Suggestions for Next Car

[wekebu]

In May 2018 I purchased a new 2018 SL. I'm Nov 2018 we had to move from a small Calif town to a rural Texas town. Driving to most locations here has me close to 10% and gives me enough range anxiety that I'm ready for a new car. I love the size of my Leaf and would like a car very similar size. I have been seriously looking at a new EV6, but just got up close to one yesterday and it's too large for me (and my garage).
I tried looking at what's going to be available in 2025 and I'm still not seeing any smaller hatchbacks that are Leaf size.

Any suggestions?

 

[Drew21]

Small cars and hatchbacks are each/both getting more and more rare (in the US), partially because of low demand and especially because of profit margins in comparison to SUVs/trucks. 'Murica!

I actually don't know much about or pay attention to the (non-Leaf) EV market (no budget for new/expensive cars) so can't really help you there. Having said that, if you upgrade from your 2018 40 kWh Leaf to a 2019 or newer 62kWh Leaf you would gain significant range while staying in a vehicle you seem to like.

If you're willing drive an ICE vehicle, I'm an owner (and major fan) of the Honda Fit. Mine is a 2010 (2nd generation) but the 3rd generation was sold until a year or two ago in the US so they are readily available in the used market. In my opinion, if vehicles were actually purchased based on true utility and usefulness to the owner, the Fit would outsell every truck combined.

The Mazda 3 hatchback is a great driving car, although not nearly as roomy inside as a Fit or Leaf.

If you can deal with a small sedan instead of a hatchback, the Nissan Versa should feel very similar to your Leaf. Similarly, there are a number of small Hyundai and Kia sedans that are decent cars and also quite fuel-efficient.

If you would prefer a hybrid, there's always the Prius which you can get in hatchback or wagon format. Kind of boring to drive but relatively comfortable and of course efficient.

 

[Steve52]

In May 2018 I purchased a new 2018 SL. I'm Nov 2018 we had to move from a small Calif town to a rural Texas town. Driving to most locations here has me close to 10% and gives me enough range anxiety that I'm ready for a new car. I love the size of my Leaf and would like a car very similar size. I have been seriously looking at a new EV6, but just got up close to one yesterday and it's too large for me (and my garage).
I tried looking at what's going to be available in 2025 and I'm still not seeing any smaller hatchbacks that are Leaf size.

Any suggestions?

If you like the Leaf, why not buy a newer Leaf S(x) Plus with a 62 kWh battery for more range? Full rebates are to be had, at least through the end of December and some killer lease deals might be available.

 

[MNLeaf2021]

In May 2018 I purchased a new 2018 SL. I'm Nov 2018 we had to move from a small Calif town to a rural Texas town. Driving to most locations here has me close to 10% and gives me enough range anxiety that I'm ready for a new car. I love the size of my Leaf and would like a car very similar size. I have been seriously looking at a new EV6, but just got up close to one yesterday and it's too large for me (and my garage).
I tried looking at what's going to be available in 2025 and I'm still not seeing any smaller hatchbacks that are Leaf size.

Any suggestions?

I have a friend with 2023 Bolt EUV which he is really happy with. When I ride with him it seems that the Bolts are a bit smaller inside than the LEAF. I am not as comfortable with it since I am a larger person and like the elbow room of the LEAF. But with charging station standards changing I would look at a Bolt as he has CCS to NACS converter and it changes the game for available charging. Very good deals on the Bolt also.

 

[Ancient1]

Kia and Rivian are both coming out with smaller models in the next year or so. The Kia EV3 in particular looks interesting. I am also looking to replace my Leaf with a new car of similar size. I do not want just a basic commuter vehicle, however, which seems to be what most manufacturers are convinced they should be making. We really like our Leaf, but the range is not enough for our needs, and the Chademo is obsolete. We want a small luxury vehicle with at least a 300 mile (realistic) range and quick-charge capability. I agree with wekebu in that most of the new EVs, including the Ariya, are too large, and as we get up in years, my wife, in particular, is just not comfortable driving and trying to park something that big.

 

[Chad E. Mo]

I'm an owner (and major fan) of the Honda Fit. Mine is a 2010 (2nd generation) but the 3rd generation was sold until a year or two ago in the US so they are readily available in the used market. In my opinion, if vehicles were actually purchased based on true utility and usefulness to the owner, the Fit would outsell every truck combined.

Totally agree. The cargo space in a Fit with the rear seats folded is enviable. Add a roof rack for large items and the car easily can do what a small pickup can't, while using 1/3 the fuel.

I'm keeping my eyes on the EV3, for the future. That said, my leaf is almost perfect for now.

 

[R1200RT]

As a fellow Texan in DFW. I personally would not buy another EV. I would look at another ICE first choice, maybe hybrid as 2nd choice. The EV charging infrastructure in DFW leaves a lot to be desired. If I lived outside of the major cities in semi rural parts of TX, charging is extremely limited. You just look at plugshare are you see mainly j1772 predominantly. If you can find CCS, good luck that it is working and not occupied.

