Discussion
I'm seriously considering a Leaf as a commuter car now that I'll be commuting 72 miles a day, mostly motorway. Instead of about 30 miles a day which I've been doing in a Z4M, which I love and don't want to sell but also don't want to spend £350 a month fueling for the new commute.
There are charge points at the new office, although they may sometimes all be taken, so the backup plan is a rapid charge point at a services half way home if the range isn't looking like making it to the full 72 miles for that day.
I was impressed by the short test drive I had, very solid and smooth, if a little understeery. I've also been considering something smaller, petrol/diesel powered, like a VW Up, but the bigger car feeling of the Leaf is much more appealing and it seems by the time I compare small car PCP plus fuel, vs Leaf PCP and a much smaller electric cost, there's not much between the two.
I've been offered a solid red Tekna, 12,000 miles a year for £210 a month, £700 deposit, 2 years pcp. Is this a decent deal? It seems better than most I'm seeing at the moment.
I started out at higher miles and with the 6.6 charging option, but wanted to get the payments down.
I will up the deal again to cover 17,000 miles I think, rather than pay 10p per mile excess.
What do I need to know about charge cables?
Will the installers of the home charge point be ok dealing with an old fuse board? or will they want to see a modern breaker switch setup?
I may have to park on a slope at home, how good is the handbrake on the leaf? I have to leave my Z4 in gear but obviously an electric car can't do that.
There are charge points at the new office, although they may sometimes all be taken, so the backup plan is a rapid charge point at a services half way home if the range isn't looking like making it to the full 72 miles for that day.
I was impressed by the short test drive I had, very solid and smooth, if a little understeery. I've also been considering something smaller, petrol/diesel powered, like a VW Up, but the bigger car feeling of the Leaf is much more appealing and it seems by the time I compare small car PCP plus fuel, vs Leaf PCP and a much smaller electric cost, there's not much between the two.
I've been offered a solid red Tekna, 12,000 miles a year for £210 a month, £700 deposit, 2 years pcp. Is this a decent deal? It seems better than most I'm seeing at the moment.
I started out at higher miles and with the 6.6 charging option, but wanted to get the payments down.
I will up the deal again to cover 17,000 miles I think, rather than pay 10p per mile excess.
What do I need to know about charge cables?
Will the installers of the home charge point be ok dealing with an old fuse board? or will they want to see a modern breaker switch setup?
I may have to park on a slope at home, how good is the handbrake on the leaf? I have to leave my Z4 in gear but obviously an electric car can't do that.
Herminator said:
I've been offered a solid red Tekna, 12,000 miles a year for £210 a month, £700 deposit, 2 years pcp. Is this a decent deal? It seems better than most I'm seeing at the moment.
I started out at higher miles and with the 6.6 charging option, but wanted to get the payments down.
I will up the deal again to cover 17,000 miles I think, rather than pay 10p per mile excess.
What do I need to know about charge cables?
Will the installers of the home charge point be ok dealing with an old fuse board? or will they want to see a modern breaker switch setup?
I may have to park on a slope at home, how good is the handbrake on the leaf? I have to leave my Z4 in gear but obviously an electric car can't do that.
Your deal is not bad.I started out at higher miles and with the 6.6 charging option, but wanted to get the payments down.
I will up the deal again to cover 17,000 miles I think, rather than pay 10p per mile excess.
What do I need to know about charge cables?
Will the installers of the home charge point be ok dealing with an old fuse board? or will they want to see a modern breaker switch setup?
I may have to park on a slope at home, how good is the handbrake on the leaf? I have to leave my Z4 in gear but obviously an electric car can't do that.
Charging cables, you don't need any extras if your getting the 6.6 charging option.
Home charger install seems pretty straight forwards for most people. I went for a universal 32amp type 2 socket - So same socket as most 'public' charging stations. Advantage of a universal socketed version is future compatibility with other EVs.
Handbrake - cannot comment. I know the 're-gen' mode on the Leaf is enough to nearly stop the car on most hills when 'free wheeling'. As long as you leave it in 'P' I wouldn't have thought parking it on a slope is any issue.
Doesn't seem too bad but they are very much a "right place, right time" thing these EV PCP deals.
Saying that, your mileage is a decent 12k pa so it's a factor.
https://speakev.com/threads/leaf-tekna-flex-6-6-in...
