In the land of insanely complicated EVs, the Leaf is such a breath of fresh air. I genuinely WANT something like this as a daily driver to compliment my Miata
For sure. Every EV maker seems to feel a false need to make it futuristic and all, to the detriment of basic things like being able to adjust your climate while driving without crashing into somebody else. Fortunately this is not that
I heard Dankpods call this "the frog." Yep, that's what this looks like today, what it has looked like before, and what it will always look like. It's a fact of the universe that frog is always frog
Theres a shocking number of people who drive with left foot on brake pedal right foot on gas pedal all the time. Very easy to put pressure on both at the same time that way. I have a family member who was a driving instructor and thats one of the top mistakes he had to 'teach out' of new drivers. He said its almost instinctual in some people.
I purchased a '23 Leaf 40 KW to supplement my full sized truck. It's perfect for zipping around town running errands. Rarely charge it more than once a week.
It took me a little while to figure that out myself since I didn't buy it from a Nissan dealer lol. I stopped using E-pedal at all and went with full time B mode as E-pedal uses the friction brakes way too much as evidenced by the brake dust buildup. I've got 128,000 miles on a Fusion hybrid with little brake wear to be seen and I'd like to keep that up with this car.
Getting those “leaves” in the used market is where they seem to do well. Coming off a lease or something like that. I definitely love the simple interior design and layout - it just an easy car to get along with. Lord help that RAV4 driver…
You know, that's exactly how I feel about my Leaf. I've only had it for a few weeks now and got it used with really low miles for a crazy price. It's just a really good car. It's easy to drive and get along with, does everything I ask it to do and doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is. A few little upgrades, LED headlights, tinted windows and a couple of things and the car really has some personality now. I just love it.
We have a 2020 Leaf in the family. Honestly as a daily driver it’s perfect. You get quite a lot of tech for comparatively low money (at least when we bought it in my country). I wouldn’t want it as my only car but a set up with the Leaf as a daily and some fun ICE car for the weekends would be a great match.
We have the same car and love it. For the frugal consider a lease return for about $20K. Outdated may be good: real switches, framed doors, all metal roof, normal door handles…. Surround view camera is great for city parking. E pedal is awesome. It’s an amazing around town car. In 2022 when we bought ours the Bolt was having battery fire issues. The Leaf for us seemed a bit roomier inside than the Bolt. Early generation Leafs didn’t do well in very hot climates, but this problem may be solved.
It’s “an car,” in the words of Daily Motor! Honestly, if I got a Miata for weekend funsies, this is the kind of vehicle I’d consider as a daily driver. As cool as stuff like the new Ioniq 5 N is, I’d want an EV to be a comfortable, practical, inexpensive-to-run daily driver in my case, which this does quite well! For being in the position they’re in, Nissan’s making pretty dang good lemonade with the lemons they have.
I had a 2012 Leaf with the smallest battery pack and the lowest range. Living in a big city and charging at home it was perfect. In Arizona, my license fees for five years were less than $50. To fill up the battery from 15% to full was about $10 and I could get around town for about a week before needing to recharge. It was quiet and very pleasant to drive. The only reason I got rid of it was that I was able to sell it for almost $4000 more than what I paid for it. I'm moving to a rural area and I'm really thinking about getting a newer Leaf with the largest battery pack to get the 200 mile range. My new place will have a sturdy solar setup so I will be able to charge it up for free most of the time. I think the biggest mistake people make when it comes to electric cars is not understanding what they are for and how they work.
I have a 2016 Nissan Leaf S & love it. It still has 11 of it's 12 original bars of battery. The only I don't like is the range but it's fun to drive & has lots of low end torque.
An interesting drive and I don´t mean the Leaf this time. 😁 That one on the highway reminds me on Italy. Nobody was moving with the ambulance behind...
I have a 2019 SL Plus 62kwh. It actually is a great commuter car and an around town car. We took it on a 225 mile road trip once and fast charged once on the way and it was fine. Would not go longer than that (and it was a while ago and Chademo chargers are scarcer now). I don’t regret the buy at all. I like the old school switches mixed with some decent tech, like Pro Pilot and 360 camera. But… longer range, liquid cooled battery and CCS or NACS would be nice…. Next car.
That´s what I´m always saying. I really love ICE engines and will drive them as long as I can. But for daily driving and commuting, electric cars are just perfect. It´s so nice to have a silent car in the early morning or when tired from work, don´t mentioning the fun because of all the torque. It´s also nice that you don´t waste fuel while sitting in traffic and can charge at home. And for long distance trips or when I want the emotions, I still can use my ICE cars.
I had one once for work, showed 225 kilometres for range, my trip was 186 km and I ran out of battery after 175 km lol. Since I live in Canada our charging network is a joke unless you own a Tesla. I will say the leaf is great for an around town car.
