Nissan LEAF (2011 - 2016) Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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User reviews for Nissan LEAF (2011 - 2016)
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by Paul N
Jun 09, 2024
I love the simplicity. The hatchback makes it versatile -- easy to get my bicycle in and out. This is the ideal city runabout. Drive it, then plug it in. Easy, easy, easy.Jun 09, 2024
by Jason B
Feb 13, 2024
The LEAF is luxurious compared to most compact cars. Stylish interior, comfortable seats, ample leg room, and solid construction, not a tin can that echoes and squeaks. Very quiet, like all EVs. Compared to a typical gas car at 12,000 miles/year, 30 miles per gallon and $3.00/gallon, saves 12,000 / 30 * $3 = $1,200 / year on gas. Electricity to run the car costs about 1/3 of that. We have a solar array, so driving costs us almost nothing. We charge the car in our garage 99.9% of the time, so no time wasted on gas/charging stops. Almost no maintenance: No oil changes, emission tests, tune-ups, exhaust system, radiator, transmission, etc. Ive had my 2013 LEAF for 7 years and the only repairs Ive done so far are new tires and replace worn out tie-rod ends ($70 DYI). My 2013 is 10 years old now and still has about 85% of its original battery capacity. Not all of them do this well, but Ive followed rule-of-thumb for Lithium batteries and keep it between 40% and 80% as much as possible (run it down to around 40% before recharging).
The body style I would rate as OK on the 1st gen LEAF. The 2nd gen looks cooler.
Fantastic car for city driving. This one only has a 90-mile range, so not convenient for long road trips. We considered a longer-range LEAF (150 or 226 miles) for our second car, but decided it was smarter to save $10,000 on a car that serves 99.9% of our needs, and rent a car for a few $hundred if/when we want to do a long road trip (which is rare). We found that we can rent a Tesla Model 3 for $39/day. So we now own two 1st gen LEAFs.
Note that the LEAF battery is air-cooled, which means less cost and maintenance for us in the north, but it wont perform as well in hot climates. If you do a lot of driving on 90F/32C days, dont expect to get rated range. Many EVs have a radiator to cool the battery, so theyll perform better than the LEAF in southern India or Miami.Feb 13, 2024
by Scott B
Oct 30, 2023
The Leaf is a great little car for a very specific market. The overall reliability is good except for the battery. The battery is know to degrade due to the lack of thermal management. Luckily Nissan provides a battery health gauge on the dashboard. I wouldn’t recommend buying one that is below 10 bars of battery health. The range when new was around 90 miles but at 10 bars of health or less it will have less range. If you have a short commute under 30 miles then this car would be great for you. It can have heated seats and a 360 camera. Oct 30, 2023
User rating:
by Paul N
Jun 09, 2024
I love the simplicity. The hatchback makes it versatile -- easy to get my bicycle in and out. This is the ideal city runabout. Drive it, then plug it in. Easy, easy, easy.Jun 09, 2024
by Jason B
Feb 13, 2024
The LEAF is luxurious compared to most compact cars. Stylish interior, comfortable seats, ample leg room, and solid construction, not a tin can that echoes and squeaks. Very quiet, like all EVs. Compared to a typical gas car at 12,000 miles/year, 30 miles per gallon and $3.00/gallon, saves 12,000 / 30 * $3 = $1,200 / year on gas. Electricity to run the car costs about 1/3 of that. We have a solar array, so driving costs us almost nothing. We charge the car in our garage 99.9% of the time, so no time wasted on gas/charging stops. Almost no maintenance: No oil changes, emission tests, tune-ups, exhaust system, radiator, transmission, etc. Ive had my 2013 LEAF for 7 years and the only repairs Ive done so far are new tires and replace worn out tie-rod ends ($70 DYI). My 2013 is 10 years old now and still has about 85% of its original battery capacity. Not all of them do this well, but Ive followed rule-of-thumb for Lithium batteries and keep it between 40% and 80% as much as possible (run it down to around 40% before recharging).
