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Armen Hareyan's picture
By Armen Hareyan Sep 20 2017 - 10:48am

Less Commonly Advertised Perks of Driving Nissan Leaf

Today I read a very interesting discussion where the Leaf owners were talking about the unexpected perks of driving Nissan Leaf. You have to be a Leaf driver to understand them because apparently they are less commonly advertised.
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The discussion is going on on Read it and was started by a 2016 Nissan Leaf owner Nakatomi2010, who wrote and asked about the unexpected perks of driving a Leaf.

Center of Gravity and Going Over Bumps

"As I have driven my Leaf I have come to appreciate the unexpected perks of owning an EV at the same time. An example would be that the center of gravity is different, as a result going over bumps and such I don't have to worry about my engine scraping the ground. A lot of the sharp nose dive intersections, or property entrances and exits where you see marks of the other cars on the ground, the Leaf just scoots over without even kissing the ground. Train tracks are particularly fun as well, I don't even slow down going over those now, the car just goes through it without a care. Anyone else enjoying the less commonly advertised "perks"? Things that after driving the Leaf for awhile you suddenly realize you'd miss if you had to go back to driving an ICE?" asked Nakatomi and here are some interesting replies current Leaf owners wrote discussing the perks they enjoy while driving their Nissan Leafs.

Gas Price Fluctuations

Another perk of driving a Nissan Leaf is the fluctuation in gas prices. Many people take the gas price hikes very close to their hearts. They are obsessed when the gas prices go up or come down even by few cents. Who doesn't look at the price of gas when passing a gas station?

But when you drive a Nissan Leaf or another electric car the gas prices become irrelevant for you. For millions of EV owners they have already been irrelevant in the past 2-3 years. One Leaf owner in the above-mentioned discussion comments that their "electricity is still 12¢ per kilowatt-hour, or about 3¢ per mile." EV owners now count their blessings that the fluctuations in gas prices no longer hurt their family budgets.

Regenerative Breaks

Many people probably don't know that electric cars, and Nissan Leaf in particular, have regenerative breaks.

One Leaf owner mentions the regenerative braking fun as another less known perk of driving a Leaf. "It is fun to go into high mountains and watch the battery meter go up on the way down," he writes in the discussion.

If you own a Leaf or another EV what are some of the less known perks of driving an electric car? Please share your thoughts and tips in the comments below. Also see here about the hidden benefits of plug-in vehicle ownership.

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Comments

Jason wrote on September 20, 2017 - 4:29pm
No oil stains on the garage floor. "Idling" with almost no use of "fuel." Never worrying about carbon monoxide.
Dudamus wrote on September 20, 2017 - 5:44pm
The best perks of driving any EV is not being exposed to gas pump handle diseases. Almost six years now in the Nissan Leaf and not having a chest or sinus infection during that time is great.
Cyrus Ramsey wrote on September 20, 2017 - 8:08pm
How about the torque off the line? It's way too much fun to floor it out of stoplights, chirp the tires and surprise all the hotshots in their sports cars and lifted pickups...on second thought don't tell anyone I do that ;) Another benefit is how quiet it is - you don't have to crank the music up earsplittingly loud to hear it at highway speed.
Raymond wrote on September 20, 2017 - 9:12pm
In Florida if you drive mostly short trips your muffler rusts out pretty quickly because of the high humidity. Unless you don't have a muffler!
Jeff Hale wrote on September 21, 2017 - 2:25am
I like paying $3,020 for a new main battery, after the first one dropped to 8 bars within both mileage and time limits, but because Nissan said stop by anytime, I did, and the denied me fir being 4 working days past the deadline. That's what I really love about my Leaf. The corrupt liars at Nissan from the service guys on up to Lakisha Benedict in Arbitration Unit.
Julie wrote on September 21, 2017 - 10:32am
I like the time savings, no stopping for gas. It takes me less than 10 seconds to plug in the car when I get home and I can do it one handed with a bag of groceries in the other hand. I haven't been to a Gas Station in months.
DaveF wrote on September 21, 2017 - 12:47pm
100% fuel load weighs no more than 0% - so you're not paying to cart fuel around
DaveT wrote on September 21, 2017 - 5:05pm
Got solar panels? Then fill up for free when it’s sunny!
urt zabway wrote on September 21, 2017 - 10:52pm
Watching the battery degrade rapidly and the range going away until I barley have a golf cart.
DaveT wrote on September 22, 2017 - 2:58am
OK, so my own son also calls it a golf buggy and a go-cart, but I’ve had it over a year, it’s done >6000miles! the battery is still 12/12ths and the range is the same as when I bought it (yes, I know it’s only 80 miles but that accounts for >95% of my journeys)!
DeeR wrote on September 22, 2017 - 6:46am
I like the fact there are many fewer parts in the Leaf: no fuel injectors, no starter, no fuel pump, no water pump, no transmission, no gas tank, no oil or oil filter, no oil changes, no timing belt, no catalytic conveetee, no muffler, no fumes!