First-gen Nissan Leaf. Britain’s best value and most reliable used EV?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2024
- Two years living with a 2015 Nissan Leaf 24 kWh. As an affordable used EV how do the numbers stack up? Could running a first generation Leaf actually prove cheaper than the equivalent petrol or diesel motor? Watch my video to find out.
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QuentinWillson?s=20 - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
I am from Germany. I bought my first EV last week. Nissan Leaf 3/2013 with 31k kilometer. White outside and bright inside. I paid 10.000 Euro. Full Insurance cost me 29,50 Euro per month. No car tax during the first 10 years for EV in Germany. My way to work is only 30 km roundtrip. Perfect cheap car for me, but still fun to drive and fast enough. :-)
You forgot to add insurance for a petrol car in the price. My EV and ICE insurance was exactly the same. I’ve owned an EV for 6 months and saved £1300 in fuel over petrol. Also, the Leaf is actually pretty nice to drive and I say that having predominantly owned VWs.
If you got rid of the background noise I would find watching this video far more pleasant.
Great review, our first EV is also a gen 1 Leaf and we have loved owning/using it as our family run around. I’ll be changing my Alpha to an EV ASAP so more reviews please Quinton, it’s really great to see you back on the screen, big fan 👍 To any ICE drivers reading this go test drive any EV, it will make you want one...
Hey! I love my Leaf. Spot on review. Always very good advice from you. Thanks Quentin.
Zero road tax on my 2013 Leaf.
Plus I think it is a great looking car.
Something you may or may not be aware of.. That Nissan Leaf can have a new battery installed either a 24 kWh or a 30 kWh / 100 Miles of range or a 40 kWh / 150 miles of range or even a 62 kWh / 300 + miles of range from a 2019 LEAF. Did you know that all of those batteries from the model years can be installed since they ALL have the same footprint as the 24 kWh battery that is currently in that car you have by a company called Muxsan (they are in the Netherlands), but have many installation sites across the UK at this time in 2021. There is a website that you can search for. The cost is not a Very expensive but is a great deal and can be served with a 62 kWh battery as low as $12,000 USA funds including labor. So for roughly less than what you paid for your car when you purchased it in British Pounds. Very Tempting...
For instance a 62 kWh battery would give your existing car a real life range of 300 miles or more with a goodly healthy battery installed in it.. I am 70 years old and am considering this for my next car purchase here in Canada. I currently have a 2018 GM Chevrolet Volt Premier with every conceivable option. This certainly offers many possibilities of Life the usability of a Nissan Leaf. I would consider a 2014 or somewhat newer model though, as I am not impressed with the battery charger hump in the rear trunk compartment.
Just saying...
Cleveleys in the UK can do EV battery refurbs or swaps.....
Sir Willson, thank you for the comprehensive review as usual! I thought I would never will see your wonderful down-to-market reviews after old Top Gear but I was wrong. Your content is great and on par with everything trendy on TH-cam. Thank You and keep em coming! =)
Sir please more videos you are so respected in the car world of reviewers you know what you are talking about and don’t fluff up anything
Well, you certainly didn't sugar coat anything but you did hit the Leaf's high points, they are incredible reliable and cheap to own. The Leaf has won awards from KBB and CR for its low cost-to-own. Prospective buyers should also be aware that the 1st gen Leaf has a 5-star safety rating. Part of the reason the used parts are so cheap is that nobody needs them. I see all kinds of parts on eBay and they seem to take forever to sell even when they're dirt cheap. Over here across the pond I routinely see entire drive units (charger, inverter, motor and differential), for under $1000. IMHO the only people buying them are the owners of 2011 and 2012 models who want replace their drive units with the upgraded chargers and inverters in drive units from a wrecked 2013-2015. Not enough gets said about how dependable these car are. You literally have to do nothing to them. My 2015 has needed the small 12V accessory battery replaced after 6 years and of course the tires after 55k miles. Other than that, there's been absolutely nothing to do for over 60,000 miles. I open the hood once every season to look at brake fluid levels and fill the windshield washer fluid and that's it. I don't know how could a petrol car could even come close to being as convenient for daily commuting purposes of less than 60 miles. I plug it in before going to bed and I have a full tank every morning. People with daily drives of 30 miles and who charge at home don't even need to look at the fuel gauge (SOC gauge). One final point I'd like to make is that these vehicles are very well engineered and incredibly well put together. These are in no way cheap econo-boxes. If all you need is a daily commuter you will be pleasantly surprised by these little cars especially when you think about how much car you get for such a low price. You can literally pick these up used for a song now. Even if you need a battery pack replacement reconditioned used battery packs for these cars are now available for just $2800 here in the states. $5600 for a brand new battery pack. These are becoming cult cars over here. They're becoming like the old VW Bug, you simply can't kill these things.
