Trading in a old leaf for the new 2019 leaf?

[GerryAZ]

Besides the range for a person who lives in a hot climate I suspect the larger battery heats up less while charging and such, perhaps you can confirm that as you live in Az and have a plus you could set us straight. I prefer the Nissan, more room inside for one last I looked but I wonder if the Bolt might be a better buy for people in hot climates due to the battery cooling.

It may be too soon to be sure, but my observations have been that the temperature of the battery in the Plus does run cooler than the 2015 (which was cooler than 2011). I will know more about temperature and capacity loss after a full year of use.

 

[salyavin]

Thank you, I look forward to hearing how a year treats you. I am hoping for good news with a larger capacity battery operating cooler increasing lifespan for people in climates like yours.

 

[ShayeraHol]

^^^
Keep in mind the Federal tax credit situation for GM and Tesla vs. all the rest: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml. However, if you have insufficient tax liability to take full advantage of the applicable Federal tax credit and you can't create more income in that tax year to take advantage, you can only take so much of the credit.

(Example: If your total Federal tax liability is only $5000 in a given tax year, then you can only claim up to $5000 of the Federal EV/PHEV tax credit in that tax year. It can't be carried over. Do not be confused by refund or no refund. That's not the issue. Tax liability is the key factor.)

If you buy a used EV/PHEV, none of this applies. It's ineligible for the above Federal tax credit. And, if you lease, you aren't the owner so you CANNOT claim it either.

Yea I was thought it worked like a rebate because I wont get back much from the tax credit since I don't owe much.

I was wondering what you think about the Bolt vs Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Niro? I was really interesting in the Bolt because its electric but I don't like the 3 year basic warranty. I wished it was longer.How have you liked it so far?

I also saw that GM is offerring discounts on it this month
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/12/chevrolet-discount-cuts-bolt-ev-price-by-8500-in-december-2019/

If i cant get a ev in my price range I might have to settle for a hybrid since the'yre cheaper.

 

[cwerdna]

Yea I was thought it worked like a rebate because I wont get back much from the tax credit since I don't owe much.

I was wondering what you think about the Bolt vs Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Niro? I was really interesting in the Bolt because its electric but I don't like the 3 year basic warranty. I wished it was longer.How have you liked it so far?

It has nothing to do w/how much you "owe". It's specifically related to tax liability. If you have tax liability of at least $7500 (can be all paid via withholdings or estimated tax payments), you can qualify for the entire $7500 Federal tax credit.

As for Ioniq, I've never driven one. It wasn't even in the picture when I was considering Bolt. I wanted an EV that had enough range to be my only car. Ioniq of the time was nowhere close (https://fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=40384&id=42273&id=40520&id=42191). I'd have been better off getting a 40 kWh Leaf at the time.

There are reports that the DC FC speed of 2020 Ioniq Electric took a big step backwards from previous gen. Its range is also too short to be my only car besides it being too late for now I have no plan to degrade from Bolt to a 170 mile EV.

Sorry, I know almost nothing about the Kia Niro. It didn't exist in the US at the time I bought my Bolt. If you look at US sales figures of HyunKia in the US (https://insideevs.com/news/343998/monthly-plug-in-ev-sales-scorecard/), it seems they're not serious about EVs in the US.

Will write about Bolt later.

 

[LeftieBiker]

What are your priorities, aside from price and warranty? Range, comfort, performance, interior room...?

 

[ShayeraHol]

What are your priorities, aside from price and warranty? Range, comfort, performance, interior room...?

Range and interior room are my main priorities. I would have kept my leaf if it wasn't for the range.

 

[cwerdna]

Here is the image again. I live in south Texas.

I just found that. You pretty much can forget about Ioniq Electric in TX. It's n/a there per https://www.hyundaiusa.com/ioniq-electric/index.aspx.

Oddly, looks like Niro Electric might be available in TX even though it's not a CARB emissions state. Even if you could get either there, I doubt you'd find a dealer that has ever worked on any of the Ioniq EV or worked on more than a single digit # of them. As I said, HyunKia's not serious about EVs in the US, at least for the last few years so far.

 

[LeftieBiker]

What are your priorities, aside from price and warranty? Range, comfort, performance, interior room...?

Range and interior room are my main priorities. I would have kept my leaf if it wasn't for the range.

How much range do you need?

 

[ShayeraHol]

What are your priorities, aside from price and warranty? Range, comfort, performance, interior room...?

Range and interior room are my main priorities. I would have kept my leaf if it wasn't for the range.

How much range do you need?

At least 200 miles. That's why I was also looking into hybrids if I cant get a electric.

 

[cwerdna]

Ioniq Electric falls short of your range criteria and it's n/a in your state anyway.
https://fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=40384&id=42273&id=40520&id=42191

Given the small quantities of HyunKia EVs sold in the US, I suspect inventory is small and thus you might not be able to get a great deal. But, they still have the full tax credit.

I don't know where in TX you are, but I picked a random McAllen zip code and came up with https://www.kia.com/us/en/inventory/result?zipCode=78501&seriesId=V&year=2019. Seems like the closest is in San Antonio.

 

[ShayeraHol]

Ioniq Electric falls short of your range criteria and it's n/a in your state anyway.
https://fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=40384&id=42273&id=40520&id=42191

Given the small quantities of HyunKia EVs sold in the US, I suspect inventory is small and thus you might not be able to get a great deal. But, they still have the full tax credit.

I don't know where in TX you are, but I picked a random McAllen zip code and came up with https://www.kia.com/us/en/inventory/result?zipCode=78501&seriesId=V&year=2019. Seems like the closest is in San Antonio.

