Goodbye Prius, Hello Leaf

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I've only gone and done it. After nearly 6 years of Prius ownership I've chopped her in for a Leaf.

I know there are pro's and con's to both vehicles, and I did find the Leaf a wee bit slow compared to the Prius at the 50 mph+ range, but it does go like the clappers upto 30. It is also damn cheap to run and free at chargers.

Horses for courses I know, but ultimately I've always wanted to go fully electric (for many reasons) and when the PIP was released it was overpriced and thus a bit of a disappointment. It's just not worth £33k before the grant, it just isn't. And the gen4 Prius is just too far away and probably too expensive too. I don't do 30k miles a year any more so a Leaf will work just fine for me - I hope!?!

The new motor has only just arrived so I can't say what it's like to live with, but so far so good. It is sooo smooth and really is relaxing. The wide void between a traditional car and a hybrid is the same as a hybrid is to an EV. You can literally hear birds tweeting as you drive along, and can talk at a normal hushed tone - no booming of an engine, however quiet it was in the Prius. I dread to think what I'll think if I ever get a ride in a diesel!?!

I can always go back if I've made a dreadful mistake, though more likely get the CT200h as it's more bang for your buck.

So I guess it's a case of so long and thanks for all the fish. I'll pop back and see what's the latest and whether there's any news on the gen4 later this year or next.

Nce knowing y'all.

[CPN]

... And you too GC! Have fun and don't be a stranger! :)

[stompe]

Bleeding traitor, not welcome back at all, Bugger off to the Nissan owners club.......... Only joking, but if my electric bill goes up because im paying for your free electric, I will be after you. ALL THE BEST mate, keep us informed.

[Chris Dance]

You will be missed on this forum G C. My son works at Nissan and he thinks the Leaf is a very good car. Enjoy your quiet driving future.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I know they're not for everyone (esp if you're a motorway rep), but if you haven't driven a Leaf you really should. At least give one a go, you might not like it, but if you've driven a Prius you probably will. They're so smooth. Seriously they make a Prius sound like a tractor by comparison.

The one thing I will say though is that Nissan dealers just don't seem as good as Toyotas. Toyota really have done a cracking job on dealer quality control, whereas Nissan are just well, influenced by Renault!?! I wish my Toyota dealer could do my servicing as I trust them.

This is my one concern.

[Bibsy]

Ah now, that is interesting. Don't go just yet!

When I chopped in my Prius for an Auris I was on the border of going for a Leaf. Nothing to dislike - except for range anxiety. I just couldn't get over the thought it might not get me where I want to, perhaps on a longer run at weekends. And it would make a holiday a LONG journey if you really have to stop every 80 miles and wait about.

So I didn't go for it, but still look at them from time to time.

Are all your journeys such that you have no anxiety about it?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Are all your journeys such that you have no anxiety about it?

Hmmm lol.

Erm, I'm slowly testing the boundaries, but I fear our regular trips to the Lakes or Lincoln will be complicated much. I'm used to driving carefully and getting the best mpg's from the Prius and when I drive the Leaf like that it can appear to give amazing range, but then you go up a hill and it suddenly changes from 79 miles remaining to 48, then levels out on the flat and it springs back to 73 and so on. This seems to induce some anxiety, but it is said that you should totally ignore the guess-o-meter and work out your distance yourself from how many range bars you have left. Not ideal and unusual for a Japanese car to do this. Must be Renaults influence!?!

We (Mrs Cabbie and I) went for a drive yesterday and set off with 100 miles range exactly. Drove steady for about 40 miles, stuck to speed limits, overtook a slow car, who sped up the *@?*, but I did surprise him with the amazing burst of speed, and arrived with about 58 miles remaining. But the guess-o-meter was up and down and would give anxiety if you were sailing close to the wind. So I'm still testing it. Done loads of miles already though and charged it up for free a couple times - being a Yorkshireman I like that bit. It is said the a/c and heating eats the range and these last few days have needed the a/c big time. I'm hoping to see what effect normal UK weather has.

