Leo the Leaf replacement

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Thu 22 May 2025 19:53
Leo the Leaf replacement - SLO76
Finally bought a replacement for SWMBO’s much beloved Nissan Leaf. After viewing numerous tatty Leaf’s, and several overpriced Kia Niro’s most with zero history (so no battery warranty) and poor accident repairs, we’ve bought a 22 plate 18,000 mile VW ID3 58kwh Pro Performance Max instead - bring back L/LX/GL etc.

Car is mint, approved used and as part of VW’s used car event it comes with two years VW warranty, breakdown cover, a £250 finance contribution and free servicing. If you take a PCP, which I have and will pay off immediately. Managed to bag it for £1000 less than our local dealer for the same thing too. Arnold Clark had one almost identical that was a year older for the same money and a measly 90 day warranty - I honestly don’t know why people buy cars from them. The same branch had a basic NA 1.0 VW Polo at £9695!!!!

It’s surprisingly practical, with more rear leg room than the Leaf and a decent comparable boot. It drives very well too with 204PS it goes very well indeed. It’s a much more modern EV and the range is officially 260 miles so it’s much more usable than the Leaf - though it did the job 99% of the time just fine. I’ll reserve judgement for when we get it and I manage to pry the keys from the gaffer. Hopefully it’s a good one, the last owner is now on her third ID3 from the same dealer, which is a good sign.

Edited by SLO76 on 22/05/2025 at 19:54

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Thu 22 May 2025 20:27
Leo the Leaf replacement - elekie&a/c doctor
How are you managing with the navigation media system?
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Thu 22 May 2025 20:29
Leo the Leaf replacement - SLO76
How are you managing with the navigation media system?

I’m a bus driver, I don’t need nav. :-) I’ve not even looked at it really. I typically use my phone in a cradle as it’s up to date and the cars I buy are always a few years old and I’m too miserable to stump up for an update. The Merc thought we were driving through a farmers field on our way home yesterday.

Edited by SLO76 on 22/05/2025 at 20:31

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Thu 22 May 2025 21:38
Leo the Leaf replacement - badbusdriver

I know the ID.3 has had issues, but I actually like the design because VW (like Jaguar with the i-pace) do seem to have actually made use of the packaging benefits afforded by EV's.

The ID.3's wheelbase is a whopping 139mm longer than the Golf despite being the shorter of the two cars in overall length (by 43mm)

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Thu 22 May 2025 22:09
Leo the Leaf replacement - SLO76

I know the ID.3 has had issues, but I actually like the design because VW (like Jaguar with the i-pace) do seem to have actually made use of the packaging benefits afforded by EV's.

The ID.3's wheelbase is a whopping 139mm longer than the Golf despite being the shorter of the two cars in overall length (by 43mm)

It is a clever design. Been reading about issues, thus we wanted to avoid an early car. Two year warranty gives peace of mind.
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Thu 22 May 2025 21:45
Leo the Leaf replacement - mcb100
No more having to filter a search for chargers looking for CHAdeMO.
Welcome to the plentiful world of CCS.
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Thu 22 May 2025 22:15
Leo the Leaf replacement - SLO76
No more having to filter a search for chargers looking for CHAdeMO. Welcome to the plentiful world of CCS.

We only had trouble once, but although CHAdeMO chargers are much less common, people using a Leaf on motorways are less common too. Last long distance trip went without a hitch. But the big plus of the ID3 is that it should be able to one hit 99.9% of our usage, allowing us to avoid overpriced public chargers.
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Fri 23 May 2025 07:56
Leo the Leaf replacement - Steveieb

Does this mean the end of the road for your C Class Estate SLO ?

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Fri 23 May 2025 11:45
Leo the Leaf replacement - SLO76

Does this mean the end of the road for your C Class Estate SLO ?

It does. It’s a good car, it looks good, it’s comfy and it’s pleasant to drive. But I don’t rate the quality at all, it’s very cheaply made inside and I’ve never really gelled with the car. None of the dealers we spoke to wanted it as a part ex, which speaks volumes about their experiences selling used modern Merc’s, but there’s a local dealer who specialises in used Merc’s and BM’s who’s bid decent money for it. I’ll keep the Focus which is proving to be a very good little car and it’s doing almost 60mpg.
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Fri 23 May 2025 12:31
Leo the Leaf replacement - daveyjp

LHD wipers on a RHD car was a cost cut I couldn't live with.

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Fri 23 May 2025 12:40
Leo the Leaf replacement - Gibbo_Wirral

I'm surprised the Kias have no service history - isn't this a requirement to benefit from the 7 year warranty.

Or does that not apply to EVs?

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Fri 23 May 2025 13:10
Leo the Leaf replacement - SLO76

I'm surprised the Kias have no service history - isn't this a requirement to benefit from the 7 year warranty.

Or does that not apply to EVs?

Yup, a common mistake made by used buyers too. Kia and Hyundai are particularly harsh regarding claims where there isn’t a full dealer history. Even with a full non-franchise history it’s a job proving that you’ve serviced it in accordance within the manufacturers schedule. A stamp in the book isn’t enough. I’ve often found used car dealers talking up this warranty on cars that simply wouldn’t qualify for it. Nissan dealer we went to look at a couple of used Leafs in Glasgow was the only one upfront about it with any of the cars they had in stock, and few of them had any history at all. People treat EV’s, and many modern cars as appliances. This isn’t helped by the fact that the first keeper is rarely the owner, they’re merely renting it so they’re not interested in spending money on a car they’ll never own. Our ID3 has a full dealer history, and I intend on maintaining this with our well regarded local dealer.
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