I know this might sound stupid so I apologize in advance, but do you think it might be cheaper if I just tried to get a new battery?
I read on here that it cost 5,000 for a new battery but I was thinking that might be cheaper than financing another car.
Maybe they can offer me it a discount on it since I only have it for two years and down to 10 bars?

 

[LeftieBiker]

Unfortunately, the cost of a new battery is up to $8000+.

Given your Hot climate, your best bet is probably the Bolt. It has the range you need, it has a thermally managed battery, and while more crude than the Leaf in ride and comfort, it has decent cargo space with the rear seats folded. Make sure that you try the front seats first, especially in a '17 or '18 Bolt.

 

[cwerdna]

Leftie's right on the price. I doubt there'd be any sort of battery discount. If so, this would've been the first I've heard of ever since the YMMV goodwill program went away then Nissan raised the prices significantly.

I agree about Bolt's front seats. They suck on the '17. They still suck on my '19. The back seats are oddly, ok. I've sat in them on another Bolt being used as an Uber/Lyft for maybe an hour. I've also sat in the back of mine for over an hour while working on my laptop while charging. Was fine.

At https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=564799#p564799, I posted about getting a front seat cover that has downsides (body pivoting too much). I still use it, FWIW.

Apologies about not being able to post more about Bolt. Been busy and real tired. Slept over 10 hours last night. OP can just skim for my posts in the Bolt thread starting at https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=546542#p546542.

I noticed OP said "I'm looking to buying a new leaf before next fall." By that point, unless the Federal tax credit is revised/there's a new law, no GM EVs/PHEVs will be eligible for that tax credit after 3/31/2020 (https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml). It will be interesting to see Bolt resale value. Will there be a flood on the used market of '17 Bolts coming off lease? AFAIK, GM was only doing 3 year leases back then. 1st Bolts were sold in mid-Dec 2016.

 

[ShayeraHol]

Unfortunately, the cost of a new battery is up to $8000+.

Given your Hot climate, your best bet is probably the Bolt. It has the range you need, it has a thermally managed battery, and while more crude than the Leaf in ride and comfort, it has decent cargo space with the rear seats folded. Make sure that you try the front seats first, especially in a '17 or '18 Bolt.

Thanks for all the advice you given me! During the past week's I looked at Chevy bolts and even volts due to their superior battery for hot climates. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any in my price range.

However, I have started to look at ford C-Max and I like them alot! Do you know anything about them and their reliability?

A dealer told me it cost alot to replace the battery for hybrids like the prius (out or my range) and C-Max.

I've looked online and haven't really heard anything bad about the main battery only the 12 volt battery.

 

[ShayeraHol]

Leftie's right on the price. I doubt there'd be any sort of battery discount. If so, this would've been the first I've heard of ever since the YMMV goodwill program went away then Nissan raised the prices significantly.

I agree about Bolt's front seats. They suck on the '17. They still suck on my '19. The back seats are oddly, ok. I've sat in them on another Bolt being used as an Uber/Lyft for maybe an hour. I've also sat in the back of mine for over an hour while working on my laptop while charging. Was fine.

At https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=564799#p564799, I posted about getting a front seat cover that has downsides (body pivoting too much). I still use it, FWIW.

Apologies about not being able to post more about Bolt. Been busy and real tired. Slept over 10 hours last night. OP can just skim for my posts in the Bolt thread starting at https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=546542#p546542.

I noticed OP said "I'm looking to buying a new leaf before next fall." By that point, unless the Federal tax credit is revised/there's a new law, no GM EVs/PHEVs will be eligible for that tax credit after 3/31/2020 (https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml). It will be interesting to see Bolt resale value. Will there be a flood on the used market of '17 Bolts coming off lease? AFAIK, GM was only doing 3 year leases back then. 1st Bolts were sold in mid-Dec 2016.

No problem! I appreciate all the advice you've been able to give me so far!

For the past few weeks I have been looking at Chevy Bolts and Volt but they're out of my price range unfortunately.

I know this is a ev forum but i wanted to ask if you know anything about the Ford C-Max hybrid? I seen some in my price range but I'm concerned about the main battery. I know they're being discontinued but it's best hybrid I found in my price range.

The dealer told me it's pricey to replace the battery for hybrids like the prius (out of price range) and C-Max. I looked around but didn't really find anything about the main battery.

 

[cwerdna]

I know this is a ev forum but i wanted to ask if you know anything about the Ford C-Max hybrid? I seen some in my price range but I'm concerned about the main battery. I know they're being discontinued but it's best hybrid I found in my price range.

Are you asking about the C-Max Hybrid (a non-plugin hybrid) or the C-Max Energi (plug-in hybrid)?

Both are discontinued: https://www.ford.com/cars/c-max/.

C-Max Energi (IIRC) at the beginning started off with a horrible reliability rating in Consumer Reports. I would check Consumer Reports. These aren't vehicle I follow.

Side note: Long ago, it was puzzling how the C-Max Hybrid could get such great FE results at the time vs. the Prius v wagon that had less horsepower. Turns out, Ford needed to adjust FE ratings downward of the C-Max Hybrid and some others at least twice: https://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/19/ford-didnt-overstate-c-max-hybrid-mpg-number/.

Before the revisions downward, http://www.cleanmpg.com/community/index.php?threads/46762/ did their own tests and also found the C-Max hybrid doing worse than the Prius v wagon which had lower EPA mpg ratings.

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=33331&id=33336&id=33010&id=33324 now shows 40 mpg combined for the C-Max Hybrid instead of the original "47 mpg" (that had to be revised downward at least twice).