Replacing a Electric Cars main battery.

[Johnboy60]

I was going to buy a 2011 Nissan Leaf till I found out the main battery costs more then 6,000 dollars. My local Nissan dealer told it would cost 6,000 dollars or more to replace it. Battery only last 10 years.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/824884166/overview/

 

[Carl Emerson]

I have owned a Prius.

In my view they are a car designed for one or two owners max.

Stay well away if you are offered an electric car more than 5 years old.

 

[Aussie Pete]

I was going to buy a 2011 Nissan Leaf till I found out the main battery costs more then 6,000 dollars. My local Nissan dealer told it would cost 6,000 dollars or more to replace it. Battery only last 10 years.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/824884166/overview/

Newer models (also much more expensive) have much better batteries. An important feature is how the electrical system, including battery pack, is temperature controlled. But yes, the older Leaf is not a good buy.

 

[Johnboy60]

Found more information on any electric car.

If the EV battery needs replacing and it's outside of warranty, expect to fork out anywhere between $2,000 and $12,000. Given that there are so many variables, from battery size to labour charges, you will need to contact the manufacturer to get an exact quote.

 

[Johnboy60]

I have owned a Prius.

In my view they are a car designed for one or two owners max.

Stay well away if you are offered an electric car more than 5 years old.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Johnboy60]

Newer models (also much more expensive) have much better batteries. An important feature is how the electrical system, including battery pack, is temperature controlled. But yes, the older Leaf is not a good buy.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Bobber]

I was going to buy a 2011 Nissan Leaf till I found out the main battery costs more then 6,000 dollars. My local Nissan dealer told it would cost 6,000 dollars or more to replace it. Battery only last 10 years.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/824884166/overview/

Wow that's quite an encouragement for people to buy one of these new. You would think a dealer should tell someone right off, "Just so you know before even considering it...."

 

[WolfGate]

If you buy the electric car new and keep it for 10 years, the cost of fuel saved could easily be more than the cost of the battery. If you assume $2/gallon gas, a car that gets 30mpg would consume $6000 in gas in 90k miles. So an electric car compared to a gas subcompact balances out in 90k for the owner. Compared to a car with lower gas mileage, the owner being ahead with electric happens quicker. Newer batteries which can be cheaper and it happens quicker. Math also changes if gas goes up or down, etc. Lots of variables.

That also means if you buy the car used, the first owner get full advantage of that gas savings and the new buyer gets none of it for the miles already driven. So for a used electric car to make sense it has to be less expensive than a similar gas powered car by the amount of fuel savings already used by the original owner.

In other words, it is really hard to tell what a used electric car should be worth. I would not buy one used unless the battery replacement cost was already discounted from similar gas powered cars.

Electric car technology is advancing quickly - both battery life and replacement cost will continue to improve.

 

[Johnboy60]

I've found many used electric cars for sale on dealers lots and they don't say anything about the cost of battery replacement.

 

[Johnboy60]

In the News,

Electric car batteries are catching fire and that could be a big turnoff to buyers
Electric car batteries are catching fire and that could be a big turnoff to buyers - CNN