Replacement battery cost for early Leafs

Howdy folks. Looking at used Leafs. Our budget is likely to land a 2011 to 2013. I went through quite a few posts on this subject. I'd seen elsewhere something around $5K or so for the complete job. My search before this post that came closes to my answer was $8500, but after reading through much of it, it seemed inconclusive. Mostly about whether the OP was legitimate. As were looking at an older car, this is something I'd like to be sure about.

Any insight would be appreciated.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=17168 was the original replacement cost.

Unfortunately, it seems like Nissan stopped subsidizing: http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=25882. I've seen replies from a reputable Nissan tech in the Pacific NW in the past year saying somewhere between low $7Ks and $7500 now. Found it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/seattlenissanleaf/permalink/2123423544355738/?comment_id=2123675640997195&reply_comment_id=2126048690759890 was Sept 26, 2018.

cwerdna said:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=17168 was the original replacement cost.

Unfortunately, it seems like Nissan stopped subsidizing: http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=25882. I've seen replies from a reputable Nissan tech in the Pacific NW in the past year saying somewhere between low $7Ks and $7500 now. Found it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/seattlenissanleaf/permalink/2123423544355738/?comment_id=2123675640997195&reply_comment_id=2126048690759890 was Sept 26, 2018.

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I would not presume that price outside of Seattle. $8,500 unless a cheaper local rate is advertised.

Where are you located? Can you update your location info via your user name in the upper right > User Control Panel > Profile tab? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it.

(I've been lobbying to mandate filling out the location field for years, to no avail.)

Of your daily driving, how much city vs. highway? Will you have the ability to charge at your home/destinations?

How long do you plan on keeping the car?

On some Leaf FB groups, I've recently seen a disturbing # of people buying '12 Leafs, sometimes down many capacity bars (5+) and then telling us after they get it. In one case, (I don't recall how many bars it was down), it was so bad, virtually everyone including me told them to take it back. Luckily, they were within a return period that was part of the conditions of their sale. They succeeded.

Thanks for the replies folks. I'm located in the Austin Texas area to answer that question. As for needed range, most days probably won't be over 35 miles. The car will be garage kept, and I know that's a factor in places like Texas.

While learning some recent things, I think we would stick to no older than a 2013. More than a few of those already have lost a bar or two of battery health. Sure, they still have some useful life left, but it's pretty disappointing that the replacement cost is so high. It would literally total the cars in our budget when that day came.

Being of modest income, my wife and I need to keep cars as long as economically possible. The car we are replacing is 14 years old, and still in pretty good shape. It just had the biggest repair bill by a long shot at $1200.

pixelriffic said:

Being of modest income, my wife and I need to keep cars as long as economically possible. The car we are replacing is 14 years old, and still in pretty good shape. It just had the biggest repair bill by a long shot at $1200.

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The cost to operate a Leaf, maintenance wise, is one of the lowest of any car on the market, on average. Nissan Leafs are very reliable vehicles, overall, rated by Consumer Reports. Adding on gas savings, they are far far cheaper. We saved around $800 last year on gas.

However, when repairs occur, they are typically very expensive. Failures in the car (DC-DC converter, Inverter, Passenger Occupancy Sensor, Motor, Junction box, Charger, etc) typically appear to cost $2k-4k to repair, based on responses in this thread. You will need to take those Gas savings and budget them for unexpected repairs, in case they occur.

I would not expect to keep a 24 kWh Leaf for 14 years. The battery will simply degrade beyond 35 miles range before that. But if you buy a Leaf with a good battery for $7k (very doable) and get 7 years out of it, the cost (- gas savings) will be <$2k.

If you need 35 miles on range, you will have to sell the car at 6-7 bars. I currently get 40 miles of range on my 2011 Leaf in the summer (but 20 in the winter!) with a 7 bar car... soon to be 6.

If you have a limited budget, I'd buy either:
1) A 2013 (built AFTER April) or later Leaf with a good battery (11+ bars)
2) A 2011-2013 that has had the main traction battery replaced (NOT the 12V battery) and is in good condition (11+ bars)

Keep in mind that Leafs built 2013 April or earlier had a very poor battery chemistry that wore out very quickly. If the battery has been replaced, it will always be a new, durable chemistry. This makes a 2011/2012 Leaf often a good value, because you can get a 2015 battery but pay 2011 pricing.

Also keep in mind that unethical dealers can do a battery computer reset which will make the car show a perfect 12 bars. I would test drive the car and verify that (in the summer, from fully charged) you have 50%+ capacity left after 25 miles of highway or 35 miles of city driving.

Make sure it is a later 2013 model, I have seen references to bad 2012 batteries being used through at least April. We can get 25 miles (half on highway) until LBW with our 2011 (almost 70 K miles]. Get about 14 miles range after LBW until turtle mode. We are on the Fenix wait list with fingers crossed.

Make sure it is a later 2013 model, I have seen references to bad 2012 batteries being used through at least April. We can get 25 miles (half on highway) until LBW with our 2011 (almost 70 K miles]. Get about 14 miles range after LBW until turtle mode. We are on the Fenix wait list with fingers crossed.

Thanks Lothsahn and Solartim. I think that's a good suggestion to look for a Leaf that has had the primary battery replaced. That'd be the best hope for the longest useable life.

