The Nissan Leaf is renowned for its pleasurable and entertaining driving experience, comforting safety features, and outstanding environmental credentials.
If you’ve been considering purchasing a used Nissan Leaf, you might be wondering why they appear to be so much less expensive than comparable electric vehicles.
Due to a subpar battery design and antiquated technology that can’t compete with more modern EVs, used Nissan Leafs are so inexpensive. Furthermore, Nissan Leafs lose up to 70% of their value in just 5 years of ownership.
Continue reading to learn if buying a used Nissan Leaf is worthwhile and how it stacks up against other vehicles in its category.
In This Article...
Batteries degrading
More importantly, old Nissan Leafs are particularly inexpensive since they have a bad reputation for having small, unstable batteries, which reduces their electric range. A Nissan Leaf from 2012 had a meager range of roughly 80 miles, even when it was brand-new. This figure indicates that, except from commuting, running kids to and from school, and grocery shopping, the Leaf is not very capable when compared to an equivalent gasoline car. Buyer complaints that the batteries lost capacity with time, particularly the early model years, and very fast made this problem much more serious.
You should be aware that every electric vehicle (EV) now on the road is powered by a lithium-ion battery, and that every one of them has a “battery temperature management system” to regulate the battery’s temperature. With the exception of Nissan, this is how the manufacturers always operate.
Extreme hot and cold temperatures are known to have a negative impact on a car battery’s performance and lifespan. At about 70 °F, a lithium-ion battery operates at its finest (21-degree Celsius).
While some automakers employ air-cooled batteries, some, like Tesla, use liquid-cooled batteries. In cases when it is necessary, a heater is also utilized to get the battery temperature up to where it is best for operation.
Even though all batteries eventually degrade, the Nissan Leaf has no active battery cooling system, which is an issue. Nissan continues to firmly believe that heat produced while operating and charging the vehicle will naturally evaporate into the surrounding air. Therefore, the Leaf’s battery has no means of defense against extremely high or low temperatures, as well as sudden changes in weather.
As a result, compared to all of its rivals, the Nissan Leaf’s battery loses capacity far more quickly over time. Additionally, you would eventually run out of range due to the quick battery degeneration. After 6-7 years with the original battery, this will render the Leaf useless. The battery would need to be changed, but it is not inexpensive.
A Nissan Leaf’s battery replacement cost roughly $5,500 a few years ago, which was reasonable. The price to replace the batteries in a Nissan Leaf is currently $8,500, including labor, due to a price increase by Nissan. This much money should not be spent on a used car. In other words, you have to gamble with the battery’s performance, and the Nissan Leaf isn’t really a low maintenance car when you factor in the price of a new battery.
Budget Nissan Leaf Motive 1: Subsidy
Sales of the Nissan Leaf were significantly boosted by a variety of financial incentives that made them more accessible to customers. EVs are still significantly more expensive than gas-powered vehicles. Why purchase a Nissan Leaf in 2011 for $34,000 when the Honda Accord is available for over $10,000 less? After 80 miles, the Accord wouldn’t shut off on you either. In actuality, hardly any Nissan Leaf owners paid the full retail price.
In addition to low-cost leases and rebate deals, automobile owners who paid cash could also benefit from a $7,500 federal tax credit. This brought the cost of the leaf down to around $30,000, even for those who were only eligible for a portion of the $7,500 cap. Since the cars were purchased at a low cost, the depreciation isn’t as severe as it looks to be on the price tag.
Since its introduction in the 2011 model year, the Nissan Leaf has sold 500,000 vehicles worldwide, with 148,000 of those going to customers in the US. When there were so many incentives, is it surprising that it was the model with the highest sales in 2011 and 2014? Nissan wasn’t the only company to rejoice over these fictitious increases in sales. Tesla, of course, had pleasure in the sale of hundreds of thousands of its own vehicles, especially the Model 3, which was the most popular model. As a result, the market has a flooding effect, which once more pushes down the price of used Nissan Leaf vehicles.
How much is a brand-new Nissan Leaf?
The least expensive variant, the Leaf S, with a 40kWh battery has a starting price of $27,400 based on the current Nissan USA offer. The Leaf SV starts at $28,800 while the Leaf S costs $31,670 with the basic battery.
The Leaf S PLUS, Leaf SV PLUS, and Leaf SL PLUS are the more expensive PLUS variants with the 62kWh; they cost $32,400, $34,960, and $37,400, respectively. The Leaf SL PLUS with ProPILOT help, an intelligent Around View monitor, leather-appointed seats, LED headlights, and a Bose audio system has the highest starting price of $43,970.
Nissan makes a lot of noise about the federal tax credit and government incentives that have a big impact on the starting price. For as cheap as $19,900, or $24,900 with the PLUS battery pack, you may purchase the Leaf S.
decreased battery range
The Nissan Leaf’s battery’s range is one of the main factors in its low price. The Nissan Leaf has a range of about 80 miles and, when you look at a used one on the market, it can travel as little as 50 miles, which is less than other more recent electric vehicles.
