Why Have 2022 Used LEAFs Dropped by $10k in Price in the Past One Year?

[Oostenrijker]

As to the


Covid happened. China went into lock-down and the automotive sector suffered shortages. It threw manufacturing into a tailspin. For a while used cars became very expensive. We had a 2018 Leaf S. The local Nissan dealer called us up and offered us a deal on a new 2023 SL Plus which we accepted. We will never see a deal like this again. Within six months China's manufacturing picked up and prices on used cars have slowly come down; dealers are not desperate any more. To answer your question, that $10,000 drop looks about right.

There is supposedly another interruption of the supply chain: some war going on, with Houthi rebels. That's why Tesla stopped it's manufacturing in Berlin, because they can't get the parts.

 

[decimal]

Can't speak about USA, but in the UK there has been a huge media campaign against EVs, with scare stories about cars exploding and batteries dying on the highway, etc. Despite this, EV sales are generally up significantly in 2023 compared to 2022, and rising. The market is full of good used EVs now, so buyers have a lot of choice. The Leaf 24 or 30 kWh vintage is not particularly desirable now due to the low range, and buyers are suspicious of the battery technology inside them. For people who only need 50-100 miles of range, and can charge at home on AC, you can pick up a used Leaf gen1 for less than £3.5k ($4400). It's the ideal first EV for buyers who just want to test it out and get used to an EV, maybe as a second or third car. It's competing with other EVs like the Renault Zoe though, and there are hundreds of them for sale at the moment too. A good time to buy a used EV at the moment, but not so good if you want to sell!

CHAdeMO might also be a factor.. although these chargers are still quite widely available (and still being installed) in the UK. Not sure if that's a massive factor here yet, particularly as the DC charging speed is pretty slow anyway. Most people would just charge on AC if that's an option; it doesn't take many hours to fully charge a 24kWh Leaf with 18kWh of battery capacity remaining..

 

[cornbinder89]

Hey cornbinder, glad to hear you're an International Harvester fan too.

One of the 1st things produced by the company that would become IHC was a "Cornbinder" an early form of a harvester. The name stuck, and IHC stuff got the nickname cornbinder.
Another less flattering one is "Barnyard Cadillac".

 

[oldgaloot]

We've been a one car family (2 adults) for 5 years now. At one time we had a car and a small Toyota pickup then later had a Honda Civic LX sedan and a VW camper van. But by 2018 we were not doing much camping and so sold the van and got a hitch on the Honda. I wasn't that happy about giving up the vehicle that could easily haul stuff but couldn't justify keeping another vehicle around just for hauling.

Honda didn't recommend pulling a trailer with the Civic but ours did OK with a lightweight Harbor Freight trailer and I would run a trailer full of branches, etc. to the wood waste facility a couple miles away, go to Home Despot and bring home some long lightweight stuff, etc. And I took it over the hills to the Oregon coast from our home in the Portland area (about 90 miles) being careful about the weight.

We didn't do comprehensive research so we had a few unanticipated things come up after purchasing a 2020 SV plus in Feb 2021 and selling the Honda but our overall experience has been good. We have a Level 2 charger at home (Portland OR area) and so our frequent trips to the coast are easy. We've gone to Seattle without stopping to charge but we drive between 60-65 mph -- the same as we drove the Honda. It takes some extra planning in our visits to friends up there, but not always (example, find a park with a charger and meet friends there for a walk).

I got a hitch installed on the Leaf and when I pull the trailer I'm careful about the weight and I check the battery temperature gauge frequently. Would I load it up with heavy furniture on a 100F day and go over the coast range? No., but I wouldn't have done that with the Honda either. I'd either wait for cooler weather, make multiple trips or rent a U-haul. When we wanted to take a road trip to Minnesota we rented an ICE car.

When my wife took the car to the coast last summer for a few days and left me "stranded" in Portland, I took a (gasp) city bus to an appointment. I also occasionally run errands on my bicycle.

We lost power here last weekend when the temp was 15F and winds 30-50 mph. A little 400W inverter leftover from our VW camper travels was plugged into the Leaf's lighter plug and it along with a couple extension cords kept our gas fireplace fan going.

