Lease is up ... Leaf or Bolt ?

The lease on my leaf would be up this month. Tried getting quotes for a new lease from dealers in Arizona but their quotes almost scared me. Looking into getting a new Leaf from Cali but here comes the dilemma. For about an extra $100 a month, would Bolt be a better choice due to increased range?

Anyone else contemplating the same?

I did look into the lease extension and it did sound good initially (specially with 3 months free). When you read the contract it's clear that if you don't take the MY2018 Leaf, they will take the credit back and also lock you into a full 12 month extension. Not sure if it 's worth it for me as the Leaf has already lost two bars.

Thanks for explaining the fine print. I wondered about that. Puts a different spin on a lease extension.

I did look into the lease extension and it did sound good initially (specially with 3 months free). When you read the contract it's clear that if you don't take the MY2018 Leaf, they will take the credit back and also lock you into a full 12 month extension.

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I suggest you double-check this, as none of the lease extensions so far have been "locked." You can end the lease anytime, as the extensions are "month by month" with the number of months specified being the maximum, not the required number.

Interesting about the lease extension detail.

As for new Leaf or Bolt or wait until Leaf 2, I would think a huge amount would depend on your range needs. If Leaf 1 worked well and you don't need the extra range, getting a current Leaf could be an excellent deal.

If you need the range, then the price premium for the Bolt starts to make more sense. If so, then test drive one. When I did, I disliked the seats and concluded those wouldn't work for my long commute. If you need the range and dislike the Bolt seats, then waiting for Leaf 2 starts to be an attractive option if you can work out the lease terms to not be stuck if you find that Leaf 2 isn't what you hoped either.

Car choices are really personal so you really need to test drive to assess for yourself. However, I suspect that since you have a Leaf, you might not need the extra range and either another Leaf or Leaf 2 would be better options.

If you are fine with the shorter range, remember, there are now more choices in the market depending on what your personal preferences are. For instance, the eGolf is more fun to drive, but not as utilitarian as the Leaf. The B is very nice, but more expensive. The i3 is fun to drive but more than the eGolf and again, not as utilitarian as the Leaf. Each seems to be targeting a slightly different niche within the EV market.

I suggest that you try the Bolt. If you are not slim you may find that the seats are not for you. They are very narrow and many find them uncomfortable.

If you can, extend until the end of the year. I suspect Bolt leases will become more reasonable and you'll have the Leaf2 as an option as well.

Step #1: Reserve a Tesla Model 3
Step #2 Extend you LEAF lease until Model 3

Since you own a Model S you will have priority in the line for a '3'

SageBrush said:

Step #1: Reserve a Tesla Model 3
Step #2 Extend you LEAF lease until Model 3

Since you own a Model S you will have priority in the line for a '3'

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Step #1 was done long back.
Step #2 would ding me if I did not go for a Leaf '18 after extension and cancel before the year is up. I cannot use my current leaf for another year after the diminished range (two bars dropped and possibly third going soon).

Kinda giving up on Bolt as I will have to jump through hoops to lease on a Cali address and then not get a HOV plate in AZ. The lease rates I am getting in AZ are:

Zero down 15 K miles per year
2 year lease is $294/month
3 year lease is $275/month

Still under negotiation.............

Then there is Step #3. That would be to find out what the actual OTD price of a III equipped as you choose will actually be - especially if you are far enough down the reservations line that you don't qualify for the federal tax rebate. It is not yet clear that the Tesla III will be a direct competitor for the Leaf 2, or even the Bolt.

buy a used leaf and sell it when it's time to give it up. It really won't depreciate much past $5k if it still has usable battery life remaining, will it?

The only reason to lease a leaf, was because of the unknown depreciation and battery durability. Now that it's fairly well known, buying a used one seems to have the best ROI, especially as a 2nd vehicle.

Thanks for your input folks. Got a 2 year lease on 2017 Leaf S from a local dealer. The old one will be grounded tomorrow.

Will revisit the (Bolt / Leaf 2 / Tesla 3 / WhoKnowsWhat) topic in 23 months.

I think that makes a lot of sense. Leasing means you don't really care about battery life. The current Leaf fits your second car driving habits and with a Tesla S in the garage your already set for long trips so no need for extra cost of the bolt.

inphoenix said:

Will revisit the (Bolt / Leaf 2 / Tesla 3 / WhoKnowsWhat) topic in 23 months.

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Makes sense to me. Two years from now you will be able to make your next decision with knowledge of actual prices and initial experiences of other owners with new models.

This topic isn't quite exact, I'm not leasing.

My son needs a car. My wife would like a longer range electric. I don't physically fit into the Leaf E Plus, my long legs don't work with new center console design.

