A thread for people happy with their Leaf

[pjacobsma]

My 2020 Leaf is the most fun car I have ever owned. The power and responsiveness of an electric drivetrain has completely spoiled me. My wife's ICE car seems so laggy in comparison.

It fits my needs perfectly as I am living in the Twin Cities and it's used for driving around town. I Level 1 charge it in my garage and it hasn't lost a bar yet at 20,000 miles. In a Minnesota winter I like how fast the heat pump starts getting heat into the cabin. And the heated seats and steering wheel are great.

I really appreciate the ergonomics of this car. The controls are easy to access and easy to use. And the software works well and reliably. My one complaint is the lack of a remote hatch release inside the car.

 

[KLQL8N]

There seam to be no end of people who have a problem with their Leaf. Not surprising, as this is a forum to help those with a problem, but I would love to hear from those that the car is doing well and fitting their needs.
I had been interested in the Leaf and EV's in general since before they became mfg. Back in the '80s I donated some parts to a local collage group that was electrifying a Dodge van with help from the DOE. I recently saw that same van on Ebay, some 40 years on!
Not being one who buys new vehicles (I bought 1 in my life so far and ran it over 200K) I knew a new Leaf was not in my cards. In 2013 or so there was an EV day, near by and I went and rode in a few different cars and sat in just about all. I found the Leaf fit my large frame well and had good visibility. I went to the dealer and test drove a few (new and used) but they were out of my price range.
I was well aware of the shortcomings of the early electrics esp their range. I logged my trips and found that 98% or better were under 25 miles, more or less the perfect match for the early Leaf.
I have had several cars, and our "daily driver" is showing its age, it is currently 24 years old. Time had come to think about a replacement or retiring this for another daily driver.
I read though Lefty's "Before you buy a used Leaf" and learned that the newer "post 2013" had some improvements worth paying extra for. 2014's and 2015's were at the upper end of what I was willing to gamble on a car that has a limited market.
I found a very lightly used '15 with "horror of horrors" only 9 bars and upper 60's to low 70's on the GOM.
Test drove the car (private sale) and agreed on a price.
NO LEAFSPY, check, but I have been very happy ever since. I still haven't put a Leafspy on and unless there is a problem with the car, I see no reason to obsess over what it can and cannot tell me. Unless and until the car can no longer preform its function, I don't need to know what it says.
May be it is because I went in with realistic expectations on what the car can and can not do, but it has never let me down, even in -15F weather.
Yeah, I would love it if it could do the longer trips, all 2% of them, but I knew going in it would not.
I costs around $1.40 for our daily trips to town, down from over $3.00 for our econbox gasoline, and I can "fill it" at home!
Someday I may be faced with the choice of buying a replacement traction battery or moving on from the car, but today that day seams a long way off and I thought about and researched it before I bought. I know it will cost close to double what I paid for the car if I choose to replace with a 40Kwh pack. I could re-up with a "rebuilt" 24Kwh pack for about what I paid for the car. These were known's when I went looking to buy.
As I was buying an 8 year old car, I had no expectations that Nissan would cover anything, so no disappointment there.
Even before I bought, I wired in a 50 amp feed to my detached garage as I knew someday I would have some electric vehicle.
My used Leaf came with two EVSE's, the OEM 120 volt unit and an adjustable aftermarket unit. I have settled in to a 16 amp charge current for right around 2 hrs in the middle of the night. This keeps it near full every morning. As the weather moderates I may have to cut it back some more. My monthly electric has gone up around $35-40 a month, and my gasoline bill has all but disappeared. It has been months since I filled anything.
So lets hear others success stories!

