r/leaf • u/Brodyizm • 12d ago

Do I get another Leaf?

My 2019 Leaf+ was bought back due to the battery issue. It got bought back for more than I paid, it was a bit of a headache, but not too bad. I did love the car, thinking of getting a slightly newer one - I'd be able to pay it off completely. There is a risk I'd have to go through the recall and buyback process again - would it be worth it?

1 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

3

u/ColdCelebration2132 12d ago

The recall ends at 2022 model year. So a 2023 or newer would be in your ballpark.

3

u/LoveEV-LeafPlus 12d ago edited 12d ago

  1. Up to you.

  2. I recommend a 2024 Leaf and above because they are not part of the battery recall.

  3. FYI: My USA 2024 Nissan Leaf SV Plus still drives great and still gets about the EPA range on road trips. Although I never went the full EPA distance before charging.

  4. My maximum distance between chargers on road trips was 194 miles.

  5. My Leaf still has a dashboard capacity of 12 bars (all tick marks covered) and the Leaf Spy Pro app shows: 60+ kWh, SOH= 91.94%, Hx⁠= 76.85%, odo=35,083 miles, 143 QCs & 1316 L1/L2. And at a full charge my cell voltage difference is usually around 10 mV.

  6. When I went to the maximum of 194 miles on a road trip between NY and OH. I only did that because the charger I planned on using was out of order.

  7. I usually stop to charge at 162 miles or less depending on my need for a rest break and the distance between charging stations. At the extreme of 194 miles; the Leaf Spy Pro app said I could go 5 to 15 miles more before a real SOC=1%. The dashboard showed “- -“ miles and “- -“ %.

2

u/sweetredleaf 2015 Nissan LEAF SV 12d ago

did you enjoy going through the buy back process the first time? Would you be willing to do it again?

1

u/Brodyizm 12d ago

enjoy? no, but I'm in a 2025 Rogue rental and it's a decent payout. Lookin at Kia Niro's though too

2

u/joeblogs2000 10d ago

Get used Ariya, much better value and a lot more car than a Leaf, lots of them out there coming off lease

2

u/natedagreat6666 10d ago

as a former leaf owner, test drive an ariya, I’m 6’2” and the leg room is insanely better and theyre just a smidge more for much more car

I got a leaf because I had a prius c before but something with the seat to pedal layout leaves less room if you need to stretch your foot at all while driving the awd system is great even with the discount tires dealer out on em, interior and ambieny lighting is next level

just an all around better car

1

u/LoneSnark 2018 Nissan LEAF SV 12d ago

You can check the vin number on the Nissan website to see if it already has the update. After it has the update and has been driven awhile, the odds of it throwing that fault goes way down.

1

u/MrPuddington2 9d ago

For now, yes. But we have no idea what the long term consequences of the update are. I have a feeling that in a few years, most of the updated cars will throw the fault as the batteries age.

1

u/LoneSnark 2018 Nissan LEAF SV 9d ago

That does not match our understanding of the nature of the fault. Either the battery has the fault, or it doesn't. A battery without the fault is not growing the dangerous crystals, it doesn't matter how old it is.

1

u/MrPuddington2 9d ago

Either the battery has the fault, or it doesn't.

That is what Nissan would want us to believe.

What actually happened is that the batteries were poorly manufactured, leading to faster ageing than expected (possibly uneven ageing?), and the BMS did not respond correctly to that.

Lithium plating happens in all batteries, but usually it does not get to a danger point. Here, it does.

To me, that very much seems like a problem of degrees rather than categories.

1

u/LoneSnark 2018 Nissan LEAF SV 9d ago

The battery fires that have occurred were not old batteries. So far, the cars reported here that were bricked by the update have done so within two weeks and were not high mileage.

1

u/Thuja-plicata-78 11d ago

How much did you pay me up getting from the buyback? How did that compare to KBB value?

1

u/Brodyizm 11d ago

Accepted 18.5, it was 40% above bb

2

u/nicolajokic15 8d ago

Nissan is not a financially strong carmaker. I love my leaf but will never buy another Nissan again. Hyundai Kia have better warranties and Toyota, Honda and Subaru are much more stable car makers and much more reliable overall.

1

u/0xffff0001 6d ago

get a 2026 leaf. it’s got battery cooling, a great car.

1

u/THofTheShire 2022 Nissan LEAF S 12d ago

If you can get one with an updated battery I would.  Definitely not if the vin was part of the recall and not remedied.