EV Owner Review – 2019 Nissan Leaf

There’s no better way to get a true insight into living with an electric car than by asking those who own and drive them.

We let Australian EV owners talk us through their purchase, the good bits and bad bits, and how they compare to internal combustion vehicles they’ve previously owned.

Retired mechanic, hot rod builder and classic car restorer Noel St. John Wood from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has owned his 2019 Nissan Leaf for just over a year. These are his thoughts.

Name: Noel St. John Wood.

Age: 66.

Location: Tewantin, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Your EV: 2019 Nissan Leaf (2nd generation).

Other cars you own: 2004 Subaru Outback (petrol), 1936 Oldsmobile Sloper, 1927 Oldsmobile Sedan, 1926 Ford Model T hot rod.

Why an EV? I’ve been looking at them for a while as for me they’re the future. I like progress and knowing what’s new. As a mechanic I know all about how cars perform, gear changes, different size engines, rev limits and torque ranges. But an electric car’s characteristics are so straightforward. Power from the word go and so smooth. These things won me over.

Why a Nissan Leaf? New EVs were out of my price range. This one was a year old – the previous owners upgraded to a Tesla for longer range – so I grabbed the opportunity. It only had 12,000km on the clock.

How’s the transition to an EV been? Easy because we still have a petrol car too. We’ve got hybrid mobility with the two cars, so if we had just the Nissan Leaf my range anxiety would be greater.

What range do you get? At 100% charge is sometimes says 245km, other times 275km. For our lifestyle, driving locally, 250km range is plenty.

What’s your average energy consumption? 14.8kWh/100km.

What’s the drive experience? As I get older, smoothness, quietness and an easier drive all appeal. The Leaf is all these things. There’s immediate and seemingly endless power within the speed limit range. I never get tired of it. I just put my foot down and that’s a buzz for me. The regenerative braking makes driving around town easier too.

The positives? Driving past fuel stations and not needing to use them. Not having the financial and environmental costs associated with waste oil, filters, etc. are a big plus.

The negatives? Not much. When turning it on there’s a bit of a delay getting it into gear and taking off. In my petrol car I just turn it on and go. The Leaf takes a few seconds more which can be annoying.

What do you use it for? Local driving mainly. It’s an ideal car for the Sunshine Coast as your longest day trip will be no more than 200km. I really don’t need longer range. If we drive to Brisbane (150km each way) we have to charge it to get back home.

What’s the furthest you’ve driven it? A 370km round-trip to Ipswich. I charged it for free at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus to get me back home.

Do you suffer range anxiety? It’s lessened the more I’ve got used to it. You just need to plan your journeys.

How do you charge it? I have a wallbox in my garage. It takes about six hours to get a full charge. If I’m in Brisbane that’s the only time I’ll use a public charge station. If I’m honest I can’t be bothered sitting at a public charge station, it’s much more convenient charging at home.

Do you have solar at your property? Yes, but no battery storage system.

When do you charge it? Usually at night and it shuts itself off by morning. I don’t charge it all the time, just top it up. If I know I’m not going far for the week I’ll get it to 80% and not charge again until it’s below 30%.

What are the running costs? The first-year/20,000km service was $237 at Nissan, the two-year/40,000km is $317 because they replace the brake fluid. As a mechanic I can change brakes and suspension bits, but the service is minimal. It’s relatively maintenance-free. We used to get credit from our electricity company from our solar, but now we have to pay a bit for our electricity with the Leaf. It’s not much though.

What’s the current mileage and battery health? It’s travelled 19,000km and the graphic showing battery health is still showing full.

Did you buy it to save money? No. The initial purchase price is too high for that. It’s more the fascination and to be more eco. I do care about saving the planet, but I really need a battery bank to save solar energy, but it’s another expensive outlay.

What changes would you like to see as an EV owner? More government support and investment in infrastructure. EV owners should receive considerable concessions for many things – that’s the way to get people to switch to EVs. More fast charge stations of course, and more locally where people can do something while it’s charging. Shopping centres, cafes, nature reserves. There’s not much point having to travel an hour to find a charge station.

Would you go back to an ICE car? I’d never buy another petrol, diesel or hybrid for my daily car. Once you’ve owned a full electric, for me, there’s no going back.