I got my Leaf Plus for $30k prior to incentives, so $23k after the incentive due to it being a used (but still new) dealer car. Its such a great EV and car. I only have 34000 miles on it, its a 2019. At the rate I am going, assuming it lasts to 200k miles, it will be with our family for 20 years and cost very little to fuel and insure. Love it.
While I don't own an EV, I don't know why everyone gets hung up on 200mi of range. That is driving almost the entire length of Mass from the East to West in one shot, or several trips from Boston to the North and South shores. Getting that for under $30k and it's a great secondary/commuter nugget with comfort tech.
They should’ve made this an e-Power hybrid like the Nissan Note in Japan. I think it would’ve been a much more viable alternative to a Prius and probably more popular than as an EV.
Day 7 of asking Tedward to drive the S60R (it's just crazy how clueless some people on the road are, moving over to assistance/emergency services is like the basics of driving)
I have a '18 one of these and, yes, absolutely it's so good and so easy in slow traffic. Don't even need the brakes usually, just a slow steady pace. It's not a super exciting car but it's good to drive, easy to live with and can be had very cheap on the used market. It's a shame the Ariya is basically the 'replacement' model at the moment, the hatchback size works so well.
I would really like more EVs to use Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. They're cheaper to produce partly because the materials are cheaper, and their extremely stable chemistry gives them a significantly longer calendar life. The major tradeoff is capacity/range. However, recent research into next gen Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries is aiming to double their energy density and make them comparable to Lithium Polymer batteries. So it may not be too long before we see that. One of my biggest issues with EVs is battery degradation. I don't want to spend $30,000-50,000 on something that becomes essentially worthless in ten or fifteen years when the battery won't go more than 40 or 50 miles.
At 10-15 years (or 250-350k miles, really depends on capacity here.) NMC doesn't become totally useless with less than 40 miles, but it is reaching the end of life stage where degradation starts to very significant. The good new is most cars don't make it that long anyways, and the pack is still useable enough for a commuter or to go on to have a second life as some other energy storage application. (The way degradation works is it tends to be a few % at the beginning of battery life, then plateau for most of it's life before nose diving, so researching the estimated cycle life or calendar life limit isn't the pack suddenly dying). I do think, as we already see a couple examples, we'll be seeing more LFP hitting the market, especially on the lower end models/small pack options which will greatly help with affordability too. The math for LFP degradation can be in that 400-600k mile range depending on pack size. We already see Tesla, Ford, and Rivian using them on their small packs, but these aren't on vehicles that were originally designed to be the bottom market affordable options yet. In China we see this a lot though so it's only a matter of time for it to spread to the West.
I really want to go electric for my commute (20 miles one-way in the Baltimore suburbs, made worse with the loss of the Key Bridge) but am waiting until after I buy a house so I can charge it every night. Was thinking of an e-Golf since Jason Cammisa raves about his (and I daily a Golf now), but you've convinced me to try a Leaf out
If they’re still passive air cooled, they’re still junk. Unless you live somewhere where the temperature never fluctuates between 65 to 75°. I bought a Colorado leaf here in Texas and it lasted two summers and my range was down to 30 miles and treated well by the way.
I like the Leaf, 100 miles of range would even be fine.. But the price tag isn't. I understand that it's a cheap car in the EV world, but I want a smaller budget EV on the market, similar size to the Chevy Spark, or Mitsubishi Mirage. And at the same time be very similar in prices, and not double the price almost.
If they’re still passive air cooled, they’re still junk. Unless you live somewhere where the temperature never fluctuates between 65 to 75°. I bought a Colorado leaf here in Texas and it lasted two summers and my range was down to 30 miles and treated well by the way. I can’t believe it’s legal for them to sell these things cause so many people have no clue what they’re getting into with a leaf.
This model with the larger battery back is governed to 98 mph, that is what the needle test will indicate. It won't reach the 100 mph mark in test. So the quirk is why have a speedo that goes to 120 mph is the real question you should be asking.
I leased a second gen Leaf from 2019 to 2021. I liked it, but not enough to buy out the lease. The range was so-so and the design of that console next to your right knee bugged me. I would end up resting the side of me knee against it which got sore after a while. The thing that bugged me the most was pulling that shift knob backwards to go forwards and forwards to go backwards. I never got used to it. Those are minor complaints I know, but they were enough to put me off a purchase.
Watched another video recently that showcased a dealership in Colorado doing lease deals on a base model Leaf for like $500 down and $20/mo. Screaming deal if you need a cheap in-town run around car.
Owned a Nissan Note E- power, it had that funky gear knob (I guess that is what you would call), I liked the range on that thing it was a series hybrid, rather than the traditional hybrid. The engine was a generator that charged the battery and the car drove on the battery which was like an EV... Confusing right...?
