Kilometres travelled
75,000 - 100,000 km
Did you buy this car new or used?
Used
If used, what year did you buy it used?
2019
How much did you pay? (including all on-road costs)
3900
What were your needs when you bought this car? Has it fulfilled those needs?
Curious to find out what an electric car might add to our motoring. It was the cheapest Leaf on Trade Me and still is. It had only 5 (out of 12) bars left on the battery meter so a full charge gave a range (on a summer's day) of 53 kms. Have since opted for the Factory settings to only charge it up to 80% capacity as that's supposed to aid battery longevity. The range with the new charge limit is approx 35km. We live 7 or so kms from town so a trip into town and back means a recharge every time. The battery state of health 'bars' have finally dropped to 4 as of january this year.
What were your initial thoughts about the car? Tell us why it appealed to you.
Thought it seemed very solid, interior thick and comfortable, not showing any wear. The main appeals are almost complete lack of any need for servicing, it doesn't need to have the engine driven carefully until warmed up, it's incredibly cheap to run (approx 70 cents a charge) It's quiet, powerful still looks reasonably modern.
What have you discovered since owning the car?
As the battery condition recedes we are thinking eventually we will have to drop the battery out and go looking for faulty cells, a daunting task but it would be interesting.
What do you like/dislike about the car?
The main dislike is because of the limited battery capacity you cannot use the interior heater, so as a winter car it's cold inside. I tried preheating it with a heater plugged into the mains before departure but the heat doesn't linger.
Any other comments on the car?
It maybe that its eventual use could be as a solar powered battery source to run our house.
Reliability
5
Features/technology
5
Performance/economy
5
Value for money
5
Overall rating
4
Lastly, would you buy this vehicle again?
Yes