 

[KLQL8N]

I bought a 2011 Red LEAF sight unseen for $30,000 and received the $7000 rebate. Replaced the original 24 battery under warranty in 2016. It makes a 30 mile commute every work day, with some errands. Had to replace a master brake cylinder, back tailgate pistons, tires and 12 v batteries No other repairs. Recharge every night using 110 volt plug. I have solar panels. Even in the summer my electric bill stays low. It is down to 10 bars, but still a great commuter car. Thinking of replacing the battery again for the new driver in the family. It will need a paint job! Hope nobody hits me, love to see how many miles I can get on it!

 

[Davida]

Just traded in my 2012 Leaf (50 mile range) for 2024 leaf (230 mile range). There are some very good new safety features on the 2024 like Blind Spot Warning and Lane leaving warning when crossing a lane line.
One feature I have always enjoyed on the Leaf is the ability to set a timer for climate control so that, on Cold mornings, the cabin is pre-heated at the set time/temp without using your battery power.

 

[Fersigo]

I would disagree about those so-called "safety features". The last 25 years of my working life I was an OTR trucker, I had no cruise, I had to pay attention to driving, it was my job. All those new things allow "drivers" to pay less and less attention to the job at hand. We quickly go from a "safety back up system" to a relied on to do the job system, something they were never designed to be. I had someone drive into the back of my semi trailer at 70 MPH (I was doing much less) they didn't even react until the last minute, and not in enough time to avoid hitting the back of the trailer.
I am one who wouldn't be upset to see all of these functions removed from vehicles.
We don't need automation, we need responsible drivers.

That used to be my view as well... until my car automatically braked one day to avoid hitting a pedestrian who'd run out from between some parked vehicles. I hadn't even had time to register that there was a person in front when the car stopped dead. And thus avoided a dead pedestrian. So now I'm thankful that an automated system means I don't lie awake nights reliving a horrible accident.

 

[LeftieBiker]

It might be useful to think of the following scenario before suggesting the removal of modern safety devices: what if everyone with a driver's license (and some without) were given not just the freedom, but the mandate to drive tractor-trailers? I suspect that the influx of dangerous, essentially untrained drivers would have the trucking community screaming for more automated safety features. That is essentially the situation with people driving cars today.

 

[cornbinder89]

Right now, we have at least two Mfg that are actively promoting you don't have to pay attention to doing the driving with their vehicles (GM and Tesla).
Yes, there are unqualified drivers in all vehicles, but so far, these so called "safety devices" are being pushed not as a safe back-up to a poor driver, but that they are the main system, and have been time and time again shown not to be up to the task.
The fine print says the driver is still the responsible party, so unless and until the mfg wants to take responsibility, I would like to see them banned! I would also like to see stronger license laws and penalties for unsafe and irresponsible driving.
Driving, for better or worse, has never been a "right" but a privilege, and while it is almost a necessity, with that privilege comes the responsibility to operate safely. That means doing the job at hand and not on the phone, shaving, putting on makeup, or taking a nap.
I learned to drive in a time, when stick shifts were the norm and you had to take the test in a car with a bench front seat (supposedly so the examiner could take over if you "froze").
It is not that I don't see any good in these systems, if used properly, they all can be a good back-up to a driver who for what ever reason, wasn't paying attention. The problem come from drivers who quickly realize that they don't have to pay attention and most of the time it can prevent real bad stuff from happening. It makes the vehicle operated in a very poor manor. what is worse is we have mfg actively promoting this abuse.
Take adapted cruise for example, it "can" keep a set distance from the vehicle in front, but can not react to other situations on the road. Like a accident or police in the right or shoulder. Law says vehicles must move over, but if the guy in the left has adaptive cruise on and is not paying any attention people in the right can't move over. The situation gets worse the larger the vehicle, an RV or trailer, can't move over because the person with adaptive cruise will not respond to a turn signal. It can't react to a blown tire, It can't react to debris in the road, at best it disconnects suddenly, at can it makes the situation worse.
I worked as a tow operator, and know what can happen to police and others working on the shoulder.
How many Tesla's have to crash into emergency responders before this "self driving" madness is stopped?
Yes, the bad operators are "ruining" it for the rest, but peoples lives are more important.