I had my 2012 Leaf until last month. I loved it but the range was horrible. It was down to about 50 miles range on a full charge. I got a Tesla but it's surprising to see all these years later how similar 2024 is to 2012.
I've always had a soft spot for the Leaf, specifically the refreshed version. Though it's kind of a mediocre EV in the grand scheme of things (air cooled battery, no heat pump) it also is just jam packed full of features you wouldn't expect, especially for the price these are going for used. I've seen SL Plus models going for sub 20k near me with barely even 30k miles. If you're just looked for a dirt cheap, decent, simple grocery getter in which you wont drive long distances, the Leaf truly excels.
How much does battery replacement cost? how many years or charging cycles will it last? It's not worth it, if you live in colder climate, unless the areas you drive to are close together. Having an ice car for long distances, then have ev car for local driving might be strategy to save wear and tear on the ice car, being city driving decreases lifespan more than constant high way driving.
I really like how despite being EV it's quite literally "just a car", weird gear selector aside. Normal looking interior, dare I say even dated-looking... but that's fine, and a lot of people don't seem to agree... I'd like to see Nissan make a mk3 or even a mk2 refresh of this. Sadly the infrastructure is kinda lackluster here in Italy (and electricity price at public charge stations are quite steep), but if you can charge at home (e.g. powered garage under your house contract) a small battery EV or a PHEV can work.
I like how genuinely happy you are driving around in what is the bottom of capability for EVs, because it's just a simple pleasant commuter that does it's job with no drama and no hassle. Leaf, Bolt, Kona, Niro, none of them are fully capable long distance cars, but you can pick them up on the used market for pretty cheap if you just want an efficient reliable commuter.
I own the (absolute failure of a) competitor to the 1st gen Leaf - a Ford Focus Electric, which I bought as a 2nd car specifically because it was extremely cheap. I'd love to eventually get a 60KWh Leaf because it'd be such a practical daily driver, might look at picking up a used one at some point down the road, or more realistically when the battery eventually gives out on my Focus. Edit: Oh god I just saw the Rav4 madness bahahah
My main and probably the only real issue with the Leaf is the obsolete CHAdeMO charging system. And as far as I know, there is not any way to convert it to the North American Charging System, standardized as SAE J3400. That limits the future charging support for the Leaf. 150 to 200 miles of range is perfectly adequate in an affordable EV for my use. I actually like the 1st generation Leafs goofy round looks because it’s pleasant and distinctive. The leaf you’re driving is fine for me, but those wheels are just indescribably ugly.
So you said something about how these EVs are nice to have in traffic, I just wanna pipe in that I recently got a 2015 Prius and I actually no longer mind traffic around Chicago because I can just crawl in EV mode and brake regen. It has pretty much ruined me of pure ICE vehicles outside of enthusiast cars.
The Leaf doesn't get the credit it deserves for how well it's built, how incredibly reliable it is and how unbelievably cheap it is to own. There is simply nothing to do to these cars except unplug them and drive them. Just look under the hood. The motor has essentially one moving part. No fan, accessory or serpentine belts and none of the associated pumps, pulleys, bushings or bearings. No alternator or mechanical water pumps. No transmission or power steering pumps so none of the associated hydraulic fluids to monitor. No timing belts, timing gears or timing chains. No spark plugs, coil packs or ignition control computer modules. No fuel injectors, fuel pumps, fuel filters, fuel pressure regulators or fuel injection control computer modules. No crank angle sensors or cam position sensors. No O2 sensors, exhaust pipes, mufflers or catalytic converters. No high pressure, high temperature coolant systems so none of the extreme temperatures and vibrations that prematurely degrades nearly everything under the hood (coolant hoses, vacuum lines, sensors, electronics, wiring, etc...). The simple low pressure, low temperature coolant systems on EV's are lifetime sealed maintenance FREE systems. No valve cover gaskets, oil pan gaskets, timing cover gaskets, water pump gaskets, or rear engine oil seals to leak. No intake or exhaust manifold gaskets to leak. No oil changes or Emissions testing EVER. The only real knock against the Leaf was the battery degradation that the early models experienced. All that was corrected by 2018 and the Leaf has since had some of the best battery tech. But beyond the renowned reliability it's the build quality that impresses me the most. They don't seem to age like gasoline vehicles. After 5 years and nearly 60k miles there's not one squeak or rattle. All surfaces cleanup to "as new". I routinely see first gen Leafs that are now nearly 14 years old and the plastic headlight covers are still perfectly clear, the paint is still glossy and the interiors show little to no wear, even the red pigments are like new. I think it's safe to say that the Leaf is not built like typical Nissans. I have a Versa and a Frontier as well and neither have held up nearly as well as my Leaf.