The body style I would rate as OK on the 1st gen LEAF. The 2nd gen looks cooler.
Fantastic car for city driving. This one only has a 90-mile range, so not convenient for long road trips. We considered a longer-range LEAF (150 or 226 miles) for our second car, but decided it was smarter to save $10,000 on a car that serves 99.9% of our needs, and rent a car for a few $hundred if/when we want to do a long road trip (which is rare). We found that we can rent a Tesla Model 3 for $39/day. So we now own two 1st gen LEAFs.
Note that the LEAF battery is air-cooled, which means less cost and maintenance for us in the north, but it wont perform as well in hot climates. If you do a lot of driving on 90F/32C days, dont expect to get rated range. Many EVs have a radiator to cool the battery, so theyll perform better than the LEAF in southern India or Miami.Feb 13, 2024
by Scott B
Oct 30, 2023
The Leaf is a great little car for a very specific market. The overall reliability is good except for the battery. The battery is know to degrade due to the lack of thermal management. Luckily Nissan provides a battery health gauge on the dashboard. I wouldn’t recommend buying one that is below 10 bars of battery health. The range when new was around 90 miles but at 10 bars of health or less it will have less range. If you have a short commute under 30 miles then this car would be great for you. It can have heated seats and a 360 camera. Oct 30, 2023
by Gil H
Oct 02, 2023
I love the car, for the price. It has limited power (though, still EV snappy) and very limited range (50-somthing miles), but as an in-town car, it cant be beat. Low price, EV, so no oil changes, no gas stations, almost no maintenance.Oct 02, 2023
by Anonymous
Jul 19, 2023
Pros: So Quiet Car. Lot of technology. Great in shape. Enough inside-space. Heated steering wheel and back seats.
Cons: little back trunk space. limited kms energy running. Consuming of Kms availability for running the car when functioning AC or radio. (Availability of kms is much less than displayed on the ad : nearly half availability only. 78 kms max after charging compared to 161 kms displayed in the ad (which may be when it came to the market). But after 11 years the function of the battery wil be lowered). Going on the highway speed will reduce the Kms availibility, causing some panic trying to search an emergency charging nearby because it warns you for lower charge on the road.Jul 19, 2023
by Sylvia B
Jun 01, 2022
The 2013 Nissan Leaf contains a second generation battery. This model does not contain the bells and whistles of my 2011 Lead SV but the 2013 runs very well. Good value for a reliable vehicle. Jun 01, 2022
by metvette P
Apr 04, 2022
I have personally driven the Nissan leaf and I thought it was quiet, comfortable and a great driving/ handling car. I would recommend the Nissan Leaf to anyone who would like to get into an electric car at a great value. The Nissan Leaf has more room than you might think. Test drive one!Apr 04, 2022
by Steve8422 M
Nov 14, 2021
great car, wish it had more range though, usability as is is limited. You wont be running around doing errands all day in this car. But as a point to point commuter of under 100 kms and preferably with a charging station at both ends of the commute its fine. We use ours in this way and it works well. Highway trips will deplete the range so long highway commutes wont work well but short commutes around the city would be ok. So far saves us at least $ 400 per month in fuel costs alone. Plus with charging overnight at home the car always has a full tank of fuel every morning which is nice. Another bonus is because of the limited usability these cars tend to have far fewer kilometers on them and cost less to buy than an equivalent gas car.Nov 14, 2021
by Will L
Aug 24, 2021
The car provides an incredibly quiet ride with excellent handling on both residential and highway roads. Because we drive around 12,000 miles annually (including a net 30 mile per day commute), the car is on track to paying for itself in 2 to 3 years compared to keeping our gas-only Nissan Altima.