That deal was £1000 dep then £150 per month for 7.5k p/a which is about £1k less overall than you deal...but....If you factor in extra mileage charges being about 12p (generallly) then it's bang on identical really (assuming you do the full 12k).
So yeah.... I'd go for it at that price!!
When our ZOE PCP is up I'm after a Leaf next. If there isn't a cheapo deal about then I'll just get a few hundred quid s
tbox til one comes up.
Saying that, your mileage is a decent 12k pa so it's a factor.
https://speakev.com/threads/leaf-tekna-flex-6-6-in...
That deal was £1000 dep then £150 per month for 7.5k p/a which is about £1k less overall than you deal...but....If you factor in extra mileage charges being about 12p (generallly) then it's bang on identical really (assuming you do the full 12k).
So yeah.... I'd go for it at that price!!
When our ZOE PCP is up I'm after a Leaf next. If there isn't a cheapo deal about then I'll just get a few hundred quid s
tbox til one comes up.I should have been more clear, it's for a 3.3 version, which shouldn't be an issue most of the time, as it would be plugged in at home overnight and plugged in at work for 8 hours+
It seems stupid that by adding the 6.6 option you pay for it completely within the 2 years of the pcp, nothing is added to the value of the car at the end.
Looking through the past deals on evspeak, it does seem I'm in the right ball park for a decent deal, if they'd throw in the 6.6 charge option it would be about the same as some of the best deals on there.
I get the feeling I'll be going electric soon, it should change my driving style a bit for the better, at least for the daily commute.
It seems stupid that by adding the 6.6 option you pay for it completely within the 2 years of the pcp, nothing is added to the value of the car at the end.
Looking through the past deals on evspeak, it does seem I'm in the right ball park for a decent deal, if they'd throw in the 6.6 charge option it would be about the same as some of the best deals on there.
I get the feeling I'll be going electric soon, it should change my driving style a bit for the better, at least for the daily commute.
Your be fine with a 3.3. I've done a few 65-70 trips in the Leaf now. Certainly in summer, and driving at a sedate pace, 60mph, your arrive with plenty of range. Not sure about winter, but speed, rain, and cold weather seems to be killers for range. So a 70 mile round trip may leave you at the edge of range.
Your other option is to wait till Sep/Oct. Nissan is almost certianly going to announce a 30 kWh battery pack for the Leaf. That would give the Leaf 20-30 miles of extra real life range, which will make it perfect for your needs.
Your other option is to wait till Sep/Oct. Nissan is almost certianly going to announce a 30 kWh battery pack for the Leaf. That would give the Leaf 20-30 miles of extra real life range, which will make it perfect for your needs.
dave_s13 said:
Look at the ZOE too. They are pretty much interchangeable with regard to function, and probably cheaper.
Having both I can tell you the Leaf is a nicer commuter, the Zoe more hot hatch in fact I was surprised when Anna picked me up in the Zoe how hard the ride is after the Leaf. Zoe is more fun though and seems pokier! (up to 40)I sat in a Zoe about a month ago when I went to take a first look at the local Nissan/Renault dealership.
I think the Zoe looks great on the outside but as soon as I got in I was disappointed how it felt and looked like a typical cheap little french car. The Tekna Leaf is a much nicer place to be, although the outside could do with a redesign IMO.
I think the Zoe looks great on the outside but as soon as I got in I was disappointed how it felt and looked like a typical cheap little french car. The Tekna Leaf is a much nicer place to be, although the outside could do with a redesign IMO.
Just contemplating a Leaf at the moment, though it has a hard task as when ever I run up the costs to keep my Civic on the road and then look at what its replacement will cost to run, including repayments/lease/PCP payments, I can never even break even! I should just accept anything new will be a net cost.
Anyway I was researching typical servicing costs and was seeing figures of between £70 and £115 for the first service and around £140-150 for the more expensive second.
That kind of stopped me in my tracks a bit. Granted I am about to compare indy with main dealer prices here but that's exactly the sort of money my favorite indy charges me for minor and major services on my Civic. (Of course, main dealer major service is about double that).
Then I tried to find out what Nissan actually do at the service. Given that one of the many boons of EV cars is the fact there are many fewer moving parts and pretty much nothing in the way of consumable fluids\parts (especially in the first few years) I am actually struggling to see how they can justify those service charges. Having read up on what happens at the first service I gather the answers is pretty much "nothing" bar having a nosey under the car and plugging a laptop in to perform a health check.