You can also thaw it/heat it, without it being plugged in! Sacrifice 3 to 5 miles for a nice warm car on a rubbish day? Yes please!
It's the perfect 2nd for me........
Unfortunately, I can only afford to just barely run one car!
Your narration is excellent, I think it would do just fine without the background music. Great video.
Nice to see this I am interested to try an electric Mini. I have not driven an electric road car yet. Anyway nice to see you Quentin Happy Christmas and hope you upload more here.
My wife and I have a pair of 2016 30kWH Tekna's and agree totally with you.... But what are you talking about with Insurance £1000 for the leaf nothing listed for ICE car Personally I find my Insurance comparable to my last petrol car making the savings even greater.
My little runaround petrol car that I had before my Leaf was more expensive to insure!
Yes. My wife and I changed to electric last year and our insurance went down. I've got the 24 kWh, hers is the 40 kWh.
Exactly. I thought it was a bit unfair not including insurance for the ICE car also. 🤔
Brilliant thanks, I want one!
When you did the cost breakdown, the Leaf costings included insurance and MOTs which the conventional car would also incur. Your claimed £270 savings should have been £1340 ! Worth mentioning too that EVs are often exempt from congestion and environmental charges in cities, savings which could be significant. In my home city EVs also currently have free parking, at £10 a day and an average 22 working days a month, that's £2640 a year ! I ran a 15 plate Leaf for nearly 3 years and looking at total cost of ownership it was £63/m, a bus pass in my city is £65/m !
And you don't get Corona Virus Driving that Vs the Bus. Priceless.
Boring car. A Smart EV is lovable. Never boring presentation from you, though. I wish you'd upload more frequently, it doesn't matter what cars you review !
Dont think you should have included the mot cost, as this would apply to a petrol powered car also.
In US, where gas is cheaper, it doesn't work out the same. A good quality used ICE Honda or Toyota economy car still beats the total cost of ownership of even the cheapest used EVs. And their utility value and performance is better than a Nissan Leaf. It will be a long time before I sell my $7,000 used Honda Fit and my next car may not be an EV if the price of used EVs does not drop significantly. There is no tax credit in US for buying used EVs, and I never pay the premium to buy new cars.
The huge Achilles point of the Leaf is its lack of active thermal management of the battery, which lowers battery life.
Leaf batteries will outlast the car.
Yes there is no thermal management but most Leafs are still way above 90% state of health.... My Env200 Van is unfortunately at 88% soh not due to over heating but because of a lack of rapid, charging before I owned it.... Still does 60 mlles fully loaded with 2 Ladders....
I have a 2016 kwh leaf with 97% soh , yes if you live in hot climates it is an issue, but fortunately I live in the uk so its a none issue .
@@mikos772 Curious that issue about lack of rapid charges. I first thought that would be what would hammer them. Mine has only had 3 rapid charges and my SOH is 90% but has gone up to 91.5% since doing a couple of fast charges :)
That only applies to the earliest cars and hot climates. It's a complete non issue in the UK.
I love mine ( 2015 SV / mid-level ) ' to bits ' . Yup , like him have had mine a while ( 3.75 years ) & have only had to keep the tyre pressures up to snuff & add washer fluid . . . . once . I think it looks cute , and have yet to have any problem with it . . . . . and don't expect to . It may not win a race , but off the line it will easily beat most ICE vehicles & has scared me a couple of times with it's powerful acceleration . Smooth & quiet on the road . So inexpensive to fuel ( at home ) . I'll keep it ! ! !
