Worth getting a Leaf if I would be relying on public charging for a few years?

It really comes down to your situation, mainly whether there are public chargers you can walk to from home. In my case there are 5 nearby: 2 about a 12-minute walk away and 3 more roughly 20 minutes out, and now and then they're occupied or out of order. Going from 40% takes me around 7 hours to fill up, so as long as other drivers aren't selfishly leaving their cars there overnight, you'd probably be okay.

This may not be the answer you want, but I only just bought a Leaf, and I'd tell anyone to get an EV only if they have a dedicated place to plug in, even if it's just level 1. While I was weighing the decision, most of the owners I saw expressing regret were the ones with no home charging who depended on public stations. As I understand it, you wouldn't come out ahead of gas on cost, and you'd burn a lot of hours sitting at chargers.

Honestly this is the kind of feedback I was after. Even a blunt "it's a pain, I wouldn't do it" might stop me from buying next year and then regretting it. So as annoying as it is, waiting could be the smarter move, buying the EV once I have the townhome, garage, and my own L2 charger. In the meantime I'll check out hybrids.

Keep in mind too that level 1 might be enough once you do have a spot of your own. My wife and I finally needed a second car because of our schedules, which is why I picked up the Leaf. I only drive about 3 miles each way to a train station twice a week, plus some nearby errands, so I just plug in overnight once every week or two. That said, if you're commuting to work daily, you'd likely want level two.

I've driven a Leaf for over two years now, and Level 1 charging has been all I've ever needed. Leave it plugged in overnight and you'll typically get back 50+ miles of range, maybe a bit more. Our previous car, a 2013 Leaf, would actually fill its whole battery on that alone.

Totally agree with what he said. A Level 1 charger is all I have at home, and it covers my needs fine. That said, if I had to depend on public charging all the time, I really don't think owning an EV would work for me.

My car is a 2018 Leaf whose battery has degraded quite a bit. I picked it up knowing I'd only keep it for two years at most. Since I'm renting, home charging isn't an option, and there's nothing to plug into at my workplace or nearby either. Fortunately there's a decent charging spot roughly 5 minutes from my place, so I plug in overnight about once every two weeks, and that's worked out really well over the past year. Sure, it costs more than what people who charge at home pay, but it's far cheaper than what my friends spend feeding their gas-guzzlers. I knew exactly what I was getting into, and I've been satisfied so far.

Is there a reason the Leaf is the only EV you've found for under $30k? Would you consider other EVs too?

Which EVs sold in the US can you actually get for around $30K or less at the moment? The Chevy Bolt appeals to me, but I won't be purchasing until next year, and from what I hear, Bolt availability is going to be quite tight by that point.

Out of sheer curiosity I've poked around the used listings, and honestly the market looks awful at the moment, particularly for cheaper cars. I'll find a used hybrid from around 2020 and think it might be a great way to save money, but then it turns out to be only about $3K less than a brand-new 2026 version of the same thing.

I recently picked up a 2018 Leaf. Its battery was swapped out under warranty last year, a job that would have cost $12,000 otherwise, and it gets over 150 miles of range.

It could be that your local used market is just weaker. Where I live, a solid used EV is easy enough to find if you shop around: roughly $5k gets you something with about 80 miles of range, $10k gets you 120-150 miles, and $15k gets you 200 or more.

I'm assuming you're buying new, and in that case I'd steer anyone away from a 2027 Bolt unless they only plan to hold it for the length of a lease. A first-year model is a poor choice for long-term ownership in general. Even though a lot of the platform carries over from the earlier Bolt, plenty of parts are unique to this car. Give it a few years, and if an interior piece breaks or the heat pump system acts up, finding replacements could be hard and pricey.

Doesn't the Bolt use the same heat pump, the same new battery, and so on, as the other new EVs they're building now?

Maybe the heat pump compressor is shared, but everything else in the system, including the lines, condenser, evaporator and expansion valve, is specific to each car, since those parts have to be sized and shaped for the particular model. As for the battery, it differs from the NMC packs in the other "Ultium" vehicles. GM was using an LFP pack from CATL, shipped in from China, as a stopgap until the Spring Hill plant could begin making LFP itself. Once tariffs were applied to that imported battery, each 27 Bolt sold would have meant a heavy loss, so the car couldn't be sold sustainably. Planning on batteries being built domestically without any hiccups or delays was a pretty bold bet. The delays came, as you'd expect, and when GM also began second-guessing LFP, production of the new Bolt was paused.

The 2026 Chevy Equinox EV ought to land in your price range by next year, particularly because dealers will be working to move leftover 2026 stock around then. Also, the Kia EV3 is expected to reach the US about that time, with a price near $30k.

Here's what I'd look at for your timeframe. New: * Kia EV3 * Slate * Nissan Leaf Used: There are far more choices here, because returned leases from the tax credit are flooding the market. This year and next will see a big wave of used EVs. A few members built a used EV price tracker that could be useful to you. You can also