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 31 through 35 of 35.00

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  We fight over who gets to drive it - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By Mr. Light - May 15 - 2:35 pm

  I purchased a used 2013 Leaf (lease return) with 30k miles for $6400. What other car can you do that with? Its like a brand new car, very tight and quiet with no rattles or annoying noises. At the time it had full bars but we lost one around 35k miles. We had been a one car family (2007 Lexus RX350) for a number of years until our kids started getting into a lot of after school activities and we found ourselves needing a second car.......but still only once in a while. I was originally looking at the Fiat 500e because the lease deals are ridiculously cheap but the car is a shoebox. The Leafs are similarly priced but a lot more car for the money. Then I saw what they were going for used and decided to pull the trigger. I waited until a good deal showed up, talked the gentleman down a little more and drove off with a 2.5 year old car for a little more than $6k. My wife is very particular and will nitpick about the smallest details. I assumed this would be my car and Id use it those 4-5 times a month that we need a second car. Go figure........my wife LOVES the car! I mean, I do too but Ill drive just about anything and be happy. Weve only had it 3 months and were hooked. I dont know that Ill ever buy another gas car. Weve only put gas in the Lexus a few times as it really only gets used for longer trips now, sitting unused for weeks on end. I was a little hesitant to buy this car because the car reviewers typically give it average ratings. Im not sure what it takes to make them happy because Ive owned just about every car under the sun, including some very nice ones and this is my favorite. We live in a warm part of southern california so Im a little apprehensive about what the heat is going to do to the battery but the way I see it is: even if the battery completely dies in a few years, Im still ahead of the game because it costs almost nothing to drive. Our electricity bill has gone up about $30 a month which is a quarter of what we were paying in gas and aside from tires theres literally no maintenance. When this thing dies well be moving onto either a Bolt or Tesla Model 3 as the range is the only complaint I have of this car.

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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!!

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  Falling for the Leaf - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By David G - April 5 - 8:42 pm

  Before I purchased my used Leaf I spent months handwringing over range, battery life, and resale value. I should not have wasted any of that time worry and should have purchased this long ago. The Leaf rocks! Once you drive an electric car for a few days, it is hard to go back to the noise, pollution, and rumble of an internal combustion engine. The Leaf has required very little change from our normal driving habits in order to have a nearly pollution and carbon free vehicle (our electricity is wind- and solar-generated). We typically charge the Leaf at night every two or three days so charging issue is not the inconvenience that I was anticipating. We have used just a 110-120 volt outlet and real charge times are usually way less than forecasted because we seldom charge from empty to 100 percent (more typically we are going from something like 30 percent up to 80 percent). One great feature with the 2013 Leaf is the long-life setting for charging--it shuts down the charge at 80 percent to preserve battery life. Using that 80 percent cap, our real world range typically runs between 55 to 80 miles (again, that is at 80 percent battery). The reason for the range has to do with temperature and destination, for example. The coldest part of winter will reduce your range and battery power noticeably (just like your cell phone when it is really cold). During the height of summer, battery life also diminishes some, as a result of the heat and AC use (at least, that is my understanding). We drive ours in Salt Lake City to give you and idea of temperature fluctuations. Also, you can expect changes in range based on whether you are driving at highway speeds, up mountain canyons, or in the rain. With just a little bit of experience, it becomes fairly easy to anticipate these fluctuations on the Leaf. I highly recommend this vehicle for those that understand the range limitations. Nissan has used great materials and put together an excellent car.

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  Love it so far - 2013 Nissan Leaf
  By hpver - January 12 - 12:38 pm

  We almost bought a 2012 but waited and leased a 2013. We opted for the charger and rearview camera package and are glad we did. State (CA) and local air district rebates cut the already low three-year lease cost in half, making this an unbeatable bargain. We havent driven our ICE car once in the 10 days since we got our Leaf S. This car does everything we need and is comfortable, easy to drive and costs less than 5 cents a mile for fuel. No problem keeping up with traffic, especially if we take it out of Eco mode. It also appears to have more range than the previous models. We only charge to 80% to save battery and can drive almost 70 miles in urban and suburban traffic.