CR's 2013 "Would you buy your car again?" survey

[TomT]

Consumer Reports "Would you buy your car again?" survey results:

Top 10 Definitely Buy Again (Hybrids/Electric Cars):

Tesla S: 99%
Chevy Volt: 91%
Ford C-Max Energy: 84%
Toyota Prius: 84%
Toyota Avalon Hybrid: 82%
Lexus ES300h Hybrid: 82%
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid: 81%
Toyota Camry Hybrid: 81%
Nissan Leaf: 81%
Toyota Prius V: 80%

The interesting take-away here is that the Leaf fell considerably from last year... I wonder if battery issues played a part in this drop...

 

[thankyouOB]

Consumer Reports "Would you buy your car again?" survey results:

Top 10 Definitely Buy Again (Hybrids/Electric Cars):

Tesla S: 99%
Chevy Volt: 91%
Ford C-Max Energy: 84%
Toyota Prius: 84%
Toyota Avalon Hybrid: 82%
Lexus ES300h Hybrid: 82%
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid: 81%
Toyota Camry Hybrid: 81%
Nissan Leaf: 81%
Toyota Prius V: 80%

The interesting take-away here is that the Leaf fell considerably from last year... I wonder if battery issues played a part in this drop...

of course. but people knew the battery would degrade; in many many cases, yes, it was way beyond the marketing.
but what else changed was Nissan's idiotic decision to refuse to sell a replacement battery.

going forward, that has certainly changed the "buy" calculus for me.

 

[LeftieBiker]

It may also be the cumulative stress and annoyance from making the effort to avoid charging to 100% when that nice salesman (or woman) didn't say anything about it.

 

[ampitupco]

I'm down 14% capacity in less than two years.... and I don't live in a terribly hot climate. Not sure I would buy again as much as I love the electric drive.

 

[cwerdna]

Consumer Reports "Would you buy your car again?" survey results:

Top 10 Definitely Buy Again (Hybrids/Electric Cars):

Tesla S: 99%
Chevy Volt: 91%
Ford C-Max Energy: 84%
Toyota Prius: 84%
Toyota Avalon Hybrid: 82%
Lexus ES300h Hybrid: 82%
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid: 81%
Toyota Camry Hybrid: 81%
Nissan Leaf: 81%
Toyota Prius V: 80%

The interesting take-away here is that the Leaf fell considerably from last year... I wonder if battery issues played a part in this drop...

I'd imagine that played a part and maybe more of the mainstream masses (non-EV enthusiasts) bought/leased.

I'd imagine that more of the non-EV enthusiasts/uninformed masses got some bad info about the range from dealers (e.g. "100 mile" BS) and/or had unrealistic range expectations (from high speed driving and/or cold weather).

FWIW, the Prius (not the v wagon) had the highest CR owner satisfaction rating for 5 years in a row, of ALL vehicles, until it got toppled, I believe by the Volt (see http://priuschat.com/threads/volt-sales-figures.98347/page-18#post-1442779" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false and now that's toppled by an incredibly high rating for the Model S.

I suspect we'll see the Model S satisfaction rating will fall a bit over the next few years, for the same reason as the Prius and Leaf.

 

[adric22]

I suspect the reason for the Leaf drop has little to do with battery degradation. It is probably more to do with the fact that now customers are buying the car that are less die-hard EV advocates than the first year or two of sales. As such, many have probably experienced issues where the car's range wasn't enough for them at times and caused inconvenience. Where as all of the other cars on that list have much more range.

BTW - the title of this thread is weird. Isn't CR 2013 a type of button cell battery?

 

[ksnogas2112]

I wouldn't buy it again but I would lease it in a heartbeat.

 

[TomT]

I believe that "buy" refers both to actual purchase and to leasing...

I wouldn't buy it again but I would lease it in a heartbeat.

 

[Weatherman]

With nearly a 20% loss in battery capacity in less than 18 months, I, definitely, will not buy or lease a LEAF again.

About the only positive thing I can say about being tied to a lease for the next 19 months is that I consider the battery completely expendable. When the weather gets hot, again, next April through October, I’ll use the LEAF most of the time so my Volt can stay plugged in and keep its battery cool in the shade at home.

 

[mwalsh]

With all else being the same, I'd do a 2 year lease at the right price, seeing as the degradation for me became most irritating (bordering unworkable) in year 3. I'd only consider a 3 year lease if I really, really didn't want to leave the $2500 CVRP money on the table (assuming it was still available).

I would not buy again with everything else being the same. But I would probably buy again with a proven "hot" pack (or whatever you want to call it) - one that meets the longevity expectations set by Nissan in 2010. It's been a pretty great car other than the battery pack.

 

[Nubo]

I am the 81%

I'm two years into a 3-year lease and the car is so far doing what I need it to do. I'm sure it must have lost some capacity but I'm not particularly anxious to quantify it. Still does well for my normal driving and occasional longer trips.

Unless there's some huge dropoff in year 3 I won't have any reservations about signing up for another term, especially if the promised improvement comes to pass. If the "hot" battery demonstrates greater longevity I might consider buying since I'd really like to mod past the point of what's acceptable for a leased vehicle.

