Greetings all, looking for difference between SL and SV...

[Jim74656]

Hello, looking to get into my first leaf, not because I am a 'tree hugger' by any means, but more for the I want something that's going to be easier on my wallet and less 'hassle' repairs wise, and what not, and as far as I can see the Electric vehicle is the way to go, while a Tesla is a bit out of my pocket book abilities, I figure based on the prices a Leafe is a good option, a bit odd looks wise but I can get over that, I have been looking at a few already, and based on my wants of something smallish and friendly on the environment I think the Leaf would be best, though I am kind of confused as far as the differences between the SV and SL, I test drove both today and neither one seemed any different then the next, so what is so different about the SV and SL and which would be the better option? I am looking to get maximum battery mileage out of the vehicle and want the biggest battery that I can get with the thing (in short of dropping in something after market).


Another factor to my decision to get an EV is I'm tired of getting hit with high Diesel prices and gas prices and sadly they are only going up more, along with constant need for oil changes, so I think for me having something that I can put around town with and save the gasser for longer trips would be the best thing, also barely drive anywhere when I'm off work so again, I can go days with out moving either the truck or Jeep at this time, so they just sit, again not worth having both anymore. So I look to you guys to maybe to help guide me in finding the right Leaf for my self.

My goals are just a basic easy to use car, minimize the costs, and have something the similar size to my Jeep wrangler but a bit easier to fit family into.

So at the moment my only two questions are really what is the difference between the SL and SV Leafs, I looked at both and they looks exactly the same so???? sorry for any English grammar issues as English is not my primary language (its 1 of 5 that I can speak....)

 

[LeftieBiker]

Greetings and welcome. The SL is supposed to be the most luxurious trim level. It comes with leather interior only, while the SV offers cloth only. The SL has a few more standard features, including the Bose stereo system that used to be available on both trims. Reading what you want, though, and greatly dependent on your local climate, you may actually want the S+, which is the lowest trim level, but with the bigger 62kwh battery. The S+ has the highest EPA range rating. It does lack the heat pump, though, so if you have real Winters the SV is likely the better choice. It adds the heat pump (standard again after being optional for 3 years), remote access to climate control and locks, and a better stereo - although not as good as the Bose, which has the one disadvantage of taking up space in the cargo area. The SV, stereo does not, and is quite adequate if you aren't an audiophile.

 

[cwerdna]

Are you looking for new or used? I'm assuming, you're in the US, right? (If you're in Canada, they use the same trim level letters but the equipment levels and options can and sometimes do differ.)

For '22, look at specs tab of https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/2022-nissan-leaf-press-kit to see the diffs. If that's not the right year, just Google for 2021 leaf press kit, replacing the 2021 w/the model year in question.

Unfortunately, the S Plus has the highest EPA range rating. SV Plus and SL Plus have lower range ratings. See https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=44447&id=44448.

 

[Jim74656]

Thanks for the reply, my criteria are has to have heat pump (I am in the north east so yea, winters...exist... I do want the sat nav, that is one item I am not willing to say no to (mainly because I like to use it like a 'moving map' its hard to explain, but I like that I can see my turns a head with out using it) and as far as the bose system, if its there I guess that is fine, not something I need or really care for, I just want a nice easy care free car that will take care of me, and have as large of a battery as I possibly can get that comes stock (30Kw, 62Kw, ect).

so my two main must haves are

large battery (24Kw is too small for my wants/needs)
Satnav with USB port for music)

my 'I want it to have, but not required but likely to make me buy if its there' LED head lamps with adjustable settings

 

[LeftieBiker]

As Cwerdna requested, please specify new, used, or either. If new, it's easy: you want an SV+, since you want neither leather nor the best stereo. If you do look at used Leafs, keep in mind that from '18 through '20 the heat pump was part of the optional "All Weather Package." If a car in that age range lacks it, you don't even get seat heaters. In '21 the cold weather gear returned as standard on the SV and SV+.

