Nissan Leaf Deals
Discussion
On the 6.6 kW charger - I went for this as we had just had a 7kW charge point installed at home. This means charging from say 20 to 80% takes around 2 to 2.5 hours, so great for a top up before say heading out in the evening. It also means we have a viable fall back if we need to charge reasonably quickly from a type 2 socket whilst out and about. Rapid chargers are great though just need more of them, and for them not to be out of service, it will happen.....
Picked up our loan Acenta on Saturday, having only asked for it on Friday. Its a nice car and an 'interesting' drive experience, which needs a little getting used to. We perceive ourselves to sit high up in the car (higher than in our Jazz). We have enough room for two adults and one infant
We did a longish trip on Saturday and had a planned stop at a Nissan dealer to charge up. No issues with doing that, it gave us a break and chance for a coffee. Nice drive pootling along at sensible speeds to conserve energy. Did a couple of short journeys on Sunday having charged the car up at home Saturday night. Still on same charge today doing my commute. Charge should last for another couple of days.
My concerns at the moment are the charging and planning of routes. Car is fine for the commutes that either my wife or I make. However, with the value of the car it would be nice to go further (and not just have it for commutes), however, the places we go, seem devoid of public chargers and also a lack of Nissan dealers.
I'm also suffering from overload when looking at all the different charging companies out there and the number of different Apps i now have on my phone!
We did a longish trip on Saturday and had a planned stop at a Nissan dealer to charge up. No issues with doing that, it gave us a break and chance for a coffee. Nice drive pootling along at sensible speeds to conserve energy. Did a couple of short journeys on Sunday having charged the car up at home Saturday night. Still on same charge today doing my commute. Charge should last for another couple of days.
My concerns at the moment are the charging and planning of routes. Car is fine for the commutes that either my wife or I make. However, with the value of the car it would be nice to go further (and not just have it for commutes), however, the places we go, seem devoid of public chargers and also a lack of Nissan dealers.
I'm also suffering from overload when looking at all the different charging companies out there and the number of different Apps i now have on my phone!
So here's my feedback on the Leaf test drive - car was returned early
General impression up to 40 to 50 mph its nippy and in and around the city is useful.
Brakes seem to be on / off at low speeds (may just be me !)
Car rolls quite a lot (kind of feel the weight)
Most importantly - range is a OUTRIGHT LIE
Trip 1 - Central London - 11.2 miles return x 2 (22.4 miles lets call it 30 for arguments sake). We set off with 50 mile range and the car died on my driveway - with last range showing as 18 miles !!!
Trip 2 Central London (16 miles x 2 = 34 miles - arguments sake lets call it 40 miles) set off with a range of 88 miles, returned home with around 22 miles remaining - where did the rest of the range disappear to ?
Based on the range issues I had - maybe a dud car as the dealer alluded to - but for now i'm not on board with the Leaf
General impression up to 40 to 50 mph its nippy and in and around the city is useful.
Brakes seem to be on / off at low speeds (may just be me !)
Car rolls quite a lot (kind of feel the weight)
Most importantly - range is a OUTRIGHT LIE
Trip 1 - Central London - 11.2 miles return x 2 (22.4 miles lets call it 30 for arguments sake). We set off with 50 mile range and the car died on my driveway - with last range showing as 18 miles !!!
Trip 2 Central London (16 miles x 2 = 34 miles - arguments sake lets call it 40 miles) set off with a range of 88 miles, returned home with around 22 miles remaining - where did the rest of the range disappear to ?
Based on the range issues I had - maybe a dud car as the dealer alluded to - but for now i'm not on board with the Leaf
As a Leaf Owner I can offer the following advice:
1 - Regard the range readout as "how far you can drive if you keep driving like this"
2 - Use the bars to the right of the range readout as a fuel gauge.
3 - Drive slowly. Nothing reduces the range like a hoon does.
4 - Remember that it isn't like other cars and it isn't for everyone. However, if it can fit with your driving habits and you're after a decent new car, it should be high on your list.
1 - Regard the range readout as "how far you can drive if you keep driving like this"
2 - Use the bars to the right of the range readout as a fuel gauge.
3 - Drive slowly. Nothing reduces the range like a hoon does.
4 - Remember that it isn't like other cars and it isn't for everyone. However, if it can fit with your driving habits and you're after a decent new car, it should be high on your list.
My missus has stuffed her Murano into a wall so its a good time to change, the Leaf Tekna ia £2300 down and £200 a month for 2 years then you can buy it or give it back or sell it I guess if its worth more than £15k (it wont be).
She pays £200 a month petrol, £500 road tax and raly does more than 50 miles a day its a no brainer, they lend you a real car for 14 days free a year.
She has a test drive on Thursday to see if she can handle it and use the pre heater (school run / young kids) if so its done.
The 3 pin plug is included, the fancy plug is £1150 FFS !!! can you not get a copy one or something that is NUTS!!!
She pays £200 a month petrol, £500 road tax and raly does more than 50 miles a day its a no brainer, they lend you a real car for 14 days free a year.
She has a test drive on Thursday to see if she can handle it and use the pre heater (school run / young kids) if so its done.
The 3 pin plug is included, the fancy plug is £1150 FFS !!! can you not get a copy one or something that is NUTS!!!
DSLiverpool said:
My missus has stuffed her Murano into a wall so its a good time to change, the Leaf Tekna ia £2300 down and £200 a month for 2 years then you can buy it or give it back or sell it I guess if its worth more than £15k (it wont be).
She pays £200 a month petrol, £500 road tax and raly does more than 50 miles a day its a no brainer, they lend you a real car for 14 days free a year.
