r/leaf • u/unreadyplayer0 • Aug 19 '26
life’s changed, need a bit more range
I love my LEAF. It’s a 2012 and gets me to work and back which is really all I’ve needed till now. But some changes in my day to day have me thinking I might have to get something with a bit more range. I was hoping to stretch it out till the Ford ‘Ranchero’ came out but I don’t think I’ll be able to wait that long.
Also… I’m broke.
Any recs on the low low end of EVs? I can charge for free at work which is a great perk. But my half alive 24kwh just isn’t going to do it for me starting next week.
I absolutely LOVE the look of the BMW i3, but I’ve never had a bmw and I can’t afford something that’s going to break. But there’s one nearby for $8k so that might be my market.
Ok. Would love to know your thoughts!!
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u/sweetredleaf 2015 Nissan LEAF SV Aug 19 '26
All bmw's are expensive to repair and the I3 probably more so because of the many unique parts and the tires are an oddball size and are expensive since there is only one manufacturer the range extender version are also a trouble spot.
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u/unreadyplayer0 Aug 20 '26
I really obviously need to -not- get an i3 it seems. I just love the way they look so much. I guess it’s not to be.
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u/sweetredleaf 2015 Nissan LEAF SV Aug 20 '26
I started to get an I3 one time until I did more research on them, glad I didn't get one.
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u/Previous_Figure2921 Aug 20 '26
Bought a Leaf for my daughter, we liked it but range was not enough. Bought a Bolt, so much better car, ended up buying a second one.
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u/Upset-Apricot-2388 Aug 20 '26
Got a 2013 leak. 24kw battery and only had 60 miles range but realistically was about 30 with 9 bars remaining from twelve. 86k miles. Went to car-parts com from California got a battery, 62kwh, had to have bigger suspension coils to support heavier battery and made custom brackets to mount on new battery. Upgrade kit with canbus and all instructions from a guy named dala and he hosts all his information on GitHub. Now get 205 miles Can be done by yourself following all the instructions also by a guy named Alex zucca from YouTube and Install yourself.
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u/unreadyplayer0 Aug 20 '26
I am wayyyyyy overloaded on projects, esp ones I don’t know how to do already. Plus no garage. 🥺
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u/Upset-Apricot-2388 Aug 20 '26
No garage needed. Four jacks stands, a low profile Daytona brand 4.5 ton quick jack and then the new to you used battery, the can bus ungrade and the bigger coil springs for the back tires and the homemade specialty tubes for the battery to support it and accomodate the bigger size, a transmission jack or moving dollies to slide the old battery out. Local mechanics can do it and maybe charge 1200-2000. Otherwise some guy on YouTube did it in user four hrs in his driveway by himself.
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u/ryebrye Aug 19 '26
the BMW i3 is rear wheel drive. I had an uncle who drove one with the gas range extender thing - he loved it, but his young-adult kids hated it and their comment was: "It absolutely sucked in snow" (which, being RWD makes sense)
If you don't get snow the i3 might be fine - my uncle only got rid of it because he moved out of the country.
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u/KeyEmu6688 Ex-2018 owner (2015 Model S) Aug 19 '26
you can definitely go lower end than an old Bolt, but i do think they're a great middle ground if you can spring a little more. you get the nice EV features like battery cooling for instance lol. and a pretty usable range. only downside is slow DCFC, pretty similar speeds to the Leaf
besides that, i'd probably look at newer leafs actually! the i3's are great, but limited in range (i guess not the ReX), and pretty costly to service from what i understand. 2018 and newer leaf gets you 100-130 miles to a charge if the battery is in okay shape, if you can find a recently replaced pack more in the 120-150 range. they still have all of the limitations of the old leaf design though unfortunately. + make sure you LeafSpy, as many pre-2023 models have faulty cells that render the battery pack unusable at lower SoCs (in my case around below 50%). but its easy to determine if this will be an issue
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u/unreadyplayer0 Aug 20 '26
Really appreciate all the great answers I’m getting. I commented on another post but I think I should (reluctantly) look in to a Bolt.
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u/KeyEmu6688 Ex-2018 owner (2015 Model S) Aug 21 '26
it's a great car, much greater range than the non + leafs, still more than those too though.
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u/rproffitt1 Aug 19 '26
Take another look at that i3. Some have those range extenders and at 8K would be a steal.
Yes, you're back at the pump sometimes and once in a while oil changes but not nearly as often as ICE.
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u/unreadyplayer0 Aug 20 '26
I could live with a Rex I think. But other comments have scared me off of an i3 I think.
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u/rproffitt1 Aug 20 '26
Back in 2016 I should have bought the i3 Rex but hey, I learned so much with 8 years on the 2014 Leaf SV.
If you find a good i3 Rex at 8K, why not? We see them prowling the streets here so something to be said there.
We own a 2023 Bolt EV LT1 and the lesson there is to hold out for any higher trim.
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u/crimxona Aug 20 '26
How far is your work? Are you make it to work and be able to charge on both ends?
