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 11 through 20 of 35.00

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  Excellent Commute Car - But Not for Everyone - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By A Used Leaf Owner - April 30 - 9:58 am

  Great deals for a used Leaf these days. Youll need to consider your driving range. For this car, range is limited. Im getting about 75-80 mile max range depending on the day, though Im too chicken to ever push it to the max. If you have a second car for longer distance travel, this serves as a great commute car. I live in Southern California and charging has never been an issue. Assuming a 50-miles daily commute, youll need to charge 50 miles on a daily basis since you wont deplete the charge fully. This can easily be done overnight at home even with a regular 110V outlet. The car has very little moving parts (no gas engine, no oil, no transmission, no fuel tank, no oil filter, no muffler, no belts). Its basically battery, electric motor, and wheels connected to motor, which makes maintenance very easy. And because of less moving parts, reliability for a used EV, in my opinion, would generally be better than an equivalent gas vehicle. All else equal, I would choose a Leaf over other used gas vehicle provided the range is within your tolerance.

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  We love this car! - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By Kevin Courcey - January 11 - 2:13 pm

  Most dealers will tell you this is a great 2nd car for around town driving. But this has been our only car, and weve taken it on trips numerous times. You just need to plan your route more carefully than with a gas car. I suppose it helps that we are retired and under few time constraints. But we do love this car. The acceleration is fast... surprisingly so. The car is incredibly comfortable to drive, even on long distances. My wife loves the heated seats and steering wheel, I like the Bose sound system with XM and the ability to plug in a USB drive and play music off that. Maintenance is minimal, and its a very safe car. UPDATE 3-15-17 Weve traded in the LEAF for a Volt. This occurred after coming home from the beach and finding that the chargers we usually use were out of service. We ended up running out of charge on Rt 26 outside Portland and had to call a tow truck. The problem isnt with the car. The LEAF is a great car. However, the charging infrastructure is not reliable at this point, and with the current administration so aggressively oil friendly, is likely to degrade further. The Volt allows us to use EV for all our around town driving, while not having to worry about going on day trips and not being able to charge. After owning the Volt for 6 months, we are averaging over 170 MPG.

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  2013 Nissan Leaf SV - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By Keith W - January 3 - 12:24 am

  Purchased used in 2017. Car has 36K miles but still has full bars or 84 miles fully charged. My commute is 55 miles daily which fits into Leafs range well. Using Eco mode I usually return with >25 miles left. My commute is through two lane highway at speed limit of 50, which also fits Leaf well. Worst part of the commute is a big uphill about two miles, after which my range will be reduced by 10 miles, then the downhill will recover about 5 miles through regen. In NoCal heater is rarely needed that also helps my decision to buy Leaf. This car has adequate acceleration and good ride, I like the seats (firmer as I need). Im happy driving past gas stations. Charging hasnt been problem and the trickle charger works just fine during night time. Overall very satisfied.

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  2013 LEAF - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By eaa - September 30 - 4:16 am

  We now have a 2013 LEAF. we used to have the 2011 for 2 years and many wants have been added to the 2013 like ECO mode stays on, braking mode. Also better estimate of range. The Air Cod is also more efficient. We love our LEAF. We lease and every 2 years cant wait to see how they improve it and lower the cost. Our daily commute is 44 miles round trip. Its easy with 50 60 left each trip. I can go about 100 miles on city streets when needed. A friend got 188.2miles o 1 charge by driving at the lowest cruise control of 25 mpg. Pretty cool.

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  Getting used to Value! - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By john5501 - September 30 - 1:34 am

  I have owned my Leaf for about 3 yrs now and I still marvel at all the gas, oil, and maintenance dollars I have saved over the years. I also own a Highlander hybrid and its amazing how much just routine maintenance costs each year. The LEAF still looks new and has not had the first problem. Of course, it would be nice if the range was over 70 miles, but as a 2nd car that is really all I need. From a value standpoint this is one of my best buys. My wife and granddaughters all fit fine in the front and back and its a great car about town. I charge the Leaf about 95% in my garage and my electric bill is still in the same range as it always was - you would never know I charge a car daily.

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  Like riding on a silent magic carpet - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By chuck allen - July 7 - 4:49 pm

  The Leaf is a terrific nearly silent comfortable pleasure to drive. Over 45 years Ive owned a lot of different models and brands and the Leaf is hands down the least expensive to operate. There is virtually no routine maintenance beyond tire rotations. No oil changes. No worry about changing spark plugs or exhaust parts. No engine noise. Driving carefully I could go half again as far as the rated 82 miles to over 125 miles before needing a charge. The downside side is trips beyond 80 miles requires careful planning. Charge points are expanding in availability. Update after nearly two years of ownership: I still love the Leaf. The nearly silent ride allows me to relax and listen to music as if Im at home even though Im driving down the highway in traffic. Maintenance costs are minimal. There are no oil changes. There is no internal combustion engine, exhaust, radiator to check and service. There is no transmission to go wrong. There is simply the pleasure of a quiet ride.

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  Loving it! It handles like a sports car. - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By luand - February 22 - 3:11 am

  I absolute love driving the 2013 Nissan Leaf S model that we have leased. It reminds me of the driving dynamics of the Mini Cooper that we used to own. The biggest problem is that I tend to drive about 15 miles above the speed limit with the Leaf because its so quiet and smooth. One thing that Id wish for is better/smoother braking when regenerative braking is being applied. Another is better location of some of the control buttons on the left side of the steering wheel. The majority of these buttons are not illuminated and are hidden by the steering wheel.

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  Great car - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By sandeep singh - June 28 - 2:44 pm

  Absolutely love the leaf ....dont have anything bad to say about it....

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  100 percent satisfied - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By sampsr - April 30 - 8:16 pm

  We leased the 2013 SL in June and completely satisfied with the car at this point. They did a great job making it as much like driving a conventional car, which my wife likes. We spent ab out a year thinking about how it would fit our lifestyle and could not think of a single instance were we would be "stuck" without a gasoline motor. I charges quickly with the 240 volt charger. The dashboard technology is great and easy to interpret.

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  Makes me enjoy driving! - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By twoolz - April 11 - 8:54 am

  This is the best car Ive ever owned. Front seats are very comfortable. It is whisper quiet even at high speeds, has adequate storage area, seats 4 comfortably. We decided to lease the 2014 because technology is changing and - like a laptop - it could be hard to resell a few years from now. We got the $7500 rebate, a great trade-in on the 2006 Prius and the payments are incredibly low - $183 a month. The quick charger works great and recharges the car in a few hours and the city paid for half of the cost! Its a no-brainer: its the perfect second car for running errands around town and 90 miles will cover a lot of errands! Love it!!