I was like for a commuter car this is actually very good and quite liked it until I heard the price.. Why does nissan always do this they just make good cars but the pricing is always one tier above 😂
That LEAF is not og, just the most common. And If only it had active cooling 😩it would be a far better EV The OG Hyundai Ioniq was the closest thing to a perfect goldilocks EV and the leaders at Toyota was too dumb to take the hint. So too was Hyundai for favouring the Kona over the ioniq hatchback.
well yes nissan is a great company but cough cough there chain cvt driven cars with jetco transmisisons are not that great and the only thing they make good are those cars your driving or the trucks like cheverole they don't know that the trucks are where they are good at sadens are not the thing any more
Nissan/Jatco CVT's use a metal belt and not a chain. There's plenty of videos out there showing the belts shattering into pieces. Subaru makes metal chain CVT's and those are actually way more durable and don't give a rubber band feel.
I always appreciated the Leaf, but with how limited charging is in the inland northwest, and how limited charge speeds are on the Leaf, it just isn't a practical option. I hope the 3rd gen Leaf, should they make one, takes range and charging seriously. Similar sized vehicles from other brands go nearly 50% further and can charge 3x or more faster.
It is insane that we can't import the amazing EV cars from China. You can BUY chinese equivalent to US EVs at $5000 dollars. Think how much more better off people would be if they could pay $25k less for a vehicle. Great video though!
i owned a first gen 2017 for about 2 years. total shitbox, it only got about 100 miles from the factory. i sold it to a friend when i moved overseas. it only gets about 65 miles on a charge now. barely enough power to get on to the highway, truly hideous, basically nothing about it was good. the only good thing about it was how dirt cheap it was. never had to maintain it, and it only raised the electric bill by 30ish dollars per month.
The fact that you know about NYC "no hesi" culture is hilarious. I'd love to know your thoughts on this trend, as to me it's the epitome of cancer to the car community and the complete opposite of "respect the drive"
Nissan had all the opportunity in the world to lead the EV market alongside Tesla with the Leaf. Instead they're the joke of the EV market, what a shame.
What I'll never get over is the battery degradation. If you had an ICE car that had a gas tank that shrank a little every month until it was unusable, nobody would buy it. I guess if I bought an EV, I'd want to drive the hell out of it to get my money's worth before it went bad.
You are the only RUclipsr I'll instantly watch. You could be test-driving a horse and id still watch it
Thank you!!
April fools video idea right there.
We need a horse review now lol
Guys it's mind-blowing that a horse have more horsepower than one horse 🤯 I think 1 irl horse= 15 hp
looking forward to that review of a horse though
In the land of insanely complicated EVs, the Leaf is such a breath of fresh air. I genuinely WANT something like this as a daily driver to compliment my Miata
That's the situation I'm in! My ND2 Miata is my fun car, and I have an ancient EV as a daily driver. Honestly not a bad combination of cars to own!
For sure. Every EV maker seems to feel a false need to make it futuristic and all, to the detriment of basic things like being able to adjust your climate while driving without crashing into somebody else. Fortunately this is not that
I heard Dankpods call this "the frog." Yep, that's what this looks like today, what it has looked like before, and what it will always look like. It's a fact of the universe that frog is always frog
Of all the EVs currently made, I think this is the one I'm most likely to buy. It's a car, that happens to be an EV. Not the other way around.
Love how quirky and iconic this car is after all of these years
WOW that rav4 was absolutely terrifying. And how are the brakes not smoking??!!
I see this all the time, I wonder where people learn how to drive from.
It could be that the brake switch was sticking. I've seen that happen plenty of times.
Theres a shocking number of people who drive with left foot on brake pedal right foot on gas pedal all the time. Very easy to put pressure on both at the same time that way. I have a family member who was a driving instructor and thats one of the top mistakes he had to 'teach out' of new drivers. He said its almost instinctual in some people.
I have a 2018 leaf with the small battery and love it it’s perfect to just run around the city in a comfortable practical hatchback
I purchased a '23 Leaf 40 KW to supplement my full sized truck. It's perfect for zipping around town running errands. Rarely charge it more than once a week.
ruclips.net/video/k72Y23kyrfs/видео.htmlsi=lRbpyFB8FkkmdUHX
I just had a 2021 leaf 🍁 from Calgary Canada 🇨🇦. I only charge L1 every day. This loves cool or cold climate, this is what I know about this car 🚗.
ruclips.net/video/U1e3j9XOfVg/видео.htmlsi=unhGsG7NoyXHtaED
Love Tedward for the fact that he actively complains about drivers the same way I do
Just info for people.
D - for little to no regen
B - Max regen
E Pedel - Max regen w/ brake blending
It took me a little while to figure that out myself since I didn't buy it from a Nissan dealer lol. I stopped using E-pedal at all and went with full time B mode as E-pedal uses the friction brakes way too much as evidenced by the brake dust buildup. I've got 128,000 miles on a Fusion hybrid with little brake wear to be seen and I'd like to keep that up with this car.
