2013 Nissan LEAF Consumer Reviews
Review Summary
Most Helpful Reviews
Positive Review
After waiting almost a year, I finally took possession of my EV just last month. It is everything I hoped for and more: truly a 21st century car. If I forget to plug it in, it emails me. If it gets low on charge, it calculates a route to the nearest charging station. It has timers to charge during off peak hours and timers to pre-heat and cool the vehicle in summer and winter. If the car has been sitting in the sun for hours, I can turn on the A/C from my computer or smart phone before I leave the building. I get instantaneous feedback about my driving habits, allowing me to drive smarter, stretch my mileage and reduce my costs. The telemetry is impressive and I have access to an incredible amount of data. Don’t believe the anti-EV noise machine out there. This isn’t a glorified golf cart. This is a REAL car, and most important to me, it’s fun to drive. My other car is a Mercedes SLK 280 hardtop convertible roadster and I know what a fun drive is. The leaf has 100% torque instantaneously and will beat my SLK off the line. This is the perfect commuter car for me. I live in San Diego, which has ideal weather conditions for an EV and, ironically, some of the highest gas prices in the country. Instead of filling my tank for $70, I’ll be plugging in my EV in my garage for about $9. My cost is 3 cents a mile PERIOD… no oil changes, no tune ups, no transmission fluid, no air filter, no hassles. It sure beats 25 cents a mile. My EV and I now mock Big Oil.
VS
Critical Review
Not having to pay for gas is awesome, and for my daily drive to work that's less than 20 miles away, this car does the job spectacularly. Unfortunately, all Nissan Leaf do not have liquid battery cooling. Coupled with the fact that the batteries degrade very quickly makes the Leaf's range drop to about 50 miles after 7 years of ownership. During the 7 years there were no need for oil change, tune up, engine issues, and I didn't even need to switch brake pads thanks to regen braking. If not for the battery issue, this car would had been stellar.
2013 LEAF Reviews
Showing 8 of 110 reviews.
Low cost to run | Quick & nimble in town | DC fast charge capable | Minimal maintenance
Smaller range | CHAdeMO chargers fading | No active battery thermal management (relies on passive air cooling) | Basic infotainment
This is my second Nissan Leaf. For daily commutes and errands, it’s a solid, smile-inducing little EV. EPA says 84 miles max, but with my city driving, a light throttle, regen braking, I regularly hit 90-100 miles on a full charge. The instant torque makes merging and stoplight sprints surprisingly peppy, and the ride is quiet and smooth. Interior is roomy enough for four adults, cargo space is decent, and the heated seats are a winter win. DC quick charging (CHAdeMO) is a lifesaver. I've driving NW to SE Washington (Bellingham to Tri-Cities area) with the DC fast charging network. Maintenance is basically tires and wiper fluid. That said, battery health matters. Pay attention to the state of health (SOH) before you buy one. It’s not a long-haul machine, but for local life, it’s efficient, reliable, and genuinely fun. Just plug in nightly and go.
We've got 130K+ miles on it at the moment with 80% of the battery left and the only thing we've done is a little suspension work in the last 10+ years! It's still a great local driving car I would highly recommend buying one if it's in decent condition because there's very little that can go wrong!
Easy charging, Smooth drive experience,
Poor schocks and struts not very comfortable. Weak sway bar for the electric engine
Nissan LEAF is the electric car that has paved the way for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Compact yet spacious, Nissan LEAF is both accessible and functional for a broad audience. I even used it for ride sharing being the first electric car in Chicago market. With 208K miles now since I bought it new in Novembe 2014, it has paid off its price without any major repairs needed, let alone not to mention no oil-change!
Comfy, cute, stylish
Cannot take me where I need to go. No Bluetooth in S model
Yeah it's a cute and comfy car, but it's just not reliable enough because of the charge not lasting. It says 80 miles on a full charge, but it feels like only 30 and even less if you run the AC. I can't even get to the city safely, which is about a 45 minute drive or 25 miles away. It rains constantly where I live, and having to run the AC constantly makes this car's battery completely drop. I tried to go get coffee the other day, less than a five minute drive in the rain and less than a mile, and the battery went from 45 miles to 27 miles. The battery charge at this point is just straight up not safe. I'm having to sell it soon because I don't want to worry anymore about whether or not I'll actually make it to my destination or end up stranded, and I'd rather pay for oil changes and gas for a car that will take me where I need to go. Oh and if you have an S version it doesn't have Bluetooth for music, just for phone calls, which feels a little insulting.
its an eletric car and looks good for a beginning car it can take you places and is fine for a new driver to drive
Low maintenance, reliable, lots of space
Limited mile range
I bought a 2017 Nissan Leaf SV used at 40k miles and it served me perfectly well. It was my first car. I wouldn’t drive on the freeway because the miles would go down if you accelerate too fast. I had this car when I had a garage and when I didn’t. I would only pay $3-6 a week to fully charge my car. The seats are super comfortable and there wasn’t much maintenance required at all! Unfortunately, I had to trade in my car because I needed a car that can drive me longer and further since I would be required for work. I would totally buy another Nissan Leaf in the future when I have a steadier living environment.
Saves $$ if the battery survives
Warranty support very poor
Nissan does not stand behind their warranty. My battery suffered enough degradation that it should be replaced under warranty. I got a piece of paper stating all of this from the dealer. The problem is that the dealer can't tell me WHEN I'll get that battery. And as my battery continues to degrade (getting to the point where the car is being rendered useless), I am getting no help. The dealer knows nothing and doesn't seem to want to lift a finger to help. Nissan won't answer my questions and offered me a pittance just to surrender the car back to them (sorry, I want the battery you promised me, Nissan!). They won't even offer me a loaner car while I wait. So, yeah, I don't recommend the Leaf and I don't think I ever want to deal with Nissan again.
Quiet, comfortable, good acceleration
Limited range, heat & A/C use it up
Settings matter - both "ECO" and "B" gear impact performance and range, as do heat and A/C. But this car is fun to drive, works well in stop and go, or up & down especially well. Can do highway "over the limit" speeds, but staying at 60 or less will vastly improve range/mileage/economy. Thought we'd use this car for half our driving and a Subaru 4 wheel drive for other half. Nope - we use the Leaf for 90% of our driving and lend out the Subaru to friends. Turns out the range (107 nominal, 90 to 130 actual, depending on use of heat or A/C and other settings) fits most of our usage. Better in two car family than if "only" car. You learn what weight, heat, cooling and speed cost you. For best range, have less weight and milder acceleration. We really like it. We tell neighbors this is an ideal car for new drivers - very easy, great mirrors and camera to rear. So much easier to go slow and park. Test drives sell this type of vehicle.
