We bought a new LEAF when it was introduced in 2011. It was our second car and quickly became our primary car we used when we were out and about. 5+ years later we still love it… Won;t ever buy a purely gas-powered vehicle again.
After 5 years the range has dropped by about 15%. Doesn’t impact us much as 95% of the time we are within a 15-mile radius of home in a largely congested urban area in LA.
As for depreciation, it does seem poor. However, it might be impacted by the older, smaller battery packs used in the initial versions, and the impact of Government incentives.
For example, our 2011 was “priced” at ~ $33K, but we received $7500 federal tax credit and $5000 state tax rebate. So, the real out of pocket price for us was ~$20K.
I’m estimating that we saved about $8000 in fuel costs over the five years. Also, our maintenance costs have totaled less than $800 over those 5 years.
I don’t think the current Government subsidies are as generous today, but for us it’s been the least expensive car we have owned in terms of total cos over the initial 5 years (incl. fuel, maintenance, depreciation). Worth it even it depreciates to $0 over 8 or 10 years
