if I hit a bump it goes airborn for a second. :twisted: It is just to addicting to drive in sport mode, and I am surprised I have not gotten a ticket yet for reckless driving.

Ironically this brings me to why I like the Leaf, and want to pair the 2 together. It is a larger car, with more headroom. It also has a lot nicer ride (when I go over pot holes in the Leaf I barely feel them vs the Volt hits them hard). The Leaf just overall makes me drive calmer I suppose. Not to mention the kids like all the room they get in the back, plus it has room for a 5th person. Not to mention I get a portable charger to upgrade to a portable L2 for both the Leaf and Volt (for trips). So for me the 2 would work in unison together. Doesn't work for everyone, but at least we would be able to do 99.9% EV driving except for going on trips. She has tons of appointments and stuff she has to take the kids too, and the Leaf will do that with no issues at all even at 80% charge. Lastly I want heated seats. At least these come on the 2012 Leaf.. On our Volt it was not worth the 6-7000 dollar price increase to me so I did without. This means that most likely in winter the Leaf will see the brunt of my commuting where in the summer time it will be the Volt.

 

[hill]

. . . . . . . . . snip
I am sure I will get hammered for these statements, but they are about as unobjective as can be. Both cars have their high and low points. Personally I like both.
. . . . . . . . . snip

I'm pleasantly surprised and thankfull about how respectfull all of us folks have been as it relates to being critical of e/other's opinion.

 

[garygid]

My reasons for LEAF, not Volt:
Pure EV, not GM
much lower price, not GM
no gas, no gas, ... and not GM
my Prius already gets over 50 mpg on the freeway, over 430 miles.

 

[jackal]

My reasons for LEAF, not Volt:
Pure EV, not GM
much lower price, not GM
no gas, no gas, ... and not GM
my Prius already gets over 50 mpg on the freeway, over 430 miles.

+1

My reasons:
1. HOV sticker
2. Much cheaper than Volt (especially after 5K rebate)
3. My wife hates the Volt's styling. (don't ask me why)
4. Already have a Prius that beats Volt mpg on gas
5. I don't like that Volt is Bob Lutz's "creation"
6. I like Nissan's EV vision and commitment
7. No engine oil change and occasional visits to mechanic (so liberating!)
8. No gas from Middle East.
9. Much greener.
10. No tailpipe. Period.

 

[TNleaf]

-Price (LEAF is cheaper)
-No gas/ICE engine on the LEAF (if I had bought a Volt I could have done my daily drive on the smaller pack, then no need to haul around all the components for the ICE)
-I've had great experience with my previous 2 cars (Sentra and 350Z), but no warm fuzzies about GM
-Did I mention no gas in the LEAF (If I wanted a hybrid I would have looked into a Prius)... but this have several sub-reasons. Ethanol in gas, price of gas, OPEC, war in the middle east, pick your poison.

Granted, I like the style of the Volt, but the main factors were wanting to get away from gas and the base price.

 

[Pipcecil]

I will have to save I have been a semi-volt convert (kinda).

I bought my leaf mostly due to tech and I wanted all electric. If I am not exceeding the Leaf's range there is no reason to need a back-up generator. Now my wife on the other hand just order a volt a few weeks ago. Her work commute is significantly longer and will be more-so once her works moves, again, farther away. The leaf range is just not enough for her during the winter months. Summer she can make it, winter, she cant (even with the CC off, the hit to the battery on temp alone is too much). So she bought a volt!

So there is a niche for each car, although it really confuses me those that buy a volt when their commute is say, 10 miles and they easily have another car as back-up. But each to his own I guess.

 

[SanDust]

The Leaf was cheaper especially after the CARB rebate. Plus it was HOV lane eligible. Plus with the online reservation system I didn't have to negotiate with a dealer.

 

[Cinnabar]

It was going to be available before my CIVIC Hybrid HOV stickers expired and qualified for the White zero emission HOV stickers. The Volt doesn't qualify.

 

[TomT]

I bought the Leaf rather than the Volt because we have a second ICE vehicle and don't need the range extender of the Volt. If I had to have only one vehicle, I likely would have bought today's Volt or one of the other PHEVs...

 

[Nubo]

I should moderate my comments by saying I have nothing against the Volt. I'm sure it's a good choice for many folks, especially those who only have one vehicle or have a certain number of longer trips. I don't really harbor any antipathy against GM for the EV-1 though I do still hold a bit of a grudge due to the absolute garbage they foisted on my parents in the 1970's and '80s. That actually is fading in part thanks to the Volt.

If GM can similarly stop worrying about its past and hopefully be encouraged by strong sales of pure EV's, I think it would be super-cool for them to dust off the EV-1 body and fit it with a state of the art EV battery and drivetrain. Then their penance would be complete as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Roadburner440]

I will have to save I have been a semi-volt convert (kinda).

I bought my leaf mostly due to tech and I wanted all electric. If I am not exceeding the Leaf's range there is no reason to need a back-up generator. Now my wife on the other hand just order a volt a few weeks ago. Her work commute is significantly longer and will be more-so once her works moves, again, farther away. The leaf range is just not enough for her during the winter months. Summer she can make it, winter, she cant (even with the CC off, the hit to the battery on temp alone is too much). So she bought a volt!

So there is a niche for each car, although it really confuses me those that buy a volt when their commute is say, 10 miles and they easily have another car as back-up. But each to his own I guess.