D mode for reversing down a hill
Amazing video! Love seeing the Rav4 activities all the time and wondering if anyone else saw that or if it was just me lol.
Getting those “leaves” in the used market is where they seem to do well. Coming off a lease or something like that. I definitely love the simple interior design and layout - it just an easy car to get along with.
Lord help that RAV4 driver…
You know, that's exactly how I feel about my Leaf. I've only had it for a few weeks now and got it used with really low miles for a crazy price. It's just a really good car. It's easy to drive and get along with, does everything I ask it to do and doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is. A few little upgrades, LED headlights, tinted windows and a couple of things and the car really has some personality now. I just love it.
We have a 2020 Leaf in the family. Honestly as a daily driver it’s perfect. You get quite a lot of tech for comparatively low money (at least when we bought it in my country). I wouldn’t want it as my only car but a set up with the Leaf as a daily and some fun ICE car for the weekends would be a great match.
when you're already driving an npc car and you find a rav4 that steals the show npc-wise
The code was glitching harrrrrrd
@@TedwardDrives thank god for climate recirculation or else you'd have a bunch of brake dust and evaporated brake fluid in your lungs
Love my 2023 Nissan Leaf Plus! My third Leaf. A great EV sleeper!
We have the same car and love it. For the frugal consider a lease return for about $20K. Outdated may be good: real switches, framed doors, all metal roof, normal door handles…. Surround view camera is great for city parking. E pedal is awesome. It’s an amazing around town car. In 2022 when we bought ours the Bolt was having battery fire issues. The Leaf for us seemed a bit roomier inside than the Bolt. Early generation Leafs didn’t do well in very hot climates, but this problem may be solved.
I've come to find that you get better range in normal mode vs eco mode on highways 60+ mph. Coasting down big hills feathering the throttle is key.
It’s “an car,” in the words of Daily Motor! Honestly, if I got a Miata for weekend funsies, this is the kind of vehicle I’d consider as a daily driver. As cool as stuff like the new Ioniq 5 N is, I’d want an EV to be a comfortable, practical, inexpensive-to-run daily driver in my case, which this does quite well! For being in the position they’re in, Nissan’s making pretty dang good lemonade with the lemons they have.
I had a 2012 Leaf with the smallest battery pack and the lowest range. Living in a big city and charging at home it was perfect. In Arizona, my license fees for five years were less than $50. To fill up the battery from 15% to full was about $10 and I could get around town for about a week before needing to recharge. It was quiet and very pleasant to drive. The only reason I got rid of it was that I was able to sell it for almost $4000 more than what I paid for it. I'm moving to a rural area and I'm really thinking about getting a newer Leaf with the largest battery pack to get the 200 mile range. My new place will have a sturdy solar setup so I will be able to charge it up for free most of the time. I think the biggest mistake people make when it comes to electric cars is not understanding what they are for and how they work.
I have a 2016 Nissan Leaf S & love it. It still has 11 of it's 12 original bars of battery. The only I don't like is the range but it's fun to drive & has lots of low end torque.
An interesting drive and I don´t mean the Leaf this time. 😁
That one on the highway reminds me on Italy. Nobody was moving with the ambulance behind...
I have a 2019 SL Plus 62kwh. It actually is a great commuter car and an around town car. We took it on a 225 mile road trip once and fast charged once on the way and it was fine. Would not go longer than that (and it was a while ago and Chademo chargers are scarcer now). I don’t regret the buy at all. I like the old school switches mixed with some decent tech, like Pro Pilot and 360 camera. But… longer range, liquid cooled battery and CCS or NACS would be nice…. Next car.
That´s what I´m always saying. I really love ICE engines and will drive them as long as I can. But for daily driving and commuting, electric cars are just perfect. It´s so nice to have a silent car in the early morning or when tired from work, don´t mentioning the fun because of all the torque. It´s also nice that you don´t waste fuel while sitting in traffic and can charge at home.
And for long distance trips or when I want the emotions, I still can use my ICE cars.
I had one once for work, showed 225 kilometres for range, my trip was 186 km and I ran out of battery after 175 km lol. Since I live in Canada our charging network is a joke unless you own a Tesla. I will say the leaf is great for an around town car.
Another great video Tedward!🎉 always a good day when I see you post 🎉
Tedward knowing about No Hesi Looool
I got my Leaf Plus for $30k prior to incentives, so $23k after the incentive due to it being a used (but still new) dealer car. Its such a great EV and car. I only have 34000 miles on it, its a 2019. At the rate I am going, assuming it lasts to 200k miles, it will be with our family for 20 years and cost very little to fuel and insure. Love it.