 

[wekebu]

Thanks for the suggestions. I love EV driving so ICE isn't something I'd consider.

 

[cornbinder89]

Problem for me, is there are fewer and fewer cars of any power type.
Everything is "cross-over", SUV, or truck.
I have a truck for hauling, it will out pull just about anything, gets about 10 MPG.
I don't want a SUV or big Cross-over (awd mini van by a different name). I want something for local runs that is cheap to operated and will fit in a small single car garage. They are becoming hard to find.

 

[R1200RT]

Thanks for the suggestions. I love EV driving so ICE isn't something I'd consider.

Chevy Bolt, the newer one has good range

 

[Drew21]

I'm still curious if the range of a Leaf Plus would work for the OP?

 

[jc2024Leaf]

I'm envious: "The global WLTP cycle places the EV3's range estimate at an impressive 370 miles. We expect that to translate to a 300-plus-mile range on the U.S.'s more stringent EPA test cycle. This number reflects the lighter front-wheel-drive model with the larger 81.4-kWh capacity battery." I looked at the Nero and Kona and probably would have ended up with a Kona if I hadn't found my barely used 2024 SV Plus.

 

[Dooglas]

Totally agree. The cargo space in a Fit with the rear seats folded is enviable. Add a roof rack for large items and the car easily can do what a small pickup can't, while using 1/3 the fuel.

I agree that a roof rack lets a car like the Fit or LEAF handle longer items and increases its utility. The best choice I have found to do this is the Yakima Easy Top, a temporary roof rack that is inexpensive and can be easily attached and removed. It also makes an excellent Xmas tree hauler BTW.
https://yakima.com/products/easytop

 

[duncan-s]

I'm still curious if the range of a Leaf Plus would work for the OP?

I'm curious about that too. The SL Plus remains my nearly perfect EV; it's just the right size and does pretty much everything the way I like, and it has quite a bit more range than the non-plus models. The two show-stoppers we keep reading about are the obsolete CHAdeMO quick charge format and the lack of battery temperature management. Neither of those really matters for the kinds of driving I do, so if the price was right -- and it often is with used Leafs after a year or two -- I'd do it again.

But it's always a question of use cases. What works for me might not be ideal for OP.

 

[frontrangeleaf]

I'm curious about that too. The SL Plus remains my nearly perfect EV; it's just the right size and does pretty much everything the way I like, and it has quite a bit more range than the non-plus models. The two show-stoppers we keep reading about are the obsolete CHAdeMO quick charge format and the lack of battery temperature management. Neither of those really matters for the kinds of driving I do, so if the price was right -- and it often is with used Leafs after a year or two -- I'd do it again.

But it's always a question of use cases. What works for me might not be ideal for OP.

Yep. That's us too. I've been watching for some time now, as our 2019 is over 5 years old. Still haven't found anything that remotely comes close to filling our needs as nicely as the Leaf has done.

It helps that we got it with the help of a lot of incentives, so the decline in resale value stings a little less.

There's a lot of noise around Chademo, but it's completely irrelevant to us. Ditto the battery temperature management. We never intended for this car to be a cross-country travel vehicle. We never charge away from home, and we all but never charge to 100%. YMMV.

FWIW, the new chargers they put in at our grocery store are 1:1 Chademo:CCS. We see a lot of Leafs in this area, actually.

Fun little car. Gets the job done.

 

[RogerRDalTx]

Another fellow Texan here, I'm in Dallas. This year I replaced my 2010 Honda fit with a 2019 leaf SL Plus. 100% agree with all of the above comments regarding the Honda fit, it's a smaller than the leaf with better utility. If it had had modern driver safety equipment, I wouldn't have swapped cars.

I love the Leaf and it fits 90% of my driving requirements, comfortable, loaded with equipment and fast - a great city car. But in Texas I would not buy another one unless it was a exceptional deal and I had a hybrid or an ice vehicle as a backup. My one road trip with the leaf from North Dallas to Southwest of Austin in an ice/ hybrid vehicle would have taken about 4 and 1/2 hours, with my Leaf It took over 8 hours due finding working and waiting for CHAdeMO chargers to free up. Plus worrying about the battery overheating made for a high stress trip. The CHAdeMO situation is not going to improve.

I would consider a plug-in hybrid Toyota. If you're set on an electric, I think the ionic 5 is the nearest thing to the leaf in specs and value point, and it should allow you to tap CCS and NACS chargers And has the battery thermal management to minimize your charging times for a Texas road trip .

I have a friend with an EV6, amazing car and it's not that much larger than the Leaf. And I have another friend with a Chevy bolt, I prefer the leaf over the bolt, the leaf is quieter and with better driver tech. But again, if you need something more than a city car, you've got to have better thermal battery management and CCS / NCAS, the Bolt wins there but look at an ionic 5 before you buy anything.