( The only worry for me is the female GPS voice seems to get irritated with me if I don't follow it's instructions ! )
Reminds me of Alan Johnson from Peep show
Can we have more videos?
If we ignore that original Leaf a Type 2 charger, definitely a chance to show the charging network please. Instavolt most reliable nationwide. Shell Recharge has varying prices and their Recharge seems to have been added to their service stations that aren't big enough. Rather cramped. You were once a Spokesperson for BP, would love to know what their network like, they're in partnership with someone else?!
I thought the speed limit on the motorway was 70 mph!? 🤔
Well, you certainly didn't sugar coat anything but you did hit the Leaf's high points, they are incredibly reliable, durable and low cost to own. The Leaf has won awards from KBB and CR for its low cost-to-own. Prospective buyers should also be aware that the 1st gen Leaf has a 5-star safety rating. Part of the reason the used parts are so cheap is that nobody needs them. I see all kinds of parts on eBay and they seem to take forever to sell even when they're dirt cheap. Over here across the pond I routinely see entire drive units (charger, inverter, motor and differential), for under $1000. IMHO the only people buying them are the owners of 2011 and 2012 models who want to replace their drive units with the upgraded chargers and inverters in drive units from a wrecked 2013-2015. Not enough gets said about how dependable these cars are. You literally have to do nothing to them. My 2015 has needed the small 12V accessory battery replaced after 6 years and of course the tires after 55k miles. Other than that, there's been absolutely nothing to do for over 60,000 miles. I open the hood once every season to look at brake fluid levels and fill the windshield washer fluid and that's it. I don't know how a petrol car could even come close to being as convenient for daily commuting purposes of less than 60 miles. I plug it in before going to bed and I have a full tank every morning. People with daily drives of 30 miles and who charge at home don't even need to look at the fuel gauge (SOC gauge). One final point I'd like to make is that these vehicles are very well engineered and incredibly well put together. These are in no way cheap econo-boxes. If all you need is a daily commuter you will be pleasantly surprised by these little cars especially when you think about how much car you get for such a low price. You can literally pick these up used for a song now. Even if you need a battery pack replacement reconditioned used battery packs for these cars are now available for just $2800 here in the states. $5600 for a brand new battery pack. These are becoming cult cars over here. They're becoming like the old VW Bug, you simply can't kill these things.
Thanks for your comments. I don't think I was unkind to the Leaf - its still Britain's Best Value Used EV in my book. In fact I look at Leafs on the road now with great nostalgia and miss that unerring reliability. And I think you're right they will become cult cars with a big fan base over time. Definitely one of history's EV Legends, that's for sure.
@@quentinwillson8918 - Sorry, I didn't want you to think I was being critical. You are direct and I think that's important when attempting to be sincere and objective. All in all I do think it's one of the better Leaf reviews I've seen (and I've viewed them all). Peace.............
@@Tron-Jockey I know General. No offence taken. My TV trademark has always been shooting from the hip. Very best wishes to you too.
The car just barely made 55 mile trip to my job. What a nightmare I am driving my second Chevy Volt now No range issues driving the Volt LOL
55 miles to work every day; 110 mile round trip? Poor you.. that's really crap 😢
You'd be more ahead, no? An ICE vehicle would still require insurance, and MOTS if over 3 years old, plus it would likely depreciate a lot more unless you were super smart with your pick.
Great review though!
I think the 24 kwh is not enough if you can’t charge at home or work. And have to use public charging
depends on your commute distance.....
Spot-on Quentin. These are what we used to call great little runabouts. Cheap, dependable, and useful. I've had my 2015 model for 3 years now ( my first ever EV ) and it does everything I need at absolutely microscopic cost. No, I don't do long journeys at motorway speeds, because I know that would be a pain. But as a second car, or just a utility runabout, the Leaf is just about perfect.