The irony of it not being the Nissan being the driving menace in this video
While I don't own an EV, I don't know why everyone gets hung up on 200mi of range. That is driving almost the entire length of Mass from the East to West in one shot, or several trips from Boston to the North and South shores. Getting that for under $30k and it's a great secondary/commuter nugget with comfort tech.
a pleasant surprise upload 👍
They should’ve made this an e-Power hybrid like the Nissan Note in Japan. I think it would’ve been a much more viable alternative to a Prius and probably more popular than as an EV.
You'd have to be clinically insane to buy this over a bolt euv which is cheaper with the same or more features
Day 7 of asking Tedward to drive the S60R (it's just crazy how clueless some people on the road are, moving over to assistance/emergency services is like the basics of driving)
I have a '18 one of these and, yes, absolutely it's so good and so easy in slow traffic. Don't even need the brakes usually, just a slow steady pace. It's not a super exciting car but it's good to drive, easy to live with and can be had very cheap on the used market. It's a shame the Ariya is basically the 'replacement' model at the moment, the hatchback size works so well.
I would really like more EVs to use Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. They're cheaper to produce partly because the materials are cheaper, and their extremely stable chemistry gives them a significantly longer calendar life. The major tradeoff is capacity/range. However, recent research into next gen Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries is aiming to double their energy density and make them comparable to Lithium Polymer batteries. So it may not be too long before we see that. One of my biggest issues with EVs is battery degradation. I don't want to spend $30,000-50,000 on something that becomes essentially worthless in ten or fifteen years when the battery won't go more than 40 or 50 miles.
At 10-15 years (or 250-350k miles, really depends on capacity here.) NMC doesn't become totally useless with less than 40 miles, but it is reaching the end of life stage where degradation starts to very significant. The good new is most cars don't make it that long anyways, and the pack is still useable enough for a commuter or to go on to have a second life as some other energy storage application. (The way degradation works is it tends to be a few % at the beginning of battery life, then plateau for most of it's life before nose diving, so researching the estimated cycle life or calendar life limit isn't the pack suddenly dying).
I do think, as we already see a couple examples, we'll be seeing more LFP hitting the market, especially on the lower end models/small pack options which will greatly help with affordability too. The math for LFP degradation can be in that 400-600k mile range depending on pack size. We already see Tesla, Ford, and Rivian using them on their small packs, but these aren't on vehicles that were originally designed to be the bottom market affordable options yet. In China we see this a lot though so it's only a matter of time for it to spread to the West.
I really want to go electric for my commute (20 miles one-way in the Baltimore suburbs, made worse with the loss of the Key Bridge) but am waiting until after I buy a house so I can charge it every night. Was thinking of an e-Golf since Jason Cammisa raves about his (and I daily a Golf now), but you've convinced me to try a Leaf out
If they’re still passive air cooled, they’re still junk. Unless you live somewhere where the temperature never fluctuates between 65 to 75°. I bought a Colorado leaf here in Texas and it lasted two summers and my range was down to 30 miles and treated well by the way.
With Nissan ending production of the Versa S manual 5mt this year, you should review one! The last production 5 speed in North America.
Being from Houston, hearing you complain about the “traffic” really ruffles my feathers 😂😂 That traffic ain’t NOTHING !!
You don’t understand. There’s never ever traffic there. Ever. So it meant something bad happened and could have been fullllllly stopped lol
The size of the Leaf is perfect. If they’d update it for 2025 I’d buy one.
It's just funny seeing Tedward driving a Nissan leaf LOL
the pause for the m3 at 4:55 took me out😂
I like the Leaf, 100 miles of range would even be fine.. But the price tag isn't. I understand that it's a cheap car in the EV world, but I want a smaller budget EV on the market, similar size to the Chevy Spark, or Mitsubishi Mirage. And at the same time be very similar in prices, and not double the price almost.
If they’re still passive air cooled, they’re still junk. Unless you live somewhere where the temperature never fluctuates between 65 to 75°. I bought a Colorado leaf here in Texas and it lasted two summers and my range was down to 30 miles and treated well by the way. I can’t believe it’s legal for them to sell these things cause so many people have no clue what they’re getting into with a leaf.
This exactly the comparison I came for. 😂
This model with the larger battery back is governed to 98 mph, that is what the needle test will indicate. It won't reach the 100 mph mark in test. So the quirk is why have a speedo that goes to 120 mph is the real question you should be asking.
I leased a second gen Leaf from 2019 to 2021. I liked it, but not enough to buy out the lease. The range was so-so and the design of that console next to your right knee bugged me. I would end up resting the side of me knee against it which got sore after a while. The thing that bugged me the most was pulling that shift knob backwards to go forwards and forwards to go backwards. I never got used to it. Those are minor complaints I know, but they were enough to put me off a purchase.
Watched another video recently that showcased a dealership in Colorado doing lease deals on a base model Leaf for like $500 down and $20/mo. Screaming deal if you need a cheap in-town run around car.