I always did wonder how dealers were going to tackle the issue of having reduced servicing work on account of much simpler power trains. It seems they are simply charging similar money for next to no work.
I wonder how long that persists until people realise what is actually going on behind the garage door.
I wonder if at some point you could practically perform some kind of "service" at home where by Nissan remotely access the cars ECU (via your computer) to perform the diagnostics with the end result recommending you on whether you actually need a visit to the dealer or not.
Anyway, in short its costing us about £180 a month to run the civic (21 pence per mile) and I worked out that, given a 3.5 mi/kWh efficiency, I'd need about £400 worth of electricity for the year. This all flushes out to be £65 a month (assuming same insurance cost) or 7.8 ppm. But this is before having to pay for the thing.
So unless I can do something for £115/mo its not going to be reducing my motoring cost or even breaking even.
Anyway I was researching typical servicing costs and was seeing figures of between £70 and £115 for the first service and around £140-150 for the more expensive second.
That kind of stopped me in my tracks a bit. Granted I am about to compare indy with main dealer prices here but that's exactly the sort of money my favorite indy charges me for minor and major services on my Civic. (Of course, main dealer major service is about double that).
Then I tried to find out what Nissan actually do at the service. Given that one of the many boons of EV cars is the fact there are many fewer moving parts and pretty much nothing in the way of consumable fluids\parts (especially in the first few years) I am actually struggling to see how they can justify those service charges. Having read up on what happens at the first service I gather the answers is pretty much "nothing" bar having a nosey under the car and plugging a laptop in to perform a health check.
I always did wonder how dealers were going to tackle the issue of having reduced servicing work on account of much simpler power trains. It seems they are simply charging similar money for next to no work.
I wonder how long that persists until people realise what is actually going on behind the garage door.
I wonder if at some point you could practically perform some kind of "service" at home where by Nissan remotely access the cars ECU (via your computer) to perform the diagnostics with the end result recommending you on whether you actually need a visit to the dealer or not.
Anyway, in short its costing us about £180 a month to run the civic (21 pence per mile) and I worked out that, given a 3.5 mi/kWh efficiency, I'd need about £400 worth of electricity for the year. This all flushes out to be £65 a month (assuming same insurance cost) or 7.8 ppm. But this is before having to pay for the thing.
So unless I can do something for £115/mo its not going to be reducing my motoring cost or even breaking even.
But you're paying for the privilege of driving a brand new car, with a warranty, and no real worries. That has a value for some.
For instance I sold my 2004 Citroen C5 to get the ZOE. The C5 was a bloody good car and the ZOE is about £30 more per month to run. But the ZOE won't give me any big bills. Worth it for that.
Also the ZOE included free breakdown cover and 4 years free servicing. It won't even need tyres (probably).
For instance I sold my 2004 Citroen C5 to get the ZOE. The C5 was a bloody good car and the ZOE is about £30 more per month to run. But the ZOE won't give me any big bills. Worth it for that.
Also the ZOE included free breakdown cover and 4 years free servicing. It won't even need tyres (probably).
Thats a Citroen though :P (I jest)
I've bought something that is seemingly bomb proof. 100,000 miles and all its needed is tyres and servicing. I doubt its ever going to go wrong. Jap NA petrols have to be the most reliable things you can buy!
There are some corking deals on the ZOE mind. I'll have to have a look at that.
I've bought something that is seemingly bomb proof. 100,000 miles and all its needed is tyres and servicing. I doubt its ever going to go wrong. Jap NA petrols have to be the most reliable things you can buy!
There are some corking deals on the ZOE mind. I'll have to have a look at that.
As some one has pointed out already, your never going to 'brake even' comparing a brand new car to a used car. Deprecation is by far the biggest cost of car ownership.
Incidentally I used a 2.2 diesel Civic for 18 months to do a daily 70-80 mile commute. The Civic did the job, but God did I hate the thing towards the end. Sitting there in traffic, listening to the Diesel engine rattle away, having to fuel up very 4-5 days at 6 am, it almost made me HATE driving. Despite it been in the family for 7 years from new, I didn't look back once when we finally sold it.