Even after 7 years, the battery still provides 80% of its original range. The range indicator (miles till recharge is needed) is accurate within 95% for longer drives based on two test runs at 35 mi and 15 mi, respectively, though on two shorter drives at 4 - 5 mi each, the range indictor dropped almost twice as fast (around 8 miles). A full recharge using Level 1 (120 V) takes about 8 hours, though upgrading to a Level 2 (240 V) at-home charging station shortens this time to 4 hours and typically costs about $1,200 after a government-sponsored rebate.Aug 24, 2021
by Wayne W
May 21, 2021
Very comfortable front seats. Stylish design and smooth ride. Slow acceleration and low. Ceiling in back.May 21, 2021
by Anonymous
Mar 19, 2021
Car is great, the NS rebates helps and based on my short commute it is perfect.Mar 19, 2021
by Anonymous
May 05, 2020
Check if your PTC heater is working! Otherwise big costs (>$2000).
I bought mine, used for as good price. However, it was a unpleasant surprise to find out that the heating system had failed (codes b2773 and b2774). Rest of the car is great: Still 11 (out of 12) bars battery capacity, which is good for ~ 75 miles in summer. Love the futuristic sounds it makes and the overall quietness of the drive.May 05, 2020
by Shaun W
Apr 14, 2015
I'd drive it everyday if my wife would share better. I hate driving my gas car now. Can't wait until we can get another electric. Not only are we saving tons of money on gas but I feel much better about driving when I'm not clogging the air with exhaust. Apr 14, 2015
by Tim M
Oct 30, 2013
I've had my 2011 Leaf for a year now and I put over 12,000 miles on the car in that amount of time with no money spent on any kind of maintenance or fuel. I learned a lot about the car after owning it a few months. The car isn't expensive at all to charge , I didn't notice much of a difference in my electric bill. You don't need an expensive home charger installed and the car doesn't have to be charged to 100 percent everyday. The car has more interior space than most small cars and plenty of cargo space, a 15 gallon air compressor will fit in the back with hose and air tools. I was very surprised at how fast this car is . I drive this car like I would any other car, I drive the speed limit or maybe a little over . Over all I'm very happy with this car an would certainly by another one if I found the right deal. I bought my Leaf shopping on car cargurus for $21,500 with 795 miles on it. The dealer was asking $27,000, dropped it to $24,000 and I sent my offer for $21,500 , they accepted.Oct 30, 2013
by Gary S
Oct 20, 2013
This car penciled out with gas savings, and rebate to be nearly free. It has plenty of power, and pep - seemingly more than most internal combustion engine cars I have driven. Price would have been a bit high without fed. incentives. Oct 20, 2013
by Chris K
Mar 01, 2012
I have driven the 2012 LEAF SL several times and my immediate impression is WOW, it's extremely smooth on the road, handles exceedingly well and has among the most comfortable front and back seats in the entire mid-size market. It's acceleration is rapid and impressive. With the typical US household driving 12,000 miles per year, or about 35 miles per day, the range anxiety talked a lot about is far fetched, based on hard data. Within a few years, there will be charging ports everywhere. The LEAF has the charger inside and is a great 2nd car if you need to travel far distances often, or can be the most fuel efficient single car you can buy. Requires no maintenance costs associated with ICE vehicles (internal combustion engines), and with average US driving habits, should cost you about $30-$40 a month to fuel up. The LEAF requires Voltage Fuel, which is electricity, widely abundant, and incredibly cheap. Bottom line is that it's a real car, goes fast, is roomy, and will save you $1,000's of dollars every year you own it. Say bye-bye to the gas station if you own this car. Recommend you lease for now, and you for sure get the $7500 tax credit which is used as lease cash. Mar 01, 2012
by Christopher B
Nov 27, 2010
Has some pick up in non- economy at low speed. Could almost blend in with
gasoline cars, even from behind the wheel. Range suites 70% to 95% of drivers if
people can get comfortable with the 100% electric power train. Packed with
features, to make it a very smart car. Rare but potentially dependable energy
saving LED headlightsNov 27, 2010
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Nissan LEAF (2011 - 2016) Pricing
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