Which should I get: Nissan leaf SL or Chevrolet Volt?

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joeriv

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
287
Location
Fairfield County CT
With the range you need, Leaf looks like a better option - I've had ZERO issues with my 2013, aside from the air conditioner recall, and 2017 so far has been flawless. Why go with kludge hybrid that requires gasoline engine maintenance?
 
Both have their pluses and minuses.

With the Leaf, the biggest concern is battery degradation. If you live in a hot climate, it will degrade faster than someone who lives in Seattle. The pre-2013 cars, and the 2016/2017 cars with the 30 kWH battery, seem to degrade the worst regardless of climate (though heat will make it even worse). 2015 (and certain 2016) cars with the 24 kWH battery seem to suffer the least degradation.

So even if the Volt's battery becomes severely degraded, you still have a gas engine to get you where you need to go. There's no such option with the Leaf, though if quick chargers are plentiful in your area (and your car is equipped with such a port), you can use that to get you to your destination. But quick charging sessions can be pricey, particularly from certain networks like EVgo.

You may want to look into a Prius Prime, or a used Prius Plug in, with such a short commute if reliability is of utmost importance.
 
oliviajayden said:
I really don't like how gas prices are changing every couple months from $3.50 to $4.50. Anyways, I'm asking which is more reliable? I do short drives, 15 miles total a day and I NEED to drive it everyday or else I'm f***ed. I've heard that the Volt has oil leaks with its on-board gasoline engine at around 5,000 miles.
The Volt looks amazing but the Leaf looks OK, which one should I get?
I already got a Prius, and im looking for something even more efficient.
Thanks

Hi,

I have a Leaf and a Volt both 2018 models and I really like both of them. In some ways, they are different tools for different jobs.

My commute is 36 miles round trip in the Volt so during the week I never have to use the range extender. I just charge it up when I get home and it's ready to go the next day. About once a month it seems like I always have to take a longer trip for work and so I use the range extender.

My wife mostly drives around town and only has to charge the Leaf once every couple of days. In fact, her driving habits sound a lot like yours.

If we go out of town, we'll usually take the Volt since charging is pretty sparse where we are going.

If we have stuff to haul or a home depot run we take our SUV. The nice thing about the other cars is that the SUV doesn't get used that much anymore.

The Leaf is a great car and sounds like it's a excellent fit for your driving needs, especially if you have a Prius you can use for longer trips.

The Volt would fit the bill too with the option of having the range extender for the occasional long trip where you don't want to be bothered or can't get access to charging. The tradeoff to me of having the flexibility of the range extender is the somewhat added complexity and the maintenance for it. The Leaf is more straighforward to maintain.

My experience with both vehicles so far is they are both very reliable. My Volt does not leak oil and I'm hard pressed to find fault with it :)

My wife loves her Leaf and I really enjoy driving it as well. It's such a happy little car and it's so relaxing to drive!
 
No question: your commute is perfect for a Leaf (any Leaf).
I don't know why you would want to mess with any ICE/hybrid.
 
I say go for a Leaf if you already have a Prius for long trips. I came from a 2011 Volt and now have a Leaf. Much happier with 100% all electric drive. The engine running on my Volt just ruined the whole electric drive experience for me. I will never go back to a PHEV for this reason. Plus as said above, less maintenance with a pure EV.
 
$11000 2015 Leaf is impossible to beat.
I bought one and I love it!
I drive 24 miles a day and I drive it like a stolen Corvette.
I charge on 120V outlet in the garage and it costs about $1 a day.
Do it!
 
My vote goes to the Volt, LEAF will see a much steeper depreciation than the Volt. With active battery management even Gen 1 Volt has minimum battery degradation, and thus hold their value better. Had I know this when I bought my 13' LEAF I'd chose the Volt in a heartbeat. With a Volt someone can drive it for 20 years even if the battery is completely degraded (extremely unlikely), but a 10 year old LEAF will likely end up in the junk yard due to prohibitively expensive battery replacement. Volt prices are similar to LEAF's, both have the full federal tax rebate, so total purchase price should be very similar.

With the Gen 2 Volt's 53 miles range (BTW the Volt's GOM is much more accurate than LEAFs, so the 53 miles range is very close to real world), you'd be driving without ever needing to use the range extender, thus having a very similar driving experience as the LEAF.
 
hmmwv said:
Volt prices are similar to LEAF's, both have the full federal tax rebate, so total purchase price should be very similar.