So glad you agree! These second-gen Leafs are one of the best early EVs you can buy. Even though I now have a Tesla M3 I miss that faithful and cost nothing red Leaf.
I Just sold my Zoe Nav Dynamique 2014 for £5250 to allow someone else to switch to an EV.
Paid £5995 for it 5 years ago as the dealer couldn't get rid of it quick enough.
I think I may trump you in the cheapest EV stakes lol 😁
£500 a year insurance?
Cost vrs savings .... is it me or is your maths is abit off, your not £270 ahead, your £1440 ahead, (petrol-electric £800, servicing £350, road tax £290, all other costs would be similar/same as a petrol or diesel car)
Also £1000 insurance!!!! I paid the same as my Passat tdi around £400
Plus the lack of depreciation! I have just sold a 5 year old Vauxhall mokka and was shocked at the £2,250 per hear depreciation. So add £4,400 depreciation saving over that time for a similar age car.
The brakes system is expensive to change. Because you have to change the complete unit
brake discs £50 ea
I heard something else from a sails man. I was there to test drive 2 ev’s. He said that he have friends with the Nissan leaf and that they already had huge cost with replacing the brakes because they had to replace the complete unit. He talked about 2k per Unit! First i thought i was screwing the leaf because he sold Hyundai’s so I said that to him. His response: the hyundai kona and ionic uses the same system. So it also could happend to this cars. It didn’t still happend but it could. I believe that if you want to selling a car you don’t tell your costumer this
general rule........at 1500 kg car (dunno how much filled up) u can go 300km min. with 50 kw in the city and 500km min with same 50kw uotside (at 90 even more than at 120).....this is a general rule...
Driving 80mph?! That's bloody illegal, Sir!
Funny how racey car blokey-blokes think the Leaf 1 is ugly. It's a classic car! ❤
Where the hell did you go for insurance for it to be £1k MORE than a petrol car? I just got a quote of £249 for my Leaf for me plus a named driver for social, domestic, pleasure and business, kept on a drive with no voluntary excess. Keep Diane Abbott away from the calculator next time, eh?
I paid £500 per year for the insurance on my Leaf. Don’t forget journalists who work on TV aren’t considered the lowest risk group. Don’t know why.......!!!
@@quentinwillson8918 you're all bounders and cads, that's why. 😄 You put £1k in the costs for insurance but you'd have had to insure an ICE so it doesn't add up.
PNI5.
heh heh
Dumpy and slab sided. No Quentin, that is what's best described as Miss Marple bodywork..... That said, it does exactly what Nissan intended it to do......
You got insurance for the EV not for the ICE car ? Or are you saying it cost £500 per more to insure yourself in the Leaf. These figures are baffling, this car should pay for itself in 8 years with savings on road tax, servicing and fuel.
I'm tired of my Peugeot 407 diesel station wagon
Sorry? What?!
“If you’re on the motorway doing, say 80MPH......”
Why are you breaking the legal speed limit of 70 and, more to the point, mentioning it on video?
Are you in the habit of breaking the U.K. speed limits Mr Willson?
You are joking, right? He did say, “If”, not “when”.
Tesla Model 3 is by far the best value. The Leaf is like getting a turd for $1. It's cheap alright, but valuable?!?
I guess my 10k Leaf plus my 121 TSLA shares are more valuable. :-)
Turd... Really..... Leafs are bloody good cars esp the 30
see if you can get a Tesla for 12k !
@@davefitzpatrick4841 Old EVs are cheap because new batteries are expensive. This will happen to old model 3s too. in another 5 years, they can be had for that price!
@@Tore_Lund so dont buy a "new" battery - swap a known good second hand one for £2-3000
Right that’s it I’m sold! I want a Nissan Leaf. First presenter to finally breakdown the real world costs of ownership for cost conscientious drivers like myself who want to switch to an affordable second hand EV! (Somebody please get Quentin on to Fully Charged Show to do other EV reviews.. he has intuitive understanding of consumers and provides the essential details you want as a consumer!!)
Great review, breakdown and analysis, especially useful for those like myself who are looking to buy the first real world affordable EV.