 

[Jim74656]

I am looking for used, mainly so I don't need to faff around with leasing or any thing like that, sorry I forgot to specify, currently looking at a 2012 Leaf, unless you have other years that would be 'better' as a suggestion? I know there were issues with three years of Leaf, so I am staying away from the 2010/2011, 2013, 2015 years due to reliability concerns.

 

[alozzy]

FYI, battery pack units are kWh, not kW...

So, a 30 kWh pack means that the nominal capacity of the pack will provide enough electrical energy to sustain an average 30 kW discharge rate for one hour.

In contrast, 30 kW is simply an instantaneous rate of energy charge or discharge.

 

[Flyct]

I had both. A SL+ and a SV+ with technology package. The differences are
cloth seats vs leather seats
Cargo cover on SL but can be purchased for SV
Radio is Bose on the SL but I couldn’t tell much difference. The Bose is not like higher powered bose I’ve had on other cars.


My preference would be the SV+ With technology package because of the cloth seats. The leather seats in the are slightly less comfortable and hotter in the summer.

Other than that they are the same.

 

[alozzy]

I don't know where you got your information from, but the years to avoid are 2011/2012 due to the inferior battery packs. Also, at this point, the only 2011/2012 LEAFs worth owning are ones that have already had the original battery pack replaced.

If you can afford it, I would recommend a 2015 SV with the hybrid heater or an SL. A 2014 is also fine, if you can find one with at least 11 capacity bars remaining.

Realize too that your winter driving range will likely be 50 miles. In ideal conditions, you might get a summer range of 75 miles. However, driving over 60 mph significantly reduces range.

If that's not enough for you, look for a 2018 SV/SL with a 40 kWh pack but expect to pay a lot more...

 

[Jim74656]

I don't know where you got your information from, but the years to avoid are 2011/2012 due to the inferior battery packs. Also, at this point, the only 2011/2012 LEAFs worth owning are ones that have already had the original battery pack replaced.

If you can afford it, I would recommend a 2015 SV with the hybrid heater or an SL. A 2014 is also fine, if you can find one with at least 11 capacity bars remaining.

Realize too that your winter driving range will likely be 50 miles. In ideal conditions, you might get a summer range of 75 miles. However, driving over 60 mph significantly reduces range.

If that's not enough for you, look for a 2018 SV/SL with a 40 kWh pack but expect to pay a lot more...

It was based on what I have been reading online, granted taking things with a grain of salt...

the site 'copilotsearch.com is what listed the 'years to avoid', whyy.org has an article about the batteries being difficult to replace, insideevs.com has information about Nissan issuing statement on the 30Kw batteries (degradation issues), and motor biscuit.com has article about how 'insanely expensive' replacing the Leaf battery is.

granted I am taking all items with a pinch of salt. so if you have further recommendations to work with, I'm all open about learning on these boards about the EV

 

[cwerdna]

Battery capacity is measured in kWh, not "Kw". You said "am looking to get maximum battery mileage out of the vehicle and want the biggest battery that I can get with the thing".

Well, Leaf has come out in these pack sizes: 24, 30, 40 and 62 kWh. Their US EPA range ratings ranged from 73 miles to 226 miles. If you want a 200+ mile Leaf, you have no choice but to get a 62 kWh Leaf, which is a Plus. Those became available starting with US model year '19 (in Spring 2019) and must be the Plus version. Non-Plus '18+ are 40 kWh w/about 150 mile range ratings.

If you really want to know the SV vs. SL differences, search the press kits like I mentioned. Google for yyyy leaf press kit, replacing yyyy the year you want. '11 and '12 Leaf SV and SL diffs are easy. '13 to '15 SV vs. SL diffs are pretty easy. When it comes to '18+, then I don't recall all of them off the top of my head. I strongly suggest you compare the specs table in the years in question.