I knew of the improved battery design of later Leafs, but I thought it included all of 2013 and later. Good to know that early 2013s were excluded!

Sure, I doubt that most EVs would be practical at 14 years of age. I'd expect to get at least several years of usable operation. Transitioning to a used newer longer range car at that point. Or if they manage to get replacements down to $5K or below, I might consider doing that.

pixelriffic said:

if they manage to get replacements down to $5K or below, I might consider doing that.

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While nice, do not assume this. Nissan could offer upgraded batteries during replacement (as the connectors and shape are the same), but they have decided not to. Nissan has only increased the replacement cost of the battery, not decreased it.

Nissan appears to want to sell new cars with little or no regard to the cars already on the road. While I believe this is shortsighted, this appears to be their approach with the Leaf. I see no reason they would want to help earlier cars stay usable.

The most likely scenario is that these cars become scrap after the batteries expire or that a third party starts offering replacement batteries at an increased capacity and reasonable cost, but there are huge hurdles to such an effort.

Make sure it is a later 2013 model, I have seen references to bad 2012 batteries being used through at least April.

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I saw several references to this, all of them off by a month. The Canary pack chemistry was used through MARCH of 2013. April builds are fine - I drove one for 5 years and turned it in with 12 bars.

LeftieBiker said:

I saw several references to this, all of them off by a month. The Canary pack chemistry was used through MARCH of 2013. April builds are fine - I drove one for 5 years and turned it in with 12 bars.

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My apologies. I thought they used the old chemistry through March. It sounds like only Jan & Feb were affected, then. The reality is that if you have a 2013 with 12 bars, it's probably not Canary chemistry.

Look for a build date (information tag on driver door frame) of APRIL 2013 or later. If looking at a 2011 or 2012 that has had its battery replaced, find out when the battery was replaced. The replacement battery in my 2011 was original chemistry (shipped from Japan) and was installed in October of 2013. It was already down to 11 capacity bars when the car was totaled in January 2015. Replacement batteries installed after the middle of 2014 are probably of the newer chemistry and made in USA.

Lothsahn said:

LeftieBiker said:

I saw several references to this, all of them off by a month. The Canary pack chemistry was used through MARCH of 2013. April builds are fine - I drove one for 5 years and turned it in with 12 bars.

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My apologies. I thought they used the old chemistry through March. It sounds like only Jan & Feb were affected, then. The reality is that if you have a 2013 with 12 bars, it's probably not Canary chemistry.

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I find myself trapped in a Laurel & Hardy skit... once more: the old chemistry was used through March of 2013. The new chemistry was used beginning in April of 2013.

Lothsahn said:

...
Keep in mind that Leafs built 2013 April or earlier had a very poor battery chemistry that wore out very quickly. If the battery has been replaced, it will always be a new, durable chemistry.

...

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Does anyone know for sure that Nissan's battery replacement (for 2012 leaf) is indeed the better pack? I 've read somewhere that Nissan's battery replacement is identical, which means, if one owns 'gen-1' battery (a.k.a. canary batteries), then the replacement is also a 'canary' type. This is indicated by the last digit of the battery part number.

For example, I've just replaced my battery (by Nissan) with battery part number NI-295B0-3NA6A. I've read somewhere the last digit 'A' is a canary type.

I'm trying to find it from the search engine, alas, can't find it.

P.S.:
Australian leaf owner here, where we only have 2012 leaf (the next one brought into the country is 2019 model onwards)

Does anyone know for sure that Nissan's battery replacement (for 2012 leaf) is indeed the better pack? I 've read somewhere that Nissan's battery replacement is identical, which means, if one owns 'gen-1' battery (a.k.a. canary batteries), then the replacement is also a 'canary' type. This is indicated by the last digit of the battery part number.

For example, I've just replaced my battery (by Nissan) with battery part number NI-295B0-3NA6A. I've read somewhere the last digit 'A' is a canary type.

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Your location complicates matters. We know that the Canary chemistry (at the end in the new shell) was used In NORTH AMERICA until the end of March of 2013. We don't know the exact timeline in Europe. So while I would not bet in favor of you having gotten a "Wolf" pack instead of a Canary pack, I also can't tell you that you didn't.

LeftieBiker said:

... So while I would not bet in favor of you having gotten a "Wolf" pack instead of a Canary pack, I also can't tell you that you didn't.

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Thanks @LeftieBiker!

I was hoping we can tell 'canary' or 'wolf' by the part number. My guess only time can tell (I'm plotting my SoH regularly)...

I was hoping we can tell 'canary' or 'wolf' by the part number.

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Maybe, but keep in mind that when they started using the Gen 1.5 battery cases here,, they used the old Canary chemistry cells in them for three months...

The chemistry change happened with the launch of the North American production line. The battery production line takes several weeks to create a batch so initially packs from JPN were used until the American packs were ready. If you can determine production location "of the battery pack" you will be fine. I personally dk if that is even possible. I am sure it is but...

Hu is in China, Watt is in Scotland and I don’t know is, of course, in the United States.

Oops, that’s Abbott & Costello! Well this is another fine mess you have gotten us into, Stanley.

LeftieBiker said:

I find myself trapped in a Laurel & Hardy skit... once more: the old chemistry was used through March of 2013. The new chemistry was used beginning in April of 2013.

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