Owned a Nissan Note E- power, it had that funky gear knob (I guess that is what you would call), I liked the range on that thing it was a series hybrid, rather than the traditional hybrid. The engine was a generator that charged the battery and the car drove on the battery which was like an EV... Confusing right...?
I had my 2012 Leaf until last month. I loved it but the range was horrible. It was down to about 50 miles range on a full charge. I got a Tesla but it's surprising to see all these years later how similar 2024 is to 2012.
I've always had a soft spot for the Leaf, specifically the refreshed version. Though it's kind of a mediocre EV in the grand scheme of things (air cooled battery, no heat pump) it also is just jam packed full of features you wouldn't expect, especially for the price these are going for used. I've seen SL Plus models going for sub 20k near me with barely even 30k miles. If you're just looked for a dirt cheap, decent, simple grocery getter in which you wont drive long distances, the Leaf truly excels.
Brand new, the leaf is an actual scam, but buying one used with low miles is a great deal overall.
I’ve been looking at these. New SV Plus’ in my area going for $26k.
Did you drop the M5 back off at Garage 42 already? 😭
Filmed this before I picked it up
Man i just realized that you live down the street from me in Mendon, MA! how crazy!! i wish we could meet up?
How much does battery replacement cost? how many years or charging cycles will it last? It's not worth it, if you live in colder climate, unless the areas you drive to are close together. Having an ice car for long distances, then have ev car for local driving might be strategy to save wear and tear on the ice car, being city driving decreases lifespan more than constant high way driving.
I really like how despite being EV it's quite literally "just a car", weird gear selector aside. Normal looking interior, dare I say even dated-looking... but that's fine, and a lot of people don't seem to agree... I'd like to see Nissan make a mk3 or even a mk2 refresh of this.
Sadly the infrastructure is kinda lackluster here in Italy (and electricity price at public charge stations are quite steep), but if you can charge at home (e.g. powered garage under your house contract) a small battery EV or a PHEV can work.
I like how genuinely happy you are driving around in what is the bottom of capability for EVs, because it's just a simple pleasant commuter that does it's job with no drama and no hassle. Leaf, Bolt, Kona, Niro, none of them are fully capable long distance cars, but you can pick them up on the used market for pretty cheap if you just want an efficient reliable commuter.
About stupid drivers-
"If you consider how stupid the average person is and half of em are dumber than that."
George Carlin
15:45 you could have slipstreamed behind the truck!
I own the (absolute failure of a) competitor to the 1st gen Leaf - a Ford Focus Electric, which I bought as a 2nd car specifically because it was extremely cheap. I'd love to eventually get a 60KWh Leaf because it'd be such a practical daily driver, might look at picking up a used one at some point down the road, or more realistically when the battery eventually gives out on my Focus.
Edit: Oh god I just saw the Rav4 madness bahahah
Imagine what he felt like once he turned off eco mode!
Did you just drive on ECO mode allday ? The torque is much better on normal mode.
I drove in all modes
My main and probably the only real issue with the Leaf is the obsolete CHAdeMO charging system. And as far as I know, there is not any way to convert it to the North American Charging System, standardized as SAE J3400. That limits the future charging support for the Leaf. 150 to 200 miles of range is perfectly adequate in an affordable EV for my use. I actually like the 1st generation Leafs goofy round looks because it’s pleasant and distinctive.
The leaf you’re driving is fine for me, but those wheels are just indescribably ugly.
So you said something about how these EVs are nice to have in traffic, I just wanna pipe in that I recently got a 2015 Prius and I actually no longer mind traffic around Chicago because I can just crawl in EV mode and brake regen. It has pretty much ruined me of pure ICE vehicles outside of enthusiast cars.
the speedo only goes up to 100 becuase the leaf is limited to 89 mph i think(idk why it still goes up to 100)
The Leaf doesn't get the credit it deserves for how well it's built, how incredibly reliable it is and how unbelievably cheap it is to own. There is simply nothing to do to these cars except unplug them and drive them. Just look under the hood. The motor has essentially one moving part. No fan, accessory or serpentine belts and none of the associated pumps, pulleys, bushings or bearings. No alternator or mechanical water pumps. No transmission or power steering pumps so none of the associated hydraulic fluids to monitor. No timing belts, timing gears or timing chains. No spark plugs, coil packs or ignition control computer modules. No fuel injectors, fuel pumps, fuel filters, fuel pressure regulators or fuel injection control computer modules. No crank angle sensors or cam position sensors. No O2 sensors, exhaust pipes, mufflers or catalytic converters. No high pressure, high temperature coolant systems so none of the extreme temperatures and vibrations that prematurely degrades nearly everything under the hood (coolant hoses, vacuum lines, sensors, electronics, wiring, etc...). The simple low pressure, low temperature coolant systems on EV's are lifetime sealed maintenance FREE systems. No valve cover gaskets, oil pan gaskets, timing cover gaskets, water pump gaskets, or rear engine oil seals to leak. No intake or exhaust manifold gaskets to leak. No oil changes or Emissions testing EVER.
