Used 2011 Nissan LEAF Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Welcome to the 21st Century!
stellarrat, 05/01/2012
2011 Nissan LEAF SL 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
I've had my 2011 Leaf for a month now. It's my only car. So far I've spent a grand total of $8.10 in electricity to drive 729 miles. In my previous car I was spending $180 a month in gasoline and probably another $50 in maintenance (if you averaged it out per month.) In the NW, off-peak power is $.044 / kwh. So, as you can see it's saving me about $220 / month. I've taken this car to every family event, errand and work daily. Not a single problem with range or anything else. I don't even need the 240v charger. The car is just great all around. Good room, good ride, excellent electronics, and decent handling. Acceleration is very good around town.
After over a year of ownership
eniac, 02/09/2012
2011 Nissan LEAF SL 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I've owned my LEAF for over a year now and have put just over 10,000 miles on it. The car is still really fun to drive and we've enjoyed every single mile. Everything is still tight, no rattles or wind noise. As for operating costs, I had the tires rotated twice (for fre at Discount Tires), annual battery check at the dealership (also free), and I replaced the cabin filter for $11 and had it detailed on its birthday for $60. Other than $342 in electricity to "fuel" it for the entire year, thats my total costs so far.
Fatal brain tumor at 62K, total garbage
Suwakon, 04/17/2022
2011 Nissan LEAF SV 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I decided to reward Nissan with $30,000 for being the first with affordable EV. We were one of the first buyers when these cars came out in 2011, always garaged always pampered. At 55K we lost the 4th bar of battery capacity one week after the warranty ended. Two weeks previously I had been at the dealer arguing that the forth bar was effectively gone from real world experience, to no avail. The dealership helped me negotiate with Nissan USA to get a replacement battery for $1800. I realized that those who abused their battery were rewarded with free battery replacement while those who were conscientious were punished! I also learned that Nissan was going to stop making the replacement battery for 2011-12 in the next year or so and the upgraded 2013+ batteries would NOT fit the car! I had tried to pay extra and get the 30kw battery instead of the original 24kw during the replacement. Realizing that Nissan was Orphaning the early Leafs and learning that the resale value of Leafs (maybe all EVs?) was horrible, I put the car up for sale on Craig's List for a few months. I started at $7900 and ended at $6500 with no offers above $4000. I thought the new battery and showing all 12 bars of capacity would sell the car; it made absolutely no difference at all. EV owners be warned: you will not get one penny more of resale value for a new battery! So we decided to keep the car and baby the new battery as long as we could; after all it was one of the nicest cars I had ever driven around in. In October 2021 we put new tires all around and replaced the 12v battery, got inspected, paid registration (which had now gone up significantly because EVs don't pay gasoline tax!), topped up charge at Walmart and headed home. On October 10, 2021, one mile from Walmart the Leaf strangely lost power (at 30mph) and drifted off the highway (main error light flashing, car would not go into drive or reverse, only park and neutral). I and some EV enthusiasts spent that afternoon and the next morning trying anything to recover the car only to have it towed to the Nissan dealer the 11th. The Leaf tech spent a month trying to figure it out, finally Nissan USA said the "traction motor inverter" had failed. Nissan no longer makes this part but one was available in another state and could be had for around $5300 dollars plus install. I balked because I knew this to be more than the value of the car. The service manager, after promising me this was the ONLY problem with the car, agreed to let me try to find a used part on Ebay. A month later I got a functioning part for a total cost of $550 to the Leaf tech who was just leaving for vacation. 2 months later they finally got it installed only to find it did NOT fix the problem. Now they are saying the battery must come out and the relay box built into the traction battery investigated for a fault; this would start at $5,000 and could go to $10,000. Maybe they are just trying to get rid of me? By then it is March 2022. I half heartedly try to sell the car for the battery or as a parts car, no takers. I eventually GIVE the car (April 22) to a friend who lives off-grid and wants to try to salvage the battery. It costs him $500 to get it away from Nissan. So our beautiful Leaf, with out a scratch or dent outside, nor a single blemish inside is being dismantled for it's battery. I will never buy another EV nor a Nissan product. Stone cold dead at 62K would get some kind of response from other manufacturers, but not Nissan. Yes, I did see the Tesla blown up because quoted $22,000 to repair.
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Hard to work with Nissan support.
Lloyd Dawson, 11/29/2016
2011 Nissan LEAF SL 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Nissan keeps a lot of information closed to the public. Replies to questions get "canned answers". After a battery replacement the vehicle needed many other repairs. Even when I purchased a 5 year 100000 mile extended warranty the in service date caused me to lose 6 months on the warranty I paid for. We love using our EV but Nissan has been a pain.
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Just Buy It!
peterhi, 02/17/2012
2011 Nissan LEAF SL 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I have been driving my Leaf for 1 month, with 1,000 miles. Had a very difficult decision to sell my 2007 Lexus IS250 which I loved, and was worried to be driving an econobox tin can. I have no regrets at all! Believe it or not but it drives just as well as the Lexus, is more quiet, just as smooth, accelerates well, and just feels good to be doing the right thing! I have a 20 mile r/t commute to the office; with side trips, often am driving 35-40 miles which is perfect. I have a gas car for longer drives but rarely use it. Take advantage of tax credits while you can! Nissan put lots of research and money into this vehicle to get it right the first time. Just Buy It!
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