Great Starter EV
The 2020 LEAF SV Plus that I bought used with 7500 miles has been a great first EV because it still has some of the traditional car features such as radio knobs and door locks etc. so that you are not reliant on one computer screen that controls everything. The Leaf has been around for ten years now so they are reliable and the regenerative braking is my favorite thing about this car. I hardly touch the brakes. It has good pep and rides smoothly and the touch screen and safety tech is intuitive and easy to figure out plus the Nissan Manual is extremely specific and walks you through everything such as how to charge up. I learn by watching videos and there’s plenty of informative instructional you tube videos that helped. I live in a cold climate so I wanted a heat pump and Nissan has a reliable reputation with their heat pumps because having immediate heat for battery and cabin is important. The AC is very cold too! The only thing I will warn new EV owners about is the real world range (150 miles) vs. perfect conditions range that the car is rated at: 200 plus. I learned quickly to estimate battery percentage used per mile based on local driving conditions. Since the range is limited by my definition (300 miles) this EV is good for local commutes and running errands but if you drive fast on highways or up mountains in extreme heat or cold the range will be impacted significantly and you will have to charge up more frequently. A level 2 charger at home overnight is recommended otherwise find a public fast charger and that will take 45-60 minutes to go from 20% to almost full. The good news is that will cost 15 bucks so yes this is much cheaper than gas and no CO2 emissions. Overall, the Leaf is an easy to use entry level compact EV that has all the features and looks of a gas vehicle without the tailpipe. Good for your wallet and the planet.
Verified Owner
