Used 2017 Nissan LEAF Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2017 LEAF, so we've included reviews for other years of the LEAF since its last redesign.
Surprised it's So Nice
Jerry Roussos, 11/11/2015
updated 11/11/2019
2015 Nissan LEAF SL 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
96 of 96 people found this review helpful
We bought our 2015 Leaf SL for an around town car. It's perfect for any trip of 35 miles radius from home (70 miles round trip). When traveling further there are loads of Free charging stations to be found. Home charging cost is about 2 cents per mile driven based on the local FP&L 10.6 cents/kwh electric cost. I'm a big guy with a bad back. I looked hard at the Chevy Volt but due to the lower roof line it was hard for me to get into it without contorting my neck to duck under the roof. The Leaf roof is tall and actually is easier to get into than my Lexus RX450h. Acceleration is ample and very quiet. It just pulls. In ECO mode the accelerator is remapped to make response pretty dull but acceptable. Turn off the ECO mode and the accelerator is very responsive. ECO doesn't reduce acceleration it just takes more pedal movement to get the same response. We installed a 240 volt charging station at the house which cost about $500 for the box and $150 for electric installation. It is well worth it. It fully charges the Leaf in about 3 hours vs the 15 hours it takes using the supplied trickle charger. Without the offered rebates the car would not be one we would have considered. We negotiated a $5,000 dealer discount, A $6,000 Nissan rebate and a $7,500 Federal tax credit so that reduced our real cost to $20,000 for a $38.500 MSRP Loaded SL. Or SL has Bose Stereo, Navigation, Leather etc. We estimate the car will be worth only $10,000 after 5 years but that is not bad considering depreciation after rebates are factored in is only $2,000 per year. Maintenance cost should be minimal since no oil changes etc. The only issue may be battery degradation over time Fuel (Electric) is costing us about $20 extra a month on our electric bill for 1,000 miles driven. NOT BAD. The car has a free iPhone or Android APP that allows you to view charging status, battery status and even start the Air Conditioner remotely. In Hot Florida we use the AC remote start up all the time before leaving a restaurant to make sure he the car is cool by the time we get to it. Update: 20 month of ownership update. It's still our go to car for local trips within a 30 mile radius of home. Range has reduced very slightly due to exoected battery degradation. In 20 months battery and range has degraded 6%, and this is in Florida heat. The only problems so far is the 67 cents CR2025 coin battery in our key fobs needed replaced and a recall on the passenger seat pressure sensor. Update: after 36 months traded it in on. 2018 Leaf SV. The 2015 was a great car but the 2018 has almost 2x the range due to the larger 40 kWh battery vs the 24 kWh battery in the 2015. . THEN after owning the 2018 for a year I traded it in on a 2019 SL Plus with the 62 kWh battery. These Leafs are great cars.
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Don't be shocked! It's a great electric car!
Hardball, 09/29/2016
updated 02/06/2018
2016 Nissan LEAF SL 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
92 of 92 people found this review helpful
I leased my 2016 LEAF about 900 miles ago and I have to say I'm "shocked" at how great it is. It's the SL version which means it's fully loaded with all options. The car is well built and very solid. With all the incentives, I got a great deal and will be able to buy it in a few years at an awesome price. Fully charged, it is capable of 125 miles. This is plenty for my daily 40 mile round trip commute. I installed a 240 V level 2 charger myself with not too much difficulty. I'm fairly handy and have a newer home with 200 amp service and spare breakers. I bought the NISSAN charger or EVSE online. I charge the car on early Wedsnesday mornings and again on Sunday mornings during off peak hours. It charges from empty in less than 5 hours but I usually only need about 3 and a half hours to go from 20 miles to about 110. It costs me about 2 bucks per charge. This is easy to do beacuse it's fully programmable. It's incredibly loaded with technology that makes it fun to drive. While searching for an alternative vehicle, I drove the VOLT and Prius. I was not impressed with either one. The VOLT has hardly any rear headroom and is a joke for tall people to sit in the back plus it's a true four seater at best. The Prius was interesting but seemd to lack any pep. The LEAF is decievingly large inside due to its height. It also has great acceleration due to its torque from the electric motors. Driving an electric car is a unique experience. It's silent and smooth. There is no drag when using the A/C and no strain from a gas motor. It accelerates effortlessly, quietly, and smoothly. I don't have trouble with range because there are many chargers available in my area plus at any NISSAN dealer. I still have gas cars for long trips though. But, I don't travel much anyway. I love pulling into my garage silently, having no motor to heat up the garage, no smells from oil and exhaust etc. It requires no maintenance except tire rotations. No belts, exhaust, oil etc. I'm no hypermiler either- don't have to be- I use the climate control liberally, drive at normal speeds on the highway every day, plus I'm a car guy and own a classic musclecar which I drive pretty hard on the weekends. I guess I'm not the typical electric car owner but it's just a blast to drive the LEAF. It has a nice sized hatch area for groceries unlike the Honda Fit. The electronics are intuitive and easy to use. The nav is great and the Bose sound is very good. I would say to anyone on the fence, examine your driving practices and see if it's for you. I should add that the build quality is exceptional and the materials are excellent. I am VERY picky with cars and don't have any major cons for this car. I will say that the center armrest could be improved by making it adjustable to slide forward. There is a little more wind noise than I like but it's a smaller car. There is no lock on the glove box. There should be courtesy lights for rear passengers. I