This automobile employs a smaller battery than some of the other options available on the market, which is why its range is so poor. Because the smaller battery packs for this automobile are less expensive to produce, they can be offered for less money than other electric vehicles now available on the market.
Why are LEAFs priced so low?
Although the Leaf’s battery is less expensive to make, its modest size means that it has significantly less power than competing electric cars. Depreciation: The Leaf typically depreciates less than most other electric vehicles, which means it loses value less quickly than more expensive vehicles.
Is maintaining a Nissan Leaf expensive?
The annual auto maintenance costs for the Nissan Leaf come to $748. The table that follows provides a detailed ranking of each car in this overall scheme for comparison’s sake. The Nissan Leaf is significantly less expensive to maintain when compared to the average vehicle ($651 annually vs. $748 for the Nissan Leaf).
How affordable is a Nissan Leaf?
- We tried the 2022 Nissan Leaf, which is the least expensive electric vehicle in the US.
- It costs $27,400, or perhaps as little as $20,000 after the $7,500 federal EV tax credit.
- Despite its alluringly low cost, you’ll have to give up some charging and range.
As they become more popular, electric automobiles are becoming less expensive, but they are still significantly more expensive than their gasoline-powered equivalents. According to Edmunds, the typical price paid for a battery-powered car increased beyond $60,000 in February.
There are nevertheless choices available for those wishing to go green on a tight budget. The Nissan Leaf is now the least expensive long-range electric vehicle available thanks to a price cut for the 2022 model.
To find out how much EV you get for $27,400, we put it to the test. Here are several reasons to buy the Leaf hatchback as well as some areas where it falls short.
Nissan LEAFs: Reliable or not?
This generation of Leaf received a high score of 98.6% in the reliability survey. Unfortunately, Nissan as a brand no longer enjoys the best reputation for dependability as it lags in 27th place out of 30 manufacturers, despite the fact that this is largely because of its conventional petrol and diesel vehicles.
Is repairing the Nissan Leaf expensive?
With a reliability rating of 4.0 out of 5, the Nissan LEAF is ranked third among all alternative fuel vehicles. It has typical ownership costs with an average annual repair cost of $748.
What does a used Nissan Leaf cost?
Including a Nissan LEAF SV and a Nissan LEAF S, TrueCar has 640 used Nissan LEAF cars available for purchase nationwide. A used Nissan LEAF presently costs between $5,995 and $44,995, and has a mileage between 71 and 102,552. By entering your zip code, you may find used Nissan LEAF inventory at a TrueCar Certified Dealership nearby by viewing the closest matches. With 104 models available to buy online from the comfort of your own home, TrueCar makes it possible for you to purchase your used Nissan LEAF and have it delivered to your house anywhere in the contiguous United States.
Will the Nissan LEAF eventually be phased out?
The little electric car from Nissan will be discontinued “before mid-decade,” according to trade publication Automotive News on Thursday.
Why it matters: Early models like the Leaf failed to gain traction, despite the fact that electric vehicles are largely seen as the future of the auto industry (hello Tesla).
Rewind: The Leaf soon overtook all other EVs after making its debut in 2011.
- However, it quickly lost the top spot to Tesla and fell short of Carlos Ghosn’s goal of selling 500,000 vehicles annually by 2013.
- Of the 977,639 automobiles Nissan sold in the U.S. in 2021, just 14,239 copies of the Leaf were sold there.
Zoom out: The Leaf’s problems were caused by its short battery life and small size, with the 2011 model’s first iteration covering only 73 miles on a single charge.
- The range increased over time, but Nissan has subsequently focused mostly on upcoming EVs, such as the stylish Ariya crossover.
- The Leaf was victimized by shifting consumer demand for SUVs and pickups in the late 2010s as gas prices plummeted.
The Leaf is currently blowing in the wind, but EVs are far from being extinct.
Does the Nissan LEAF handle snow well?
Weight and low center of gravity of the vehicle make it excellent in the snow when equipped with ice and snow tires. However, I advise you to ask for a test drive where you can truly operate a LEAF. On your hill, visit the LEAF Forum, ideally in the snow
What year is ideal for the Nissan Leaf?
Except for the three Nissan Leaf years to avoid, we can pretty much recommend every model year if you’re searching for a Nissan Leaf that’s a decent option as a secondhand car. Having said that, we’d especially suggest the models from 2017 through 2020.
Of course, it might be difficult to find a secondhand 2019 or 2020 model in that case. Since most owners are still keeping their cars, the most modern models aren’t appearing on the used market very often.
It’s also important to keep in mind that compared to other models, you might have to pay a bit more for a used Nissan Leaf automobile. This is due to the fact that models with a lengthy history of dependability and efficiency tend to hold their value better than cars with more widespread problems.