 

[kitra]

We Quick charged because Nissan Service told us that if we turn in the Car after the lease, the Leaf would be recycled for its materials (destroyed). So it became a "Nissan" experiment to see how much capacity would be lost Quick Charging 5 days a week for 2 years. The Dealer requested we take the Car in every 3 or 6 months for them to track the Battery degradation as they were curious how much capacity would be lost. It was pretty cool the Service Department was all-in sponsoring this test. With that, we didn't care (and neither did they) if the batteries were shot when we returned the Leaf or not. We had 10 bars left. I think the Car has 16K miles on in? Even with the loss, there was plenty of range for my commute all the way to the end. We never spent 1 penny charging in those 2 years. We never found a Changer that wasn't free. That luxury sure went away. Now the Chargers near our House are $55 cents a kilowatt, last time I checked. Could even be higher now. We took excellent care of our 2020 Leaf which lost 7% capacity in 2 years but I never tested the capacity when the Car was new. I suppose it could have been less than 100% when new? We would have kept the 2020 Leaf if it we would have leased the Plus model which was like $20 more a month but the 40kWh battery wasn't enough to go to the Beach and back.

 

[rEVfen]

It seems to me that the numerous replies as to why used EV prices have dropped paint the picture well. The seller's market is now a buyer's market; supply issues have abated; EV consumers seem to be analyzing the market a bit more now prior to purchasing; and the field of EVs has grown exponentially in just the last year. To my mind, however, the used Leaf market currently has one big problem: the decline of CHAdeMO. It's clearly on its way out and public CHAdeMO chargers are slowly disappearing. People entering the market will note this issue, I think, and turn elsewhere.

I have no complaints, but we're retired and our vehicle needs have dropped substantially. Despite the fact that we absolutely love our 2020 LEAF S-Plus (purchased used), I don't think I'd go that route if I was buying now, especially if I had a lengthy commute and needed to rely somewhat on quick charging. We installed Solar at home and live in Southern AZ too...lots of free juice from the Level-2 we installed. All that said, my thought is that buying a used Leaf very much depends on what you'll use it for. I've wanted the Leaf specifically for many years and it works great in my situation.

Thanks for reading...and thanks for all the great info in other threads here. I'm glad I found this site.

 

[tony17112acst]

OK, I just purchased the 2022 SV Plus for with 20,000 miles on it as a Nissan Certified Pre-owned for ...$19,000.

With the $4000 federal tax credit on used EV's, I just got a 2022 car with an original bumper-to-bumper warranty still in place for $15,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOWWWWW!!!

I plan on driving it for 2 years or however long it takes for the sale value to be that $15,000 I paid for it - making it a free car for that time.

I signed up for an electricity plan at $110/month for unlimited KWhs, so I'll even operate it for free on top of driving it for free. Life is good.

 

[danelo]

Picked up my 2021 with the SV technology and cold weather packages and 18k miles for $16,500 out the door. If it fits your needs it can be a very cost effective transportation.

 

[rmay635703]

There's downward pressure on prices for EVs and used cars generally.

It doesn’t help that Colorado residents can pick up a brand new 2024 Leaf for $9000-$18,000 depending on a variety of income and cash for clunker incentives

Can't speak about USA, but in the UK there has been a huge media campaign against EVs, with scare stories about cars exploding and batteries
CHAdeMO might also be a factor.. although these chargers are still quite widely available (and still being installed) in the UK. Not sure if that's a massive factor here yet, particularly as the DC charging speed is pretty slow anyway.

In the US misinformation abounds but it’s the sky high EV specific insurance, tax title and registration that turns a lot of people off. These costs are higher than fuel for me.

OPEN Chademo is basically non-existent in the Midwest of the US (outside a few car dealerships that are closed when you need a charge)

And Tesla adapters don’t work in network in most areas (still locked out)

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Chademo availability in the midwest is pretty good. What's nice at the evgo stations us that even if there is a line, if you can position the car, you can skip the line charge with the chademo at the same time as the ccs charging vehicle.

 

[SageBrush]

What's nice at the evgo stations us that even if there is a line, if you can position the car, you can skip the line charge with the chademo at the same time as the ccs charging vehicle.

Stealing from EVGO is not 'nice.'
I think a reasonable EVGO response is to remove CHAdeMO. Then you could come here and whine how the treatment was "unfair."

 

[WetEV]

Stealing from EVGO is not 'nice.'
I think a reasonable EVGO response is to remove CHAdeMO. Then you could come here and whine how the treatment was "unfair."

As usual, nasty.

Why is dual charging "stealing"? Some EVGO stations will charge on both cables at the same time. And bill both customers.

I don't know about walking and chewing gum, however.


https://www.evgo.com/blog/simultaneous-charging-less-equipment-more-happy-customers/

Why remove Chademo? Just to be nasty, I'd guess. You hate Nissan, and need to come to come tell us all about it. Still lots of LEAFs out there, and sometimes will need a top up. Why do you want the drivers stranded?

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Yeah, to be clear, i am still paying for the charge, and better using the infrastructure. The evgo stations are some of the few that can charge 2at once. I very much appreciate their infrastructure.