I should have swapped it for a Leaf a long time ago, £££/month is all well and good, but commuting in the Leaf is like staying in a 5 star hotel compared to the Civic's motorway service station like experience. I will happy pay a premium to drive any EV over an ICE car these days. Cheap running costs is just a bonus.
Incidentally I used a 2.2 diesel Civic for 18 months to do a daily 70-80 mile commute. The Civic did the job, but God did I hate the thing towards the end. Sitting there in traffic, listening to the Diesel engine rattle away, having to fuel up very 4-5 days at 6 am, it almost made me HATE driving. Despite it been in the family for 7 years from new, I didn't look back once when we finally sold it.
I should have swapped it for a Leaf a long time ago, £££/month is all well and good, but commuting in the Leaf is like staying in a 5 star hotel compared to the Civic's motorway service station like experience. I will happy pay a premium to drive any EV over an ICE car these days. Cheap running costs is just a bonus.
gangzoom said:
Your be fine with a 3.3. I've done a few 65-70 trips in the Leaf now. Certainly in summer, and driving at a sedate pace, 60mph, your arrive with plenty of range. Not sure about winter, but speed, rain, and cold weather seems to be killers for range. So a 70 mile round trip may leave you at the edge of range.
Your other option is to wait till Sep/Oct. Nissan is almost certianly going to announce a 30 kWh battery pack for the Leaf. That would give the Leaf 20-30 miles of extra real life range, which will make it perfect for your needs.
I had a Leaf on the 7 day test drive last December and used it for my 60mile each way commute.Your other option is to wait till Sep/Oct. Nissan is almost certianly going to announce a 30 kWh battery pack for the Leaf. That would give the Leaf 20-30 miles of extra real life range, which will make it perfect for your needs.
On full charge it showed about 98 miles range.
Depending on use of heater (I used the pre heat timer and fan on low, temp set at 21-22 degrees) I got to my work with approx. 20 miles remaining.
gangzoom said:
I should have swapped it for a Leaf a long time ago, £££/month is all well and good, but commuting in the Leaf is like staying in a 5 star hotel compared to the Civic's motorway service station like experience. I will happy pay a premium to drive any EV over an ICE car these days. Cheap running costs is just a bonus.
Nailed it, welcome to the future of motoring.Ive used a Touran 2.0 Diesel all week for my new Manchester commute and getting back in the Leaf only made me re appreciate its quiet smooth drive train.
It really is a perfect commuter for 40 miles or less pity my run is 96 miles and as its mainly motorway I thing 75 miles is max range.
We have a charger at Chester but on the way home I doubt I want to hang around after a long day.
It really is a perfect commuter for 40 miles or less pity my run is 96 miles and as its mainly motorway I thing 75 miles is max range.
We have a charger at Chester but on the way home I doubt I want to hang around after a long day.
We continue to have problems with the heating/aircon on our Leaf. It has been malfunctioning intermittently for the last 4 months. It has been back to the supplying dealer 4 times during this period the last of which has now been for a week and a half. The level of service offered by our dealer is appalling. No communication, no updates, courtesy Leaf pre booked 2 weeks in advance was initially unavailable when dropping off, phone calls not returned etc. I have now involved Nissan customer services but they seem fairly hopeless too.
The dealer has now told us that the aircon compressor needs replacing but the part is on back order for three weeks... In the meantime we are driving around in a heavily sign written lower spec leaf whilst paying the finance on the Tekna, not happy putting it mildly!
What concerns me is that the heating/aircon issues were intermittent. Surely if the compressor is broken then we would have had no aircon at all? I am concerned that we will get the car back to find we still have problems with the heating or aircon. I have owned new cars in the past with intermittent electrical problems and they are a nightmare to resolve. If the problem is not fixed this time I will be going down the route of rejecting the car.
The dealer has now told us that the aircon compressor needs replacing but the part is on back order for three weeks... In the meantime we are driving around in a heavily sign written lower spec leaf whilst paying the finance on the Tekna, not happy putting it mildly!
What concerns me is that the heating/aircon issues were intermittent. Surely if the compressor is broken then we would have had no aircon at all? I am concerned that we will get the car back to find we still have problems with the heating or aircon. I have owned new cars in the past with intermittent electrical problems and they are a nightmare to resolve. If the problem is not fixed this time I will be going down the route of rejecting the car.
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