That being said, I'll certainly consider the competition (such as it is), and I think the dissatisfaction still has not reached a peak; it probably will increase for another year or two as the majority of existing LEAFs get to years 2 and 3. I still think Nissan would do well to be insanely generous when it comes to providing batteries to existing customers -- batteries that actually deliver on their previous claims. Otherwise I fear a flameout of Nisssan's EV ambitions in another couple of years and that would be very unfortunate for EVs overall.

 

[adric22]

With all else being the same, I'd do a 2 year lease at the right price, seeing as the degradation for me became most irritating (bordering unworkable) in year 3. I'd only consider a 3 year lease if I really, really didn't want to leave the $2500 CVRP money on the table (assuming it was still available)

I suspect people with this opinion are people who bought the car with a longer commute than they really should have. For me, I knew my commute was short enough that the Leaf would continue to work for me even if it lost 50% of its capacity. And due to my shorter drive, I've put fewer miles on the car and have lost less capacity. I'm just a few months away from year 3 and I have 28,000 miles on the car. So that's about 10,000 miles per year. I've lost one capacity bar and the car is otherwise working great for me. Never been in the shop once for anything other than some body work, tires, and software updates. No failures of any kind.

 

[TomT]

For the record, I was also asked to fill out their vehicle survey, as are most CR subscribers... I choose the middle answer of five, "might or might not buy again..."

 

[philipscoggins]

Would definitely buy again if Nissan told me how much a replacement battery would cost and assured me that they would still make one to fit my car when I needed it and it wasn't half the price of the car.

I'm hoping my LEAF will last me long enough to pay it off before it doesn't work for me anymore and then trade it in on a used Tesla. By then supercharger network will be established and prices down some.

That is unless something better comes along. I don't really have any brand loyalty. Give me performance and price.

Right now, my replacement plan is to buy a totaled LEAF who's battery is fine & swap it out. Not the mindset someone should have when ones' car is only a year old, but Nissan seems uninterested in meeting my needs at a decent price point.

 

[TimLee]

I would not buy again with everything else being the same. But I would probably buy again with a proven "hot" pack (or whatever you want to call it) - one that meets the longevity expectations set by Nissan in 2010. It's been a pretty great car other than the battery pack.

+1
It has been a really great car that I am proud to own, other than the battery capacity degradation that is at ~twice the rate that Nissan stated would happen.
And so far they are leaving me holding the bag, so I don't think very many good thoughts about Nissan, yet.

 

[mwalsh]

I suspect people with this opinion are people who bought the car with a longer commute than they really should have.

Hey, I did my homework. Or so I thought. In 2010 Nissan was promoting 80% capacity at 8 years and 70% at 10 years. 80% of 85 miles is 68 miles. 70% of 85 miles is 60 miles. My commute is 61 miles.

The disclaimer with 80% at 5 years was a bit of a red flag. But that would still give an estimated 68 miles remaining at 5 years, and I could live with that. Don't make me point out that it's only been 3 years and I'm at or below that number!

 

[adric22]

Hey, I did my homework. Or so I thought. In 2010 Nissan was promoting 80% capacity at 8 years and 70% at 10 years. 80% of 85 miles is 68 miles. 70% of 85 miles is 60 miles. My commute is 61 miles.

Your commute being 61 miles is exactly what I'm talking about. I would never have bought a Leaf if I had a commute like that, even if I had an L2 charging station at work. And I suspect Nissan wasn't counting on very many people buying the car and deep cycling the battery every single day like that.

 

[mwalsh]

would never have bought a Leaf if I had a commute like that, even if I had an L2 charging station at work. And I suspect Nissan wasn't counting on very many people buying the car and deep cycling the battery every single day like that.

Well, then I suppose you're entitled to your opinion. I happen to differ.

 

[JimSouCal]

...For me, I knew my commute was short enough that the Leaf would continue to work for me even if it lost 50% of its capacity. And due to my shorter drive, I've put fewer miles on the car and have lost less capacity. ... Never been in the shop once for anything other than some body work, tires, and software updates. No failures of any kind.

I am in the same camp. I bought the car with reduced expectations of the battery as compared to others. On the other hand, I expected much greater quick charge deployment. I remain happy (so far) with the LEAF.

 

[user 10599]

I think a factor in the score drop is the appearance of more competitive vehicles.

Ignoring what I know is coming down the pipe (e.g., the B-Electric), I would certainly state that I would buy it again as I would compare it to the current Focus EV, Smart EV and Volt. But once the B is here and it has 30-50% more range for another $10k, I can't say I would buy again because I'd realistically buy the Mercedes.

Now, in 2017 when I'm in the market again, if the Leaf has bumped the battery up to 36kwh+ and the price stays reasonably under the Mercedes, then I'd seriously consider it. Of course, that would be hurt substantially if I can't get decent trade-in value on my Leaf because of battery range/degradation and no reasonable replacement/upgrade options. If Nissan wants repeat customers, they need to properly support/service what they sold. And they need to do so before the crop of early adopters start turning in their leased Leafs. If they fail with that market group, they will almost certainly doom themselves in the market.

So I guess my answer would depend heavily on the exact wording of the question and my interpretation of that wording.