 

[RYoungberg]

That used to be my view as well... until my car automatically braked one day to avoid hitting a pedestrian who'd run out from between some parked vehicles. I hadn't even had time to register that there was a person in front when the car stopped dead. And thus avoided a dead pedestrian. So now I'm thankful that an automated system means I don't lie awake nights reliving a horrible accident.

Similar for me when backing out of a blind spot, the LEAF slammed the brakes to stop the car even before the running pedestrian - A CHILD - was behind the car!
Yes, I was backing slowly but there was still a good chance I could have hit her without the collision detection.

 

[SageBrush]

Similar for me when backing out of a blind spot, the LEAF slammed the brakes to stop the car even before the running pedestrian - A CHILD - was behind the car!
Yes, I was backing slowly but there was still a good chance I could have hit her without the collision detection.

Stuff of nightmares, that. And why I go out of my way to park away from others and to park facing forward for when I leave.

 

[Stanton]

I waited 9 months for my 2011 Leaf purchased for ~$32k not including the $7500 rebate. Per my sig:

1. Original 24kWh pack replaced (under warranty) in 2015
2. Upgraded to a 40kWh pack in 2021
3. Replaced NissanConnect with OVMS in 2022

I just hit 100k miles and am hoping to get another 100k miles out of what's turned out to be the most reliable, economical car I've ever owned!

 

[Yodrak]

Stuff of nightmares, that. And why I go out of my way to ... to park facing forward for when I leave.

YES! Park so you can pull forward out of a parking space, not back out.

 

[frontrangeleaf]

I've written here before about our experiences and satisfaction with our 2019 SL plus, and how we choose to use it. Consider this a quick review and update.

You can see in my signature that we currently own 3 very different vehicles, which are each used in specific ways - right tool for the job kind of thing.

We still have our Audi Q5, and use it as our camper tug, mountain car, and family vacation mobile. We drove to Salt Lake City last spring to have my wife's trike (she's disabled, and cannot balance an upright bike) outfitted with a motor. Her trike weighs about 60 lbs, as does the special bike rack we have for it, so the Leaf definitely wasn't going to get that job done, at least not over a long weekend in any reasonable timeframe. It's 8 hours each way from Denver to SLC, not including charge time, and I took time off work to make this trip.

Our roadster is the fun car, the only one we'll ever own. Strictly for trips into the nearby mountains for lunch and when the weather is nice. It has a 6-speed short-throw shifter to die for and goes exactly where you point it in the instant you do so. Fun car. Makes my wife giggle.

The Leaf is our daily driver, accounting for about 55% of our total annual miles, and easily north of 99% of our trips. I think of it as an all-electric Mazda 3 hatchback - a nimble, sporty, fun-to-drive urban corridor runabout. It's an excellent choice for how we use it and where we live, and I'd certainly recommend one if your needs and situation are similar. With the bigger battery, range anxiety has never been a thing. We charge at home (L2) exclusively, so Chademo is at most a consideration for resale value. If ever we see a viable Chademo-CCS, or better, a Chademo-Tesla adapter, we'll might buy one just to have it.

The Leaf is going on 5 years old now, and I've been considering next steps, but I can't find another vehicle that would fit us at this point in our lives as well. I'm due to retire in a few years, so timing is a consideration. Not certain when we'll downsize - our current life-style is frankly a little extravagant, but we've worked hard to get here, and it's nice to enjoy things for a while. We've been in the same home for 23 years now, and finally have it like we want it, so I'm not anxious to change just yet. I have a great job I genuinely love, and life is good again after some very hard years with medical stuff going on.

We'll keep the Audi as long as we have the camper. We'll keep the roadster until it gets cranky - it's 17 years old now, and still well-behaved.

There's an option at some point to downsize into just one vehicle and rent, and if I had to choose today, I'd probably buy a Kia EV6. But I'd want one with the J3400 charge port as a single, more general use vehicle, so again, timing is everything.

