Bolt versus Leaf: Am I crazy?

[Loggerhead]

Yes, it does. A little background….Like you I was predisposed toward a Bolt EUV. What drove me to the Leaf was initially the fact that the Leaf is a reliable car and the Bolts are not. Consumer Reports’ latest annual buying guide recommends only one EV….the Leaf. It has a sterling 10-year history of reliability. Sure, it may not go as far as a Bolt, but it is also much less likely to be recalled.

As far as obsolescence is concerned, the Bolt will be lucky to make it to 2024 before being dropped and the Leaf will likely be replaced around 2026. Today’s Bolts and Leafs will be replaced by more desirable models and that’s a good thing.

For me, the Leaf makes sense. It will be my local driver, not my cross-country rover. I don’t worry about DC fast charging technology because all my charging will be on a 240 line in the garage. 200-225 range is all I’ll probably ever need and the Leaf delivers.

[DougWantsALeaf]

What year and trim do your have?

[Loggerhead]

I’’m looking at a 2023 SV Plus when January rolls around. The government will have determined the level of rebate, $3750 or $7500, for the Leaf by the end of December.

[Triggerhappy007]

I’’m looking at a 2023 SV Plus when January rolls around. The government will have determined the level of rebate, $3750 or $7500, for the Leaf by the end of December.

Why wait until January when you can get $7500 until the end of the year? (If you have enough tax liability)

[Loggerhead]

The primary reason is that there is no local stock available.

[WetEV]

The primary reason is that there is no local stock available.

How far could you travel and drive back for perhaps $3750?

[DaveinOlyWA]

The primary reason is that there is no local stock available.

How far could you travel and drive back for perhaps $3750?

I know many who feel Nissan incentives will be greater when tax incentive is reduced. I think they are trying to keep in line with Bolt on pricing which will be a greater challenge come Jan.

Their biggest mistake is ending the S Plus trim.

[Toby]

Their biggest mistake is ending the S Plus trim.

As one with an SV Plus I'm not sure it was a mistake. However, I think the world wide shortage of microchips is influencing decisions.

What is hurting is the decision to keep Chademo in recent years.

[DaveinOlyWA]

Their biggest mistake is ending the S Plus trim.

As one with an SV Plus I'm not sure it was a mistake. However, I think the world wide shortage of microchips is influencing decisions.

What is hurting is the decision to keep Chademo in recent years.

Chademo's imminent demise is quite overblown. How does a chip shortage affect the trim with the likely least number of chips? I figured it was more like they didn't want to cut the price to match the higher trim price cuts. Still an egregious error.

[cwerdna]

The primary reason is that there is no local stock available.

How far could you travel and drive back for perhaps $3750?

Even non-local stock might be tough. The dealer might have markups and you might have to place deposits on incoming cars, meaning most are pre-sold by the time they arrive. This was the situation for new Leafs in and around the Bay Area (I extended my search to be somewhat outside it) in Dec 2021/Jan 2022. When I checked some dealers out of state, it was also pretty bad w/virtually no inventory.