'11 to '15 Leafs only came in 1 pack size: 24 kWh
'16 SV and '16 SL were 30 kWh, '16 S was originally 24 kWh then near the end, a '16 "S 30" (https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1106593_nissan-leaf-s-quietly-gets-30-kwh-battery-upgrade-higher-price) came out
'17 all trims were 30 kWh
'18 was 40 kWh
'19 was 40 kWh and partway thru, '19 Plus came out with 62 kWh
'20 to '22 are available with 40 (non-Plus) or 62 (Plus) kWh packs

At some point in gen 2 ('18 or newer), Nissan dropped the non-Plus (40 kWh) SL. Highest 40 kWh trim became SV.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I'm going to link my used Leaf buying guide. Please read it! Anyone who says to avoid the '13 Leaf but that it's ok to buy a 2011 or 2012 with original battery should not be listened to - period.

https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=26662&p=538030

Read especially about the issues with both the original battery - dubbed the "Canary Pack" by me, and the issues with the 2016-2017 30kwh "Lettuce Pack" (also named by me). If those names don't sound so good, that's because the packs - excepting some of the 30kwh batteries - are NOT good. Your best bet is to look at off-lease 2018-2019 Leaf SV & SL 40kwh, and the similar ePlus models. Some of them may be affordable, although likely not the Plus versions.

 

[cwerdna]

I am looking for used, mainly so I don't need to faff around with leasing or any thing like that, sorry I forgot to specify, currently looking at a 2012 Leaf, unless you have other years that would be 'better' as a suggestion?

The '12 Leaf is terrible because of its terrible pre-4/2013 battery pack, unless its pack was replaced. It only came with a 24 kWh pack and only had 73 mile EPA range rating with a new pack (no degradation): https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=32154&id=39860&id=41277&id=41276. (ignore the stupid MPGe numbers. Those are NOT the range on city and highway test cycles.) If on an original pack, it has lost anywhere from a moderate to a lot of capacity and thus range on a charge.

https://web.archive.org/web/20140505024023/http://www.electricvehiclewiki.com/Battery#Battery_Capacity_Behavior was a table from the '11 service manual mapping capacity bars to remaining capacity. Depending on where the '12 came from in terms of climate and how it was treated, it could be as bad as 2 or 3 capacity bars left. I doubt you'd find many that have more than 9 capacity bars at this point.

https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=31297&p=587653 was a pre-4/2013 built '13 (built 1/2013, so garbage pack) in a super mild climate treated her pack poorly by charging to 100% all the time and likely keeping it at high SoC a lot/all the time. They were down to 6 capacity bars in July 2020.

'12 also has a slow 3.3 kW (3.8 kW from the wall) on-board charger while '13+ can have or come with (depending on trim) 6.6 kW OBCs. It has a power pig slow water heater and no 1% increment % state of charge display.

https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/release-3b65d33e214f4458ba230be9c0977e43-US-2012-nissan-leaf-press-kit specs tab lists the diffs. There isn't a huge difference between SV and SL trims of that year except that SL came with the CHAdeMO inlet (listed as a quick charge port for DC fast charging) and a SV trim couldn't have that. Both had light cloth interiors. On '13 to '17, and I think '18+, SL Leafs come with black leather interiors.

'12 SL and IIRC, all '11 to '17 SL have a nearly useless solar panel on the rear spoiler to kinda help charge the 12 volt battery.

'13 Leaf (esp. SV and SL) trims brought a huge # of improvements. And, starting with ‘13 CHAdeMO inlet was available on any trim but is always standard on ‘12 and newer SL.

 

[Jim74656]

I'm going to link my used Leaf buying guide. Please read it! Anyone who says to avoid the '13 Leaf but that it's ok to buy a 2011 or 2012 with original battery should not be listened to - period.

https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=26662&p=538030

Read especially about the issues with both the original battery - dubbed the "Canary Pack" by me, and the issues with the 2016-2017 30kwh "Lettuce Pack" (also named by me). If those names don't sound so good, that's because the packs - excepting some of the 30kwh batteries - are NOT good. Your best bet is to look at off-lease 2018-2019 Leaf SV & SL 40kwh, and the similar ePlus models. Some of them may be affordable, although likely not the Plus versions.