Not for much longer. GM is expected to hit the magic 200k mark before the end of the year, if not already. Anybody wanting a new GM plug-in needs to buy one before April 1, 2019 or get reduced credit, and then none at all.

Nissan has some ways to go before it reaches that mark.
 
Buy a Leaf. Any Leaf. Just get a Leaf.

If I needed a second car it would be a Leaf. I miss my Leaf. It was a great car and the wife and I will always have fond memories of it.

As of now, you can find out all the pros and cons in owning a Leaf. How far do they go, how fast do the batteries degrade in your climate, how long do they charge, how much does it cost, etc. So yes, the battery will degrade. But a used Leaf will likely be a great car for several years, or perhaps decades, if you only need to go 15 miles per day. Just make sure you're sure it will work for you. It probably will. It would help keep you from starting your ICE every day and help extend the life of your Prius quite a bit.

If you want only one car, then a plug in hybrid makes sense.
 
hmmwv said:
My vote goes to the Volt, LEAF will see a much steeper depreciation than the Volt. With active battery management even Gen 1 Volt has minimum battery degradation, and thus hold their value better. Had I know this when I bought my 13' LEAF I'd chose the Volt in a heartbeat. With a Volt someone can drive it for 20 years even if the battery is completely degraded (extremely unlikely), but a 10 year old LEAF will likely end up in the junk yard due to prohibitively expensive battery replacement. Volt prices are similar to LEAF's, both have the full federal tax rebate, so total purchase price should be very similar.

With the Gen 2 Volt's 53 miles range (BTW the Volt's GOM is much more accurate than LEAFs, so the 53 miles range is very close to real world), you'd be driving without ever needing to use the range extender, thus having a very similar driving experience as the LEAF.


Unless oliviajayden has cold winters, then you get the joy of the ICE coming on due to temperature all the time despite having a full charge. I hated that about the Volt!
 
joeriv said:
hmmv wrote "My vote goes to the Volt, LEAF will see a much steeper depreciation than the Volt."

Not really - according to this article https://insideevs.com/nissan-leaf-chevy-volt-high-depreciation/ the top three highest five year depreciation rates are the Nissan Leaf at 71.7%, the Chevy Volt at 71.2% and the BMW 7 series at 71.1%. The average for all vehicles is 50.2%.

I don't dispute their numbers but it's odd they didn't mention tax rebates, etc (or I missed it....). Here in CO most folks buying a new Leaf will get $7500 from the feds and $5000 from the state of CO. On a $30k Leaf that is about 40% 'depreciation' covered instantly. Where I live, there are further rebates from the local utility (was $10k now $3k). I know not everyone is getting all these rebates but a large percentage of new Leaf buyers probably qualify for most if not all of the fed credit at least.

I also think EV's are still on a the steep part of the technology curve and future models will give more bang/$ than current ones. With all due respect to the truly early adopters, EV's are still a new tech and will probably depreciate faster than a more mature tech (ICE) for some time to come.
 
Agree 100% on rebates, but only the Fed is available to all. Also if you pay under MSRP you’re ahead of the game. Just factoring in the Fed rebate changes the picture quite a bit.

Right now with rebates and paying under MSRP for my 2017 S, if I sold it I would make money.
 
Have you considered Honda Clarity? IMO it is a much better car then Leaf, Bolt, Volt. You got a pretty luxury car for almost the price you pay for those. I have a Leaf and Clarity and always want to drive the latter :).

With the battery losses (I am in TX) and Nissan's attitude, this Leaf will be my last Leaf and last Nissan ever.
 
oko said:
Have you considered Honda Clarity? IMO it is a much better car then Leaf, Bolt, Volt. You got a pretty luxury car for almost the price you pay for those. I have a Leaf and Clarity and always want to drive the latter :).

With the battery losses (I am in TX) and Nissan's attitude, this Leaf will be my last Leaf and last Nissan ever.

The pure EV version of the Clarity is only available in CA and I think OR. The FCEV version is only for certain Californians (those who live/work near a hydrogen fuel station). Only the PHEV version is available nationwide.

Since the OP is concerned about reliability, there have been issues with the Clarity: https://tiremeetsroad.com/2018/10/27/honda-drops-6-spots-in-consumer-reports-reliability-honda-clarity-largely-to-blame/
 
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