I personally feel that the Leaf is under appreciated in a lot of circles. It's a great car for the use case we use it for. No, I wouldn't choose to drive one cross-country, but then, I wouldn't take our roadster off-road either. Wrong tool for that job. There's the option to rent something for a special trip, after all. For some reason, many people seem to feel that *all* of their cars need to be able to do *all* of the same things. That's never been the case for us, but hey, do what makes you happy...

 

[kuroneko]

I bought a 2013 Leaf with what was essentially a 2012 battery which meant it degraded really quickly. I legit had like not even 40 miles of range when I traded it in. My daily commute at the time was less than 9 miles round trip. My husband has a regular ICE car that we use for longer trips so the limited range wasn't a huge issue for us.
I liked that car so much that when I felt like I had to replace it, I ended up purchasing another Leaf. I did look at other EVs like Tesla and Bolt, but I found that the Leaf just didn't seem to have the issues that other EVs had. The Leaf was less expensive, reliable, not an SUV, and any issues with manufacturing didn't necessarily pose a safety hazard like burning my house down (which happened to a coworker of mine). The newer Leaf looks like a regular car which I love. Unless you know what the Leaf is or pay attention to the branding on the car, no one really knows it's an EV.
I did spring for the 62kWh battery for my current Leaf. The irony of it all is that we moved and now I live less than a mile away from my office. But it is nice that I do not have to coordinate with my husband when I need to drive places or worry about having to charge every few days.

 

[wstager]

I've been driving a 2023 Leaf S for 18 months, and I love it! It's my city car for driving around Dayton, Ohio; I still own a 2014 Scion tC for long-distance trips. The thing I like best about driving an EV is all the FREE Level 2 chargers that are around. I discover more of them every week. It's gotten to the point where I almost won't go anywhere unless there is a free charger nearby. Why go to Lowe's when I can go to Menards and charge for free while I shop? Same with Kroger and Walmart for groceries. Or Miami Valley Hospital North versus South? What I don't understand is why nobody ever writes about the free chargers in these forums or in news articles. All I ever read about is lack of chargers, congestion, downtime, etc. The free ones are the best, and are almost always available.

 

[MillerLF]

My 2020 Leaf is the most fun car I have ever owned. The power and responsiveness of an electric drivetrain has completely spoiled me. My wife's ICE car seems so laggy in comparison.

It fits my needs perfectly as I am living in the Twin Cities and it's used for driving around town. I Level 1 charge it in my garage and it hasn't lost a bar yet at 20,000 miles. In a Minnesota winter I like how fast the heat pump starts getting heat into the cabin. And the heated seats and steering wheel are great.

I really appreciate the ergonomics of this car. The controls are easy to access and easy to use. And the software works well and reliably. My one complaint is the lack of a remote hatch release inside the car.

Yeah, Leaf is one of the best responsive vehicles out there!

 

[eximage]

I also have a 2013 leaf and heard that there was a shift to a newer battery in that year.
How do I determine which battery I have besides the month of manufacture?

I bought a 2013 Leaf with what was essentially a 2012 battery which meant it degraded really quickly. I legit had like not even 40 miles of range when I traded it in. My daily commute at the time was less than 9 miles round trip. My husband has a regular ICE car that we use for longer trips so the limited range wasn't a huge issue for us.
I liked that car so much that when I felt like I had to replace it, I ended up purchasing another Leaf. I did look at other EVs like Tesla and Bolt, but I found that the Leaf just didn't seem to have the issues that other EVs had. The Leaf was less expensive, reliable, not an SUV, and any issues with manufacturing didn't necessarily pose a safety hazard like burning my house down (which happened to a coworker of mine). The newer Leaf looks like a regular car which I love. Unless you know what the Leaf is or pay attention to the branding on the car, no one really knows it's an EV.
I did spring for the 62kWh battery for my current Leaf. The irony of it all is that we moved and now I live less than a mile away from my office. But it is nice that I do not have to coordinate with my husband when I need to drive places or worry about having to charge every few days.