Your post that you mentioned was one of the first topics I went through, hence prompting some of my questions, as for KW/KWh, sorry, that's what I meant to put, KWh, was early AM when I wrote some of those posts IIRC, so based on info I should look for 16+ Leafs, and hope I can catch an 18 or 19 leaf for a good price, I did find a 2015 Leaf with almost all 12 bars for its battery health, is that one I should consider? I just want to make sure I have enough range to be able to adequately use the vehicle instead if having to run to a charger every time I want to leave the house

 

[LeftieBiker]

The 2015 has one of Nissan's better batteries. Tell us exactly what your range needs are - in detail. Apologies if you already did this, but the more detail you go into, the better we can tell you if the 2015 has enough range.

 

[alozzy]

I just want to make sure I have enough range to be able to adequately use the vehicle, instead of having to run to a charger every time I want to leave the house

It sounds like you need to better understand your needs. Fortunately, that's pretty easy to do.

Over the next week, use a reminder on your phone, to reset the trip counter on your existing car every 24 hrs. Just before resetting the trip counter each day, note how many miles you drove. Then, make a few quick notes about weather conditions, your average speed, whether you climb any big hills, etc.

The only way to be sure if a 24 kWh pack will meet your needs is to properly assess how much you typically drive and, almost as important, how fast you typically drive.

As a ballpark, with 100% battery charge, expect to drive one hour at highway speed before needing a charge. If you expect to commute, at highway speed, for more than 30 minutes each way then a 24 kWh pack isn't going to provide enough range - unless you are willing to do enroute charging, or destination charging at your office...

 

[Jim74656]

Well, I managed to find a Leaf (2017) with the 30KWh battery in it, took it, the deal was just too good to pass to me, and with gas prices and Diesel prices about to get worse...the 2017 was for the exact same as the 2012's I have been looking at in my area, so I just said F it and jumped on the deal, worked on ensuring every thing worked out for the best, so now I got a SV Leaf, in Gun Metal Grey, as I don't drive a lot (and if i do it is usually strictly point to point from work to home and nothing else, I figured this one was as good as the Leaf with a 42KW battery


my truck takes complete fills at $150 (prices are figured with fuel around $3.50/gallon) with that happening 4 times a month (once each week), and the jeep was twice a week every two weeks at $60, depending on how far I went, thankfully on the positive side I no longer am doing that type of driving as that job has ended, but I still do around town driving, and the Jeep still love drinking petrol so.

 

[alozzy]

Sounds like you made a good decision, provided that 30 kWh pack hasn't been heavily degraded.

If you feel like it, you can order a compatible OBD2 dongle on Amazon (or wherever) and then purchase the LeafSpy Pro app from the app store. LeafSpy Pro will provide all the details on the health of your 30 kWh pack and it also provides trouble codes and a bunch of other useful features.

Otherwise, you'll find out pretty quickly what the real world range is. With a healthy 30 kWh pack, expect close to 100 miles during summer, at 55 mph, with few if any hills to climb.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Well, I managed to find a Leaf (2017) with the 30KWh battery in it, took it, the deal was just too good to pass to me, and with gas prices and Diesel prices about to get worse...the 2017 was for the exact same as the 2012's I have been looking at in my area, so I just said F it and jumped on the deal, worked on ensuring every thing worked out for the best, so now I got a SV Leaf, in Gun Metal Grey, as I don't drive a lot (and if i do it is usually strictly point to point from work to home and nothing else, I figured this one was as good as the Leaf with a 42KW battery

The 30kwh battery Leaf falls in between the 24kwh and 40kwh versions in range. I hope that you read my buying guide, or will at least do so if the car has lost more than one capacity bar, because there are issues with some, but not all, of those batteries.

https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=26662&p=538030

 

[cwerdna]

Jim: Battery capacity is measured in kWh, not KW. Yep on what Leftie said. However, even a 4 bar loser 30 kWh car has about as much range as an '11 or '12 Leaf with a brand new pack (no degradation). 30 kWh packs have an 8 year/100K defects and capacity warranty.

If you get lucky and are able to get to 8 bars on the 30 kWh pack w/PC630/NTB18-039 applied (https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=610976#p610976, which will be done for you if you're down to 8 or less w/o it applied), you should receive a 40 kWh pack replacement: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10171230-0001.pdf.