So I'm thinking about passing the Leaf to my son, and buying a new Bolt, or perhaps a Kia Niro, or perhaps a even a Audi eTron.

Not interested in the Jag or any Tesla FIAE's. Or anything with sub-200 mile range. Or anything I can't buy in Washington State.

The Bolt is by far the lowest price of the three. The seats are improved from 2017, and are now probably acceptable. What else should I be thinking about?

WetEV said:

This topic isn't quite exact, I'm not leasing.

My son needs a car. My wife would like a longer range electric. I don't physically fit into the Leaf E Plus, my long legs don't work with new center console design.

So I'm thinking about passing the Leaf to my son, and buying a new Bolt, or perhaps a Kia Niro, or perhaps a even a Audi eTron.

Not interested in the Jag or any Tesla FIAE's. Or anything with sub-200 mile range. Or anything I can't buy in Washington State.

The Bolt is by far the lowest price of the three. The seats are improved from 2017, and are now probably acceptable. What else should I be thinking about?

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You've kind of rejected quite a few options already, so all you're left with is the Bolt and the Niro EV. Is the Hyundai Kona available in Washington yet?

Try driving a Bolt. You can't make this decision without doing that, first.

Oils4AsphaultOnly said:

... a new Bolt, or perhaps a Kia Niro, or perhaps a even a Audi eTron.

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You've kind of rejected quite a few options already, so all you're left with is the Bolt and the Niro EV. Is the Hyundai Kona available in Washington yet?

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No Hyndai Kona EV availability anywhere close, and I've not found any date for availability in WA.

Also the Audi eTron. I've yet to see one, but the dealers have them. Need to take a trip to Bellevue to see and test drive one. I suspect they are nice and well engineered, and they better be for almost three times the price of a Bolt.

I've test driven a Bolt. Can't say I'm thrilled, but seems at least ok. The car drives fine, and seating position is good. Buick seats would sell me, rather than the Chevy seats.

I'm not buying until after the EV sales tax decrease, effective August 1. So I'm looking for suggestions, opinions on list of choices.

We test drove the bolt, the S, and the Leaf 40 before ending with the Leaf Plus. I would have tried the Niro if it was available in the Midwest. I gave up waiting. Wife disliked the Tesla S, and hated the bolt (both feel of drive and interior...and the small boot), so we were down to another Leaf. We enjoyed our 13 Leaf and in general it was still meeting all of our local needs. After 6 years we had lost a bar, so when it hit -25C in Jan, the 75-80 mile range became 45 or so miles, which pushed me over the edge to get an EV with more range. Certainly having the Plus changes the feel of the car completely. Tonight we pulled up to dinner with 37% on the dash and 109 miles range on the GOM. My wife and I laughed that we were still well above the range of the old Leaf at 100% when we traded it in, maybe what it showed when we drove off the lot in 13.

Now I need a couple weeks off to try a cross country trip with my older kids. Wife is not that adventurous.

WetEV said:

Oils4AsphaultOnly said:

... a new Bolt, or perhaps a Kia Niro, or perhaps a even a Audi eTron.

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You've kind of rejected quite a few options already, so all you're left with is the Bolt and the Niro EV. Is the Hyundai Kona available in Washington yet?

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No Hyndai Kona EV availability anywhere close, and I've not found any date for availability in WA.

Also the Audi eTron. I've yet to see one, but the dealers have them. Need to take a trip to Bellevue to see and test drive one. I suspect they are nice and well engineered, and they better be for almost three times the price of a Bolt.

I've test driven a Bolt. Can't say I'm thrilled, but seems at least ok. The car drives fine, and seating position is good. Buick seats would sell me, rather than the Chevy seats.

I'm not buying until after the EV sales tax decrease, effective August 1. So I'm looking for suggestions, opinions on list of choices.

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You're considering a bolt and dropped the i-pace. I don't understand how the e-tron is even in the running? I'm seeing a preference for hatchbacks (ergo no model 3), but why no i-pace?

As for the Kona EV, there's a few in the Portland Hyundai dealership, which is 150 miles from Bellevue, so it's well within the range of the car.

Oils4AsphaultOnly said:

You're considering a bolt and dropped the i-pace. I don't understand how the e-tron is even in the running? I'm seeing a preference for hatchbacks (ergo no model 3), but why no i-pace?

As for the Kona EV, there's a few in the Portland Hyundai dealership, which is 150 miles from Bellevue, so it's well within the range of the car.

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That's a four hour drive to look at a car, I'm north of Seattle, and the Portland Hyundai web page says there are two that are "coming soon".

I'll take another look at the i-pace. I don't like glass roofs. And the charging port is on the right fender, behind the front wheel, will be awkward in my garage.

What's your dislike of the e-tron?