Overview & Reviews

The 2013 Nissan Leaf receives a new 6.6-kW onboard charger that cuts charging times in half. There's also a new "B-mode" driving mode that increases regenerative braking during deceleration. Finally, Nissan has added a more affordable S model to the lineup.

• Spacious, quiet cabin
• Ample features
• Established in terms of reliability and availability
• Affordable base price.

• Mediocre performance.
• Limited cruising range

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 35.00

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  Safe bet for a used car - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By Ray Murray - December 7 - 1:37 am

  This continues to be an excellent car. I still favor it for everyday driving. I now live in a single location in Maryland. I have my own charging station. Yesterday I charged the car from 35% to 98% in two hours of non-peak time on the BGE Electric Vehicle Schedule. That cost about $1.60 for 55 miles of driving. Ive found this car easier to live with having a Level II charger at home. Previously I was charging it at my condo overnight using the 110V charger. I purchased this car used to see for myself what living with an electric car is really like. I kept my older cars just in car just in case I found it too difficult to deal with the electric car at times. This car has substantially exceeded my expectations as a car I can live with. It has become my favorite car to drive. I live in two locations in the Washington D.C area on the Beltway. I was expecting to only use this car at one location for local driving. Instead, I find that I can also go between the locations on weekends without range anxiety. This car works very well in the DC area, now the worst commuter area in the nation. When in nasty traffic jams on the DC beltway, the BW parkway, and other major roads this car doesnt get grossly worse energy economy as is the case with my other cars (one a hybrid). In some cases the economy even improves in when you get into a major traffic slowdown. In the DC area that means 99% of the time. I find that a used purchase of a Leaf is a safe bet. I purchased a certified used one with 0% financing for extra security. From what I see now, I think that a non-certified one could have been a good buy too. I got the advantage of someone else claiming the $7500 tax credit, which made my cost lower since people buying new ones have that incentive. I noticed that people buying new 2015 or 2016 models can get very good purchase, financing, and lease deals too. I figured out that that some people wont get the full 7500 incentive since they dont pay 7500 in federal taxes anyway. If they purchase used, or even lease a new one, they effectively get the advantage of that credit. As far as living with the car goes, you learn to "plan" your driving a bit more, to make sure it has adequate charge. For me it is nice my older cars in reserve. I have not purchased a charging station yet, so I depend on my trickle charger and public charging stations. I end up going to businesses (restaurants, malls, grocery stores, etc) having charging stations. Whatever Ive saved in gasoline cost in the last month Ive ended up spending that (and more) at those businesses. In some cases such charging stations are a mile or two from where I need to be. That has help pushed me to get some more much-needed and pleasant exercise by doing some more walking. As I walk along roads I wish a lot more more people had electric cars so I wouldnt have to hear as much noise, or breath as much exhaust. I do not find that there are yet enough charging stations in the overall DC metro area area. They tend to be common in some areas and very absent in other areas. The campus where my suburban Maryland employer center is doesnt seem to want to make them available. I like the free ones at some businesses, but realistically Id like some more paid stations that price the power roughly around the cost I pay at home, plus some extra cost for occupying the space beyond a reasonable charging time. It is nice that Walgreens has stations, and Id like to see them at all of their locations, however, their cost of $2.00 per hour makes it more expensive to power a Leaf than powering my Honda Civic Hybrid at current gasoline prices. I found that living with the hybrid for 9 years, learning how to leverage the regenerative braking, has helped me transition to living with the Leaf. Buying a Leaf used is a safe bet. You can learn to live with its range quite well. 5/22/2015. Ive had this car 7.5 months now and have put 6000 miles on it. I use it much more than my other cars. I have to make a point of driving them periodically to make sure they dont sit too long. I am ready to get rid of one of them. I have come to appreciate the quietness of the car, and its decent sound system. Ive averaged 4.6 miles/kilowatt in nasty DC/Baltimore area traffic, which comes out to about 115 mpg, although I am paying BGE and Virginia power the equivalent of about $4.00/gallon. I still rely on 110V charging overnight for most of my charging, though Id like to have a 240V charging station. I have found some free charging stations, that I end up using about 25% of the time. The whole charging station situation is not ready for prime time yet. I did find that charging stations are easier to find in the city of Washington D.C. than gas stations. Overall I continue to be very pleased with this used Leaf. A used one is a safe bet.

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  2013 SV Leaf Review - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By leaf_owner - October 5 - 11:40 am

  My commute consists of 5 days a week 33 miles each way on mostly highway (55-60mph) with limited city traffic. I can drive back and forth to work on 1 charge with no problems of range as I pull in my home with about 30 miles of range. You must get a home charger as the trickle charge (regular 110 outlet takes to long to charge). I installed for $1800 the AV Charger which is a 220 volt/30amp charger which charges the car from empt to full in 3-3.5hrs or about 26 miles per hour of charge. The information above is based on driving in April and May in Central NJ. I have not driven the Leaf in the colder temperatures but I will post a follow up this winter.

