Price of Battery Replacements Now Around $15,000 to $20,000?!

Just got back from my local Nissan dealership and was just quoted a ballpark of $15,000 to $20,000 to replace the battery in my 2013 Leaf. He also said that they just replaced one for someone under warranty and that still cost around $10,000 for that customer. That's insane and can't be right. Is that actually now the price of replacing the batteries?? Because I know there's another thread about it being around $8,500 that was just posted in May of this year! (http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=25882) I told the guy this and he was like "oh they were just quoting the price of the part probably..." That still means that they are charging $6,500 to $11,500 for labor which is outrageous!
I wasn't expecting it to be cheap or anything, but I'm at 9 bars to start as I bought my car used from another place. I was just trying to figure how much to save up to replace the battery, but I might as well just buy another car at that point if it's going to be that much. I was hoping that by the time I needed a new battery that the prices might come down a bit as there will be more EVs on the road and stuff.

As it is, I'm probably only going to this dealership for charging only. My basic service today took over 4 hours and then another 2 just to wash the car (not detail it, just a basic wash). I think they're trying to screw me over, because I didn't buy the car from them. I have a local mechanic that handle all the regular car stuff (brakes, tires, etc) and I'm just going to stick with him. I'll have to look elsewhere for service specific to EVs if I actually need it.

The dealership is lying. I don't know if they just want to discourage you from asking them to replace your pack, or are actually trying to soak for for twice as much as the job actually costs. In either case, report them to Nissan and the BBB, and find another dealer.

As the poster of the $8500 thread, that $8500 included labor ($7000+labor). The labor is around 3 hours, so 10k for labor is NOT appropriate. I also use a 3rd party for all non ev-specific repairs because I find dealers overcharge.

Call the Nissan EV Help line for the current pricing and situation, then find a dealer who isn't insane. It should cost around $8500 including labor (and you don't get to keep your current battery pack). Everyone I've talked to on the EV help line knew all of the answers, and every dealer I've dealt with didn't really understand the Leaf.

Also, if you do loans, Nissan will sell you the pack at a low monthly rate ($99/mth? or so). Others have said that their financing department is clueless, so you may or may not wish to go that route. I personally advise against borrowing money, but it's a possibility. Either way, I'd get your insurance company to put a "custom modification" or similar rider on your policy so that you get reimbursed the value of the battery in the event of an total loss. The worst case scenario is you replace the battery and total the car the next day--then you'd be out the cost of the battery (or, even worse, making payments on the battery that's not even yours).

https://www.nissanusa.com/contact-us.html
EV Customer Support Team
Phone: (877) NO GAS EV (or 877-664-2738)
Monday through Friday:
7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, CST

Thanks everyone!

This dealer doesn't seem to know much about the Leaf to begin with. My SD card was stolen and they insisted I had to replace the entire unit in the car because they couldn't just order a new card. I did get my card after doing some digging on the forums here. I don't like the way things have gone for 90% of the conversations I've had with people. There's like two honest guys there and that's it. I know I look like an easy target, but I try to do some research and know something about my cars.

I did plan on paying for my new battery in full. I don't like taking out loans at all to the point that I've paid for all of my cars in full without them. I had to co-sign a small loan just to get the history on my credit report. I'm not ready yet, but I wanted to get an estimate so I guess I'll call the Nissan EV Help line soon.

You do know you can shop around to other Nissan dealers for your service needs, right? The LEAF's range limitations can make that a challenge, but it's nearly impossible to work with people you can't trust.

davewill said:

You do know you can shop around to other Nissan dealers for your service needs, right? The LEAF's range limitations can make that a challenge, but it's nearly impossible to work with people you can't trust.

Click to expand...

I know I can. I just got my Leaf recently from a used car dealership and this was the closest Nissan to my home. I'm very busy this time of year with other stuff so finding the next closest dealer is rather low on my list. There's no pressing issues that require me to find one right this second. I just a lot of questions and I wanted to get some quotes for things I might need down the road. The Leaf's range shouldn't be too much of an issue as I would assume that most dealerships have charging stations, but I would check before leaving.