Driving electric is the future and that little snippet we got with the Prius in slow moving traffic is much much better when it carries on, with umph and no engine firing up. The Prius is a relaxing car but the Leaf takes that to a whole other level. That reminded me, the Leaf under full acceleration is much quicker than the Prius in Power mode until about 50 mph when it dies off disappointingly. It is fun at the traffic light drag strip race with Mr Angry Cokehead in his flash BMW. You just know he'll end up going home and beating his wife cos some crappy little Nissan beat him so easily :)

It's a shame Toyota gave up on the electric game, a PIP with useful range (30 miles?) would be a cracking car if priced sensibly. Fun on electric and great economy when in hybrid mode. The performance stats for the Mirai are a bit poor.

But it doesn't take long for your couple gallons equivalent of electric fun to come to an end and you're back to plugging in again. I haven't got the proper charger installed yet - funding levels cut and they're no longer free :(( and the 13 amp plug charger that comes with the car is called a slow charger for a very very good reason!

[VGP63]

Sad to seeyou go GC I am not too keen on the look of the leaf and not having off street parking makes it a no- no

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I agree, it's no looker. Distinctive, but so is Susan Boyle.

[Bibsy]

I think it looks quite cute, although I appreciate not everyone likes that look.

Anyway GC, be really interested to read about a real longer journey - how it works out with planned charging, how long it all takes etc, if you get a chance sometime.

I suppose I could join a Nissan forum, if there is one, to find out real world things like that, but that's just yet one more account somewhere for a car I don't actually possess.

Not that I possess a Toyota any more either of course.

[johalareewi]

Our friend had a Leaf. The first was a lemon and spent more time being fixed than on the road. He eventually got a replacement which was fine. He had the free charging card and the option from Nissan of a free 'normal' car for when he had long journeys to make.

The main problem with an EV car that he found was the unreliability of charging points. He would plan a journey with stops to recharge but on arrival the charging point would often be either in use, or out of order. Last winter he and his wife came to visit. It was freezing cold and he was not able to take a mid journey top up charge due to the out of order charging point. So he had to finish the journey with the heating off. His wife took ages to thaw out when they arrived. Now he has a hybrid yaris.

[Duffryn]

Be interesting to see how winter driving with maybe lights, wipers, heater, radio, a/c (for demisting), etc. affect the range. Not for me I don't think, as always doing 80 mile round trips to the daughters' or sons', and neither have have ORP at the mo.

Good luck with it though GC, will miss muchly your contributions on here.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Heating and a/c knock about 10 miles off your range, though depends how you use them. Keep them sensible and it's barely a noticeable loss, bung the a/c on Low temp and high fan and yes long runs will be interesting.

It is still a bit like the early days of motoring though, and queues at fast chargers (or finding them blocked by non ev cars) can be an issue. If you regularly travel long runs then it's not the car for you. If you visit friends or family once or twice a year then you can be brave or hire a car. I'll go in the Mrs's car on those occassions.

There are many compromises to EV ownership but the one interesting point that might make some of you think is that you can get a brand new Leaf or Zoe on PCP for about £150 pm on 10k miles and £zero deposit. That is probably about how much you spend on petrol now in your hybrid. If an EV would work for you then that surely has to be considered? Sell your existing car and bung the money in the bank, PCP a new car for 2 years and at the end of that period you can start again or if PCP wasn't for you, you still have the money in the bank to use as a deposit or buy another car?

But seriously, a new car on your drive for the cost of the petrol you pay now. The money you'd spend in addition to that on PCP or HP is now yours to spend and the value of your 'old' car can sit in your bank. That has to be at least considered.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

Don't go GC, you may be a traitor but we still love you really.

Out of interest have you bought the Battery outright or on Battery lease?

I too will be interested to see an updated review in a few months time once you've got used to it.

Just a little tip also I've seen online (especially if you're planning on keeping it long term), if leaving it unused for a whole leave it at about 30% SOC, this tends to be a sweet spot which doesn't stress the Battery out, and what I do with my PiP if not using it for a day or two or when I leave it at the airport.

[Bibsy]

Those numbers are attractive, GC, but I can't find any deals near them at the minute? Where ought I look? Best I can find with a quick Google is £215 on a Leaf, or £189 on a Zoe, both with hefty upfront deposits (and I'm not sure if that includes the Zoe Battery either).