 

[Dooglas]

I also have a 2013 leaf and heard that there was a shift to a newer battery in that year.
How do I determine which battery I have besides the month of manufacture?

My understanding is that Nissan shifted to a newer battery chemistry starting with vehicles built in April 2013, so you should be able to simply look at the date of manufacture on the door sticker. (perhaps someone will chime in with info about the sequence of serial numbers)

 

[daveizdum]

2015 Leaf SL, owned for two years. 100% trouble free. No issues or repairs. I make an annual visit to Nissan for inexpensive maintenance and a checkup where they find nothing wrong. Because of the cost of power and my driving style, it costs me $1 to travel 70km. It's nearly a free-to-operate car.

The most comfortable car I've driven. Super quiet. Heated seats. Heated steering wheel. Even though the stereo is stock, it sounds decent because there's no engine noise to compete with. The importance of low noise really can't be over-stated. It makes conversation so easy. My daughter and I have some great conversations and music listening sessions.

I also love that it's low-tech. I don't want heated seat subscription services, my location being GPS tracked by the manufacturer, a giant LCD panel, firmware updates being pushed without my permission, etc. I like that the drive train is electric, but the driving experience is distinctly non-electric.

 

[SteveDK]

I love my 2023 Leaf SV+. When I un-retired and got a job at MDI Biological Laboratory in late 2022 we had just one car our 2020 RAV4 Hybrid (a great mid sized SUV - ours is nicknamed Shankar after Ravi Shankar and it's bright blue). My husband was stranded at home weekdays, which he did mind a little though he does pottery at home, he only works at it part of each day.

So I wanted a second car to do the commute and decided electric was the way to go. The commute from Blue Hill to Bar harbor is 27 miles each way, rural roads, mostly, and I can charge at work and at home, so range is not an issue. Tried to order a Hyundai Kona EV and a Nissan Leaf in August of 2022. Then the laws were changed (effing Joe Manchin) and the Koran assembled Kona was no longer eligible for the US federal tax credit, and Nissan transitioned to the 2023 model year so the 2022 trim and options I tried to order were no longer available. Ordered a scarlet '23 Leaf SV+ and waited, and waited. A silver '23 SV+ came in at Darling's Nissan arriving January 2023 and they offered it to me, and having waited 4 months I took it, even though I don't like silver/grey/black/white colorless cars.

I had never driven a Leaf before. I had driven a friend's Chevy Bolt and liked how it drove, though I think the Bolts are butt-ugly. When I finally got the Leaf and test drove it, I thought, "Oh this dives fine. It will do OK." It wasn't until I had driven it a few days that I realized how capable it is. The acceleration of the SV+ is very sporty even in Eco mode. Sometimes I take it out of Eco to get onto a road even more quickly from a stop sign, but mostly that's unnecessary. I nicknamed the Leaf "Rocinante" after the ship in The Expanse. I was leery of driving it on snowy days, so I would take the RAV4 to work if I had to go in on winter days.

One wet, snowy day this January (2024) I was headed into "downtown" Blue Hill to renew my registration for the Leaf and it barely made it up a slushy hill, the traction control kept slowing the tires which were barely gripping. I decided to get new tires that would work in all weather, Michelin CrossClimate 2. After getting these installed I am amazed that the handling of the car is further improved in wet or snowy weather. The range and efficiency might be down a bit, but it's not significant to my usual use of the car, and it seem so much safer that any trade off is justified.

 

[Ihalsema]

Loving my 2019 Leaf S! The 40Kwh battery still has 150 miles of range after 18K miles. The car meets all of my needs.
I just received a suggestion from the local Nissan dealer that I bring the car in to replace the brake fluid and have the tires rotated. Is it really necessary to replace the brake fluid after 18K miles?