The only real knock against the Leaf was the battery degradation that the early models experienced. All that was corrected by 2018 and the Leaf has since had some of the best battery tech. But beyond the renowned reliability it's the build quality that impresses me the most. They don't seem to age like gasoline vehicles. After 5 years and nearly 60k miles there's not one squeak or rattle. All surfaces cleanup to "as new". I routinely see first gen Leafs that are now nearly 14 years old and the plastic headlight covers are still perfectly clear, the paint is still glossy and the interiors show little to no wear, even the red pigments are like new. I think it's safe to say that the Leaf is not built like typical Nissans. I have a Versa and a Frontier as well and neither have held up nearly as well as my Leaf.
notification gang 💯
Rav4 probably has a broken or stuck brake switch
is the red r4p new?
Yup! My dad got one too lol. Just picked it up
@@TedwardDrives Awesome! My family has one and I have the V6!
Is it chademo?
can they please make some more evs, specifically ev sedans
Nissan use to be reliable until Renault and Carlos Ghosn entered the chat.
rip S chassis
That traffic gave me NY flashbacks
Lovely ev woohoo ❤
VERY GOOD
Rav4 prime ALL DAY.
Can you do a Honda Passport from McGovern Tedward?
Nice vid chum😂
I was like for a commuter car this is actually very good and quite liked it until I heard the price.. Why does nissan always do this they just make good cars but the pricing is always one tier above 😂
Buy used. You can find relatively new, low mileage examples for less than half of what they cost new. I did.
That LEAF is not og, just the most common. And If only it had active cooling 😩it would be a far better EV
The OG Hyundai Ioniq was the closest thing to a perfect goldilocks EV and the leaders at Toyota was too dumb to take the hint. So too was Hyundai for favouring the Kona over the ioniq hatchback.
Is EV1 og then? Who else put ev on the map like leaf
@@TedwardDrivesLove you so much
get these used. they are half the price for 2023 models
well yes nissan is a great company but cough cough there chain cvt driven cars with jetco transmisisons are not that great and the only thing they make good are those cars your driving or the trucks like cheverole they don't know that the trucks are where they are good at sadens are not the thing any more
Nissan/Jatco CVT's use a metal belt and not a chain. There's plenty of videos out there showing the belts shattering into pieces. Subaru makes metal chain CVT's and those are actually way more durable and don't give a rubber band feel.
Oh, "Sedans not sadens lol
200+ days supply of this Nissan EV
Sounds like heavy discounts!
MG4 is better on paper but has reliability issues.
Some real horror stories in the UK.
I always appreciated the Leaf, but with how limited charging is in the inland northwest, and how limited charge speeds are on the Leaf, it just isn't a practical option. I hope the 3rd gen Leaf, should they make one, takes range and charging seriously. Similar sized vehicles from other brands go nearly 50% further and can charge 3x or more faster.
Do the nissan juke
It is insane that we can't import the amazing EV cars from China. You can BUY chinese equivalent to US EVs at $5000 dollars. Think how much more better off people would be if they could pay $25k less for a vehicle. Great video though!
i want to drive so badly
i owned a first gen 2017 for about 2 years. total shitbox, it only got about 100 miles from the factory. i sold it to a friend when i moved overseas. it only gets about 65 miles on a charge now. barely enough power to get on to the highway, truly hideous, basically nothing about it was good. the only good thing about it was how dirt cheap it was. never had to maintain it, and it only raised the electric bill by 30ish dollars per month.
Nissan makes a modern EV called the Ariya lol
Yup and nobody really talking about it so likely not taking the world by storm.
6:46 Or maybe, just maybe. They just didn't realize their brake pad stopper is broken hence why the brake light is always on?
Wanna drive my e-Golf? Lol
The fact that you know about NYC "no hesi" culture is hilarious. I'd love to know your thoughts on this trend, as to me it's the epitome of cancer to the car community and the complete opposite of "respect the drive"
firstttt!!!!!
A car that you drive just for the sake of ranting about: Mitsubishi Mirage
Nissan had all the opportunity in the world to lead the EV market alongside Tesla with the Leaf. Instead they're the joke of the EV market, what a shame.
What I'll never get over is the battery degradation. If you had an ICE car that had a gas tank that shrank a little every month until it was unusable, nobody would buy it. I guess if I bought an EV, I'd want to drive the hell out of it to get my money's worth before it went bad.
NO HESI!!!!
Voluntarily living with a Nissan of any kind is a bad idea, but a Leaf shows you must be a real Masochist.
Can you elaborate on that?