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I deliberately didn't quote links as I didn't want to be accused of recommending anyone etc. :)

Just done a quick search on google for "Renault Zoe PCP deals" and got the following;

http://www.bristolstreet.co.uk/new-car-deals/renault/zoe/?manu=yes&tr=f28?manu=yes&tr=f28&gclid=COm8k9_nvsYCFUnItAodhAkHEg

http://www.evanshalshaw.com/brands/renault/ze-range-offers/zoe-offers/zoe-dynamique-intens/low-payment/?gclid=CKra67jmvsYCFY7ItAod0OsAqg

It's in the ballpark with many others out there and is £75+£75 (or £150pm to you n me) for 6k miles. Just keep an eye out and in the UK EV forums there are links to dealers offering very similar and better at random times. Often other dealers will match them.

It really looks like Renault and Nissan are trying to dump these cars as they thought they'd sell many many more than they actually are. Their loss is someones gain.

i bought the car out right. Whilst there are some benefits to Battery lease, and it's the way to go if you're on a time limited PCP, it's not for me. I dread to think the fun n games you'll have trying to sell a Battery lease car when it's 3 or 5 years old. There are no age related discounts for the Battery lease!?! But each to their own. Obviously with a 25 month PCP you just hand the car back and it becomes Renaults or Nissans problem :)

[Cyker]

Sooooo in another 6 years, think you'll be able to get a 2nd hand Model S P85D?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Sooooo in another 6 years, think you'll be able to get a 2nd hand Model S P85D?

There's a garage near me that sells them (and other rather nice motors) and they can often be found tanking it down the long straight A roads round here on test drives.

I would hope it isn't 6 years before I could get a Tesla. The way the prices bomb on luxury cars I'd hope it would be sooner :) but then the cost of repairs would be just crazy. I'll keep this ol' girl until the 250 mile (real world 170?) Nissan Leaf comes out late next year. The PCP on those shouldn't be too silly?

One positive though is that I never have to go to a petrol station again - no more over priced bottles of coke or pasties :) and articles in the papers complaining about why fuel costs are falling despite falling oil prices are not a concern either.

[catboy]

I bought a leaf tekna 2 months ago range is the main issue but I don't do a lot of miles,I pop round to Nissan about once or twice a

a week to charge it they are only a couple of miles away from me so no running costs to speak of it makes sense to me.They have a fast charger only takes 1 hour to charge 100% and it's free.I have my own charger at home supplied and fitted by Podpoint cost £199,they also give you a Ecotricity card so you can charge for free at there chargers at the moment.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I think I should quickly clarify the fast charger and the chademo charger. The fast charger takes about an hour or so and the chademo free chargers found on motorways can top you up to 80%/90% in about 20 minutes FOR FREE.

Handy if one is just down the road.

[catboy]

Yes you can't beat free sparks when it's on offer,home charger takes about 6 hours cost is about £2 depending which tariffs you are on.I have found the leaf forums are not very good the Toyota forum is much better.I had better not continue to post about the leaf on here or Toyota owners club will send the heavy mob round to sort me out

[MEP's Yaris GS]

I had better not continue to post about the leaf on here or Toyota owners club will send the heavy mob round to sort me out

No, please carry on, I'm in my element here :)

Out of interest, these 80% in 20min chargers, will they do the remaining 20% if you leave them plugged in, or do they just stop charging at the 80% point?

[catboy]

The fast charger at Nissan is a chademo and that will continue to charge up to 96% in about an hour, all chargers wether fast or slow will slow down when they near full charge.I usually go into the showroom and have a coffee or two while I wait and carwings sends me an email when it's charged☕️☕️

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I've just got back from a trip and a fast charge. If you're very low they will switch off at 80% ish, but if you are about 35%+ when you start they'll add upto about mid 90's% before automatically stopping. That depends on a variety of factors including Battery temperature. When it automatically stops and you want more (and nobody is desperately waiting), then just restart it and it'll carry on to 100%. It does slow down the nearer full it gets. So that last 10% on the second run could take almost as long as the first 30%-85% fill.

You can also leave your a/c running at their expense, whilst you sit in the car watching the world go by.

The little display shows how many amps and volts are being pumped in and in the early stages it is a LOT. It automatically tones it down as it fills. The only negative about doing it at a service station is that every man and his dog stops to ask you the same questions over and over lol. Even had someone stop and ask if they could take a photo of the car charging!?! lol, takes all sorts I guess.

It's a shame Toyota don't have an offering. Image if it were the Auris EV instead of the Leaf that was getting all the attention.

[APS]

I'm completely with you, electric is the future. Please keep us in the loop of your Leaf experience.

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