hope this review helps you. *UPDATE* Feb 2017 Okay, so I first reviewed this car in September of 2016 so I think it's time to update my review. I see some people saying some poor things about it but it's not been my experience. I have almost 16,000 miles on the car from a new lease and have ZERO battery life degradation. All battery life bars are full as new. It does not charge to what it did when new (135) but does charge up to 109 which is in line with Nissan's projections. I live in a Northern cold weather climate and will say that using this car in winter weather DOES affect the mileage rather significantly when driving at highway speeds. Cons: The use of all the electric accessories in winter weather (especially the climate control) can drain the battery quickly. At lower city speeds however, I find the effects to be not as drastic. The A/C in the summer is a high drain on the battery also. Driving on snow or ice can be especially tricky due to the torque of the motors when accelerating from a stop. The windshield washer sprayers are terrible. They are not set up to spray high enough and don't immediately activate the wipers. No daytime running lamps, headlights don't automatically turn off in the constant ON position- they could potentially be left on though there is an alarm. Pros: no gas or maintenance other than tire rotations. Powerful headlights (SL). Great Bose stereo (on the SL), EFFORTLESS electric power steering, nice leather, navigation is excellent, easy Bluetooth, lots of media options, heated steering wheel is AWESOME, I have no complaints with the heater, surprisingly roomy because of its tall cabin, jackrabbit acceleration. This car is not for everyone. It's NOT a highway car for sustained drives. It is ideal for close to home driving, running errands, grocery shopping etc. Forget about unscheduled impulse drives however because you have to take your range into consideration. If most of your driving is close to home this car could be perfect for you.
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Zippy, fun car!
Kelly, 05/02/2016
2015 Nissan LEAF SV 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
29 of 29 people found this review helpful
The Leaf is a really fun car to drive. It handles well, feels very solid and well made. I think it's zippy- I don't understand the 'slow acceleration' comment from Edmunds. I loved my previous car but sold it to friends in order to go with new technology. I leased rather than purchased- you want to be able to move on to a higher range vehicle in a few years. Hope Nissan comes out with a 150-200 range version in 2018 - I'll be waiting in line... If you don't like the odd look of the Leaf (many don't) it's all the more reason to be driving it - you won't have to look at it! Inside, it is a nicely appointed, spacious car. As far as charging it - I plug it in to a standard outlet in my garage and it charges overnight. Just like my iPhone and iPad.... A regular, nightly procedure. 100 percent charged by 7 a.m. Love it. Leased January 2016. Adding a comment here.....LEASING is a better deal than purchasing.
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Never Going Back to Gas
Brian Roach, 07/20/2016
2015 Nissan LEAF SV 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
34 of 35 people found this review helpful
I'm extremely happy with the Leaf. While I appreciate the car's low environmental impact, I mainly bought it because it was a financial no-brainer. While the MSRP was around $33k (for the SL), I negotiated a price of $25k. Deduct the federal tax credit and a $2,500 rebate in MA, and the final cost was only $15k. So it's just about the cheapest new car you can buy. I'm fortunate enough to have access to free charging, so all my driving is now free. And there's virtually no regular maintenance or repairs to worry about. Of course the main limitation of the car is its relatively short range. I find I can get 100 miles in warmer weather, more like 70-75 in colder weather, with mostly suburban driving. For commuting, errands, and other short trips, the Leaf is just about perfect. We have a gas car as well, but hardly ever use it. I would say the Leaf makes a perfect second car, but you may find that it quickly becomes your first car. Driving the Leaf you really do feel like you are driving the future, and all gas cars seem both rather primitive and overly complex. EVs are simply better vehicles - quiet, smooth and quick acceleration, low maintenance, reliable, and better for the environment. I hope to never own another vehicle that uses gas. I'm also smitten with the heated steering wheel, making winter driving much more pleasant. What's the downside, besides the limited range? Well, the exterior design might not suit everyone. The steering wheel doesn't telescope - a strange omission. The armrest could be larger and adjustable. It could include a spare tire. But really that's about it. The Leaf is easily my best vehicle purchase, and I highly recommend it.
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GONE
mike, 08/09/2017
updated 08/14/2020
2017 Nissan LEAF S 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
45 of 47 people found this review helpful
I have sold my Nissan Leaf. My decision to sell was for one main reason, a point I made in my initial review. RESALE VALUE! The second winter of ownership gave me a better handle on how the battery degrades with age. In weather that was only going to get colder, I saw my range drop below 90 miles per charge. So, on January 1, 2019, I sold the vehicle for $14000.00. I was fearful the range would continue to drop and thus so would my car value. My second concern was the fact that you must have a second car to get the full benefit of the car, otherwise planning your trips would be more stressful. I just decided it was not worth trying to juggle that as my vw van was starting to have problems and I didn't want to get stuck without a vehicle. I DO NOT REGRET PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. The rebate allowed me to pay no federal income tax for the 2017 year. I got to experience owning an electric car, and I truly believe I came out ahead financially. Would I buy another electric car? If the right deal came along, I would.
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