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  Test drive it and you will be sold! - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By atlpsychdoc - August 5 - 2:40 am

  Had my 2013 for about 3 months now. I cannot imagine EVER driving an ICE car again. Now, gas powered cars feel crude, rough and loud. The Leaf is smooth and quiet. I feel like Im driving on air. I love the fact that I am helping to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and that I am not contributing emissions to the environment. (This car was second choice to my unaffordable fantasy car, a TESLA , but I truly couldnt be happier.) Acceleration is not exactly going to wow you when getting up to highway speeds, but its certainly enough to feel safe merging into highway traffic. I expected an electric car would be VERY sluggish and was pleasantly surprised from the test drive on!

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  Great car. Driving the future. - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By dm3 - March 30 - 3:31 pm

  Comfortable, roomy all electric car. Amazing not using any gas. Havent used our other cars since we leased it. Overall pleasant car. Roomy, good visibility, handles pretty well, well built, generally well thought out. Compared to Volt, better visibility, seats 5 much better electric range, quick charge option to charge in 30 minutes. Good lease deals available. Factor in gas savings and the car is practically free.

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  3 year old Nissan Leafs are a bargain - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By Vermont Electric - June 7 - 9:40 am

  For about 30% of the cost when new I obtained a 3 year old Nissan Leaf SV. The big fear driving down the price is the lifetime of the batteries. But the 2013 and newer have improved batteries and I cant see any degradation. When 100% charged it tells me it can go 85 miles. The 6.6 kw embedded charger allows me to charge it from 10% to 80% (long life charging) in under two hours

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  We love it so far... - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By mojobrown - February 20 - 7:13 am

  Im writing this in January 2015. We bought our 2013 Leaf at the end of May 2014. We overcame the anxiety of buying an all electric car with the comfort that we got a great deal. 7.5 months after buying, were closing in on 10,000 miles and everything has been fantastic. The car is fun to drive. Its reliable. Its attractive. My kids love the heated back seats. We have a normal mini-van as our second vehicle and we drive it less and less frequently. The Leaf has always provided enough range to go where we want. On only two occasion did we decide NOT to take the Leaf and its only because we didnt want to pay to charge while we were in downtown Indianapolis. Its a great car.

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  Love my new LEAF - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By TJ - February 6 - 5:42 pm

  Im now in my first days with a red 2013 Nissan LEAF and really happy with it. What are most important to me in a car are practicality and comfort, including drive comfort. The Nissan LEAF excels for me in part because of the spacious design of the interior. Second, the handling and acceleration are snappy and efficient. The only sacrifice I have to make is to budget charging every day or two. On the other hand, my days of planning trips to the gas station are over!

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  License to Thrill - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By nashleaf - October 17 - 5:14 pm

  I bought my Leaf in the shadow of Nissans North American HQ - at the Franklin,TN Nissan Dealer. Well just down the street from this dealer (who did a good job) is the Nissan HQ, which has a quick charger (20min). I live pretty close to that charger, so this purchase is a no-brainer for me. I dont have to worry about range ever while Im driving my normal route. As a result, the people who I pass get to see this Leaf go flying by at whatever speed. Its a quick, fun car, so its a shame everyone doesnt live this close to a quick, free drink. I only ask that there is an Infiniti version soon that looks a little more sophisticated.

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  Much improved, But - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By 2john - May 29 - 5:06 pm

  A lovely new advancement in the 2013. The 6.6 charger really make a big difference, I can charge my mostly empty car in 3hours. I love SL sylings, leather, Bose sound system, and intelligent door locks. A great ride. But little, if any, improvements in range a real disappointment..Edmonds needs to test the 2013 range... And I volunteer my new leaf for the test. JohnL

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  I am amazed - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By Nena Smith - May 3 - 2:57 pm

  I was surprised by how much I love this car. I was a bit worried by range but my husband thought since we would save $200-$250.00 in gas a month it was worth a try. Glad He talked me into it. Super fun to drive, great comfort/room and wonderful technology. In 2 weeks I have driven my 2013 Leaf (purchase with 22,400 miles) over 700 miles with no problems. I live in a very rural area but can find plenty of charging stations within 20-30 miles if I need them. IF you live in the city dont even worry about range average driver in USA only goes 22 miles per day. Think about this not only are you not spending on gas but no more taking the car in for oil changes ect. Love my Leaf!