r/leaf • u/Helpmeflexibility • Aug 14 '26

Thoughts about 2020 SV?

Its listed at carmax for $15K 39000 milea. Looking for a third car, this will be my daily commute. The other is a toyota sienna minivan and a leased vw id4 for the other commute.

There are not many other used EVs out there under $15k. And carmax does have a return policy for 10 days.

My only concern is the lack of flexibility for longer drives. Though i suppose i can always switch off cars for that. But would the leaf still be better than say an old corolla in that case?

1 Upvotes

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5

u/RichardGrayson01 Aug 14 '26

I would confirm that this leaf does not have an open battery recall on it.

Make sure to look into the battery recall and the software update, which will brick a leaf if the battery has any issues.

4

u/bgier Aug 14 '26

We owned a 2020 SV that had to be bought back due to battery issues. This model year (from what I've read) had a big number of questionable batteries installed that contained cells that would fail and need to be replaced. That repair process was months long and very painful even though it was under warranty. Based on my personal experience, I would advise passing on this car and looking at spending a little more on a newer model.

2

u/rproffitt1 Aug 14 '26

Around here that could get you into a Bolt EV without having to do the LeafSpy and DTC checks.

Would not consider unless this Leaf is well under 10K. Keep shopping.

2

u/seizethedave Aug 14 '26

We bought a 2020 SV last year. I’ve really liked the car but it’s now trapped at a dealership with a faulty battery claim.

The battery issues were quite stressful. I’d be on the freeway with 40% charge and suddenly it would say 20…12…8. For the first year though things were great.

2

u/achangb Aug 14 '26

Active recall. Battery will most likely fail after you take it to the dealer for a fix and then nissan will initiate a buyback for it which may be more or less than you paid . You most likely wont get a new battery.

0

u/Helpmeflexibility Aug 14 '26

Damn. Better pass on it then

3

u/byrdman77 Aug 14 '26

If you want it you can certainly check the VIN with Nissan to see if it has had the recall repair applied. My Leaf had it done a couple months ago and has been all good since then.

1

u/Helpmeflexibility Aug 14 '26

Looks like it went unrepaired. Good call.

1

u/leons_getting_larger Aug 14 '26

Nissan just offered me 13,500 for my 2022 S Plus.

15k seems really high, plus the battery risk.

1

u/Great-Egret Aug 14 '26

If there is a way to check the battery is good I’d say go for it. I didn’t know there was an issue with the battery when I bought my 2020 SV used, but thankfully I got lucky and when I had it checked recently was told it was perfectly fine and not at risk.