Interesting. As the Leaf will be my wifes car.. Like others here she does not like how low/cramped the Volt is, or in her words the heavy steering feel.

The reason why we bought a Volt and have the Prius is really I was not sure. We did not enter this tech the same way you guys did (I assume most of you have been following it).. Back last year when it hit the fan in the middle east we kind of came to a crossroads. I decided to part ways with my SRT-8 to get the Prius and give the hybrid thing "a try." Eventually with the truck going for the Volt, and finally deciding to take the full plunge with the Leaf.

When you have spent most of your life talking smack about these cars you kind of have to over come that skeptisism. The Prius showed us this stuff was legit, and the Volt definately kicked it up a notch in showing me that EV's were the real deal (I know you guys don't consider it as such, but to me for my driving style it is).. So that brings us to cutting our tie to the gas pump completely on at least one car with the Leaf. With our drive to the Inlaws the cost to drive the Volt over the Prius is a 9-12 dollar increase. Not counting that we will be in EV most of the time we are there (as my father in law has already ponied up the dryer outlet once I get the Leaf's charger modified).. So I think in the end it will really work out. I will say it has been an adventure going from a car that got 13mpg (modified Magnum SRT-8) & a truck (Chevy Trailblazer) that got 17mpg to 51mpg (Prius) and $0.03/mi (Volt). I guess me being a GM owner most of my life it kind of made the Volt leap a little easier too. Granted after the Trailblaze I swore never again BUT I caved and decided to give them 1 final chance. So far I have not regretted that, but time will tell.

I am guessing a lot of you live in Cali? Cause there is a lot of mention of the HOV lanes. The HOV lanes here suck I guess, and I don't really see much point in them. Granted I am of the type that I prefer to kind of be stuck in traffic to squeeze what I can out of the Volt's battery... Plus too there is no HOV lane in the direction of our house, so maybe if I lived where I needed one it would be different. Think if I got the $5k CARB rebate too I would have gone with a Leaf. In my mind I was worried with how an EV would do which for me led to the Volt. With no prior experience to the Prius (and used to EV mode sucking) making the leap to the Leaf was a tough one. Not to mention with us moving around the time we acquired the Volt I would have needed to arrange for the Leaf to be transported. In the future I will not have that issue as I will have plenty of time to plan transportation for it. At that point in time I will hopefully be paying it off though.

Unfortunately too everywhere I have lived/live EV infrastructure is nill. So you either need to know what you are getting in to with the Leaf, or get a PHEV. In fact I have only ever seen 1 other Volt on the road, and until we got ours I have never even seen an EV/PHEV or anything before in my life. So for me doing the plug in deal was a huge leap of faith. If most of you guys are in Cali I am sure you have seen this stuff before with the EV1 and all. Here in the South East they are essentially unheard of though. People at my work seeing the Volt on the road though has turned some around, and then when I had the Leaf last week a lot of people were looking at it and asking questions. I think getting the average person to just step out of an ICE in to a full EV will be a very hard sell though. Most interest stops after they ask the how much is the charging station/how long does it take to charge on my wall outlet questions. :lol:

 

[Roadburner440]

I think it would be super-cool for them to dust off the EV-1 body and fit it with a state of the art EV battery and drivetrain. Then their penance would be complete as far as I'm concerned.

A "new" EV1 would be awesome. It is now my mission in life to actually go see one, but unfortunately that is easier said than done. I guess the Smithsonian's is in the basement, and what few others there are have been scattered around to various Universities. I did see one of those actually is driving again, but never did hear the outcome of what GM did to them about it.

Personally I don't think much would need to be changed with it. In all the research I have done on the car it seemed pretty solid. Maybe putting in a higher efficiency motor/bigger battery pack would be it. I think a good low cost NiMh EV would probably be a good entry point car though if they just brought it back as it was. Will most likely never happen due to the image issues after they crushed nearly the whole lot.

 

[Dennisj00]

We had a 2007 Highlander Hybrid and a 1999 Miata (wife's car). She started thinking about a "Smart Car" and I suggested looking at the Leaf. I was surprised she embraced it so much with just the website information. Never considered the Volt other than reading about it.

We placed the 'order' 2+ years ago and sold the Miata. Finally got the 'test drive' at a Leaf weekend March, 2011. Still no order info.

Got the order info in July or August, 2011, went round and round with AV about the charging station. Got projected delivery in November. Decided to get the charging station installed without AV. (their estimate finally arrived 3 days after it expired).

Got a call from the dealer on Oct. 25 that it was in, took delivery on Oct. 26. Still loving it!!

It's perfect for us. We both work at home and a 30 mile destination is rare. Mostly 5-10 miles per day, maybe.

I think we're going to see a paradigm shift of the two+ vehicle family. We're considering selling the HH and renting if we need to take a trip.

The HH has sat idle in the driveway for 95% of the time since the Leaf arrived. Basically two trips that could have been rented for $200-400 each.

Back to topic, we've seen one Volt and didn't like it over the Leaf. VERY happy with the Leaf!

 

[PatricioEV]

I never even considered the Volt. After having built my own EV a couple of years ago, I was ready, willing and EAGER to have another! Have no need at all for a range extended EV, as we have a Subaru wagon for long trips. It mostly sits in the garage. We use the Leaf for 95% of our driving.