Extended vacation / holiday - 12v battery tender?

Hi all,

I've had delivery of my wife's Nissan Leaf Tekna 2019 model, 40kw battery (it's about 10 days old now), and now we're heading to Japan for a couple of months (due to job) and am taking the family with me (nice holiday for them)

I've read on the forums that I should leave the car unplugged for the duration of a vacation/holiday and leave the traction battery at under 100%, but most of the posts are from around 2015-16 so probably won't be the same for a 2018/2019 model.

Now I've seen people say it's fine for a three week holiday, but I will be abroad on assignment for 2 months. Will the 12v battery still be fine?
Should I hook it up to a battery tender (-ve to -ve on battery and +ve to +ve on battery)?

Incidentally , the wife's previous car (Mercedes ICE) was left on a smart battery tender for a couple of months and it was fine when we came back.

So.... should I put it on a battery tender, or just leave the car unplugged for the duration?? Any advise? Anyone left the leaf for an extended period of time?


TLDR - leaving brand new leaf for 2 months whilst out of country. Should I hook the 12v battery to a smart battery tender?

One view, mine, is that a 12v lead-acid battery is a 12v lead-acid battery and what worked for batteries of yore is relevant for today's batteries of similar chemistry. In other words, use a tender or expect a very weakened or dead battery. I have older vehicles for fun driving, usually less than a few hundred miles a year. Each one has a battery tender whenever not in use and I've had no problems with their 12v.

The LEAF is known for very, very little parasitic drain, but it is not zero. Something has to power the security system, remote applications, etc., and over time a small drain can have an adverse impact on a 12v.

If you can easily leave the car connected to a battery tender, it isn't a bad idea. If that's hard, then just fully charge the 12 volt battery (not the traction battery) before leaving, and make sure that nothing is plugged into the diagnostic port. From about 2015 on, the Leaf seems to do an adequate job of keeping the accessory battery charged, provided it isn't plugged in for days or longer.

If the car will be parked in extreme cold temperatures, have the traction battery at 80% SOC to provide sufficient energy to power the traction battery heaters. If temperatures are not extremely cold, then have the battery at 60 or 70% SOC. The car will charge the 12-volt battery from the traction battery when needed as long as there is nothing plugged into the diagnostic port. I routinely park up to a month at a time and had no problem with either 2011 or 2015 except one time when I forgot to unplug the Bluetooth device from the diagnostic port in the 2011. That time I returned to find a dead 12-volt battery after only 6 days.

Hi all,

Just to let you all know, were were on holiday for 2 months with the battery around 90%

No battery tender. Traction battery not being charged or connected up.

Came back and the car started fine. No issues at all!