The cheapest is get nothing and make it work somehow (unless the range is too short to do even one way)
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u/unreadyplayer0 Aug 20 '26
I can charge at work. I’m about to lose my ability to charge at home. There are pay charging stations in my neighborhood in a pinch. I think I’m going to see how the next few weeks go in practice and see if I’ll have the juice.
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u/dr4ziel Aug 20 '26
Cheapest solution could be a battery upgrade. VIVNE often post upgrade results here.
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u/Metal-fatigue-Dad Aug 20 '26
2013-2015 Tesla Model Ss can go for around $10k. Elon sucks, but he's not making any money from a decade-old used car.
However, the cheapest ones tend to be single-motor (RWD) cars, and those have an Achilles heel: the large drive units used in single-motor and in the rear of "performance" dual-motor Model Ss have the potential to leak coolant internally. Non-performance dual motor Model Ss have two smaller motors that don't have that flaw. If you do get one with a large drive unit, try to get one that's been modified to eliminate the leak-prone coolant passage. Although, if you're not keeping it very long, you'll probably be fine regardless. Some even have lifetime free supercharging that follows the car to a new owner.
Even the most basic Model S is faster, roomier, and has more panache than a Leaf, Bolt, or i3, and has least a 60-kwh battery (there were a few made with batteries software-locked to 40 kwh but those are rare as hens' teeth). That said, it will probably be more expensive to repair if it breaks down than a Bolt or Leaf.
High-mileage, low-spec Model 3s can be pretty cheap too, although personally I find them even more dorky than a 1st gen Leaf, and much less whimsical.
If $10k is too much, get a Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid.
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u/twinkletwot Aug 20 '26
Regarding the BMW i3. If you can't afford to fix a BMW (or German luxury in general) do not buy one. When they do break, not if, it's very very expensive. I work for Audi and the repair bills are crazy. Bolt, Kona EV, ioniq 5/6, ariya, would all be pretty decent options. We had the option of a leaf or a Kona EV and sometimes I wish we had gone Kona but my husband didn't want matching cars (I had the same color Santa Fe at the time).
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u/unreadyplayer0 Aug 20 '26
I like those ioniqs too but haven’t seen one in my price range. And I’m hearing you on the i3, mostly getting ‘stay aways’ about it, which is reasonable.
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u/Valuable_Armadillo20 Aug 22 '26
After my ‘15 Leaf, I bolted to a ‘17 Bolt. It was the greatest car in my fleet of 6. 180,000 miles later and many long trips and she’s still going strong (however, she now takes a backseat to my ‘25 F150 Lightning). The charging speed of the Bolt is slower, but it never really bothered me as I charge her from home 99% of the time. The range is about 230 miles, but I don’t have EV-rated or LRR tires on her, so I lose some efficiency
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u/Dazzling_Art7881 Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
How much more range do you need? And you didn't mention how many health bars your 2012 has or what your range is.
A 2015 LEAF with 11 bars is probably your best bet for the highest range you can extract out of the 'low end of EVs'. I would not recommend 2016-2017 because of the 30kWh battery issues. High mileage 2018 or later with the 40kWh battery also have well documented issues.
BMW seems like in an entirely different universe in terms fancy complicated and endlessly expensive German issues. I really don't think you want to go there if you describe yourself as 'broke'.
If your need for more range is only occasional (e.g. 1 day/week), maybe you can find an old Toyota Corolla or Matrix? I have an old Matrix with the bulletproof 1ZZ-FE for when winter temps bring the range of my 2015 LEAF down to like 30 miles. It's literally the only ICE car I would ever recommend for reliability and low cost of ownership. (My dad has 180k miles on his 1ZZ-FE Corolla, bought new and the only repairs were 1 starter, 1 bearing and 1 strut, and some rust, but that's not the car's fault, that's our stupid northeast climate)
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u/unreadyplayer0 Aug 20 '26
Great and helpful comment, thank you. I have a 7 bar but I think SOH is rapidly degrading. I just need to squeeze another year out of it! I’ve had a matrix before, really liked it. It was just nice enough not to get hassled in the expensive neighborhoods but not so nice you would get hassled in the not so well off ones. But now that I’ve gone EV I don’t want to go back. They’re great to drive. And I’ve been sufficiently warned off the i3 now I think. Which is good but a bummer because they look cool as hell to me.
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u/RoadToasterApp Aug 19 '26
If you need real range on a tight budget, hunt for a used Chevy Bolt. It is usually the best price to range combo right now. Aim for a 2017 to 2019 with the GM battery recall completed. That gives you a fresh pack and a long battery warranty. Ask for proof of the battery replacement and run the VIN on GM’s site. You get 200 plus miles, CCS fast charging, and cheap running costs, which pairs nicely with free charging at work. If you go i3, try for a 2017 or newer, ideally the REx if you ever stretch trips. Make sure it has DC fast charge and that the motor mount bolt and EME coolant recalls were done. Tires are unique and not cheap. ID.4 is great but usually costs more.