She has a test drive on Thursday to see if she can handle it and use the pre heater (school run / young kids) if so its done.
The 3 pin plug is included, the fancy plug is £1150 FFS !!! can you not get a copy one or something that is NUTS!!!
The fancy plug is not £1150. That is the cost of the upgraded 6.6kW charger (i.e. 32A rather than 16A) and they chuck the cable in with that. You can get a cable for £200.She pays £200 a month petrol, £500 road tax and raly does more than 50 miles a day its a no brainer, they lend you a real car for 14 days free a year.
She has a test drive on Thursday to see if she can handle it and use the pre heater (school run / young kids) if so its done.
The 3 pin plug is included, the fancy plug is £1150 FFS !!! can you not get a copy one or something that is NUTS!!!
JonnyO said:
The fancy plug is not £1150. That is the cost of the upgraded 6.6kW charger (i.e. 32A rather than 16A) and they chuck the cable in with that. You can get a cable for £200.
You are correct it was explained badly by not only the dealer but Nissan EV support, the dealer wants £350 for the cable - I have a Polar 16KW charge point fitted so where can I get a cable pleaseI'm no expert (just trialing a Leaf for a week at the moment as it goes) but my dealer said they could get them for £200.
I think this is the right one though:
https://evconnectors.com/j1772-to-62196-2-32-amp-p...
I think this is the right one though:
https://evconnectors.com/j1772-to-62196-2-32-amp-p...
DSLiverpool said:
My missus has stuffed her Murano into a wall so its a good time to change, the Leaf Tekna ia £2300 down and £200 a month for 2 years then you can buy it or give it back or sell it I guess if its worth more than £15k (it wont be).
She pays £200 a month petrol, £500 road tax and raly does more than 50 miles a day its a no brainer, they lend you a real car for 14 days free a year.
She has a test drive on Thursday to see if she can handle it and use the pre heater (school run / young kids) if so its done.
The 3 pin plug is included, the fancy plug is £1150 FFS !!! can you not get a copy one or something that is NUTS!!!
£200 on fuel each month, £40/month tax and 50 miles per day screams Nissan Leaf. It will be free motoring. IN fact, you'll be up on the deal.She pays £200 a month petrol, £500 road tax and raly does more than 50 miles a day its a no brainer, they lend you a real car for 14 days free a year.
She has a test drive on Thursday to see if she can handle it and use the pre heater (school run / young kids) if so its done.
The 3 pin plug is included, the fancy plug is £1150 FFS !!! can you not get a copy one or something that is NUTS!!!
Don't worry about the fast charger, if she's only doing 50 miles you can charge it overnight just fine. The pre-heater only works with 80% charge or more, so leaving it plugged in overnight is necessary anyway.
I only have the standard charger, but I do also have three Ecotricity points within ten miles, so if I want a fast charge it's a lot quicker and completely free to nip to the local motorway services and charge up.
The Ecotricity chargers have the cable attached to them. You'll find that the Leaf has two charging sockets. One is for the standard 16A charger, or the uprated 32A one. The other is for fast charging via Ecotricity etc.
You'll need to register with Ecotricity, and I recommend going for two cards. Then you and the Mrs can keep one each, because I guarantee that if you only have one card, someone will put it in their wallet/purse and the next person will be stuck.
Please also note my comments above. The thing that kills range is hooning the thing. You absolutely have to drive sensibly. Gentle acceleration and thinking a long way ahead.
With regard to that second point, you'll discover that your Leaf has "B" mode, as well as "D" mode. The "B" stands for "brake" and it applies a lot more regen charge back to the battery when used. This is good because normal braking doesn't recharge the car, it's wasted energy.
A classic case for B mode is going down a steep hill. When you switch to that mode you'll feel it, and going down the hill will feel equivalent to having a moderate amount of braking all the time.
Owning a Leaf is a very different type of motoring. You have to think a bit, and as I've said, it isn't for everyone. However, every time you 'fill up' at an Ecotricity station in a motorway services, at least one person will talk to you about the car. They'll ask how far it goes, then they'll ask how long it takes to charge, and they'll be thinking it's a bit of a gimmick. Their third question will be how much it's costing you to charge it right now, and when you say "nothing" they'll have a certain look on their face that you'll never grow tired of. Then they'll drive off in their Mondeo, thinking about the £70 they're about to chuck in the tank...
You'll need to register with Ecotricity, and I recommend going for two cards. Then you and the Mrs can keep one each, because I guarantee that if you only have one card, someone will put it in their wallet/purse and the next person will be stuck.
Please also note my comments above. The thing that kills range is hooning the thing. You absolutely have to drive sensibly. Gentle acceleration and thinking a long way ahead.
With regard to that second point, you'll discover that your Leaf has "B" mode, as well as "D" mode. The "B" stands for "brake" and it applies a lot more regen charge back to the battery when used. This is good because normal braking doesn't recharge the car, it's wasted energy.
A classic case for B mode is going down a steep hill. When you switch to that mode you'll feel it, and going down the hill will feel equivalent to having a moderate amount of braking all the time.
Owning a Leaf is a very different type of motoring. You have to think a bit, and as I've said, it isn't for everyone. However, every time you 'fill up' at an Ecotricity station in a motorway services, at least one person will talk to you about the car. They'll ask how far it goes, then they'll ask how long it takes to charge, and they'll be thinking it's a bit of a gimmick. Their third question will be how much it's costing you to charge it right now, and when you say "nothing" they'll have a certain look on their face that you'll never grow tired of. Then they'll drive off in their Mondeo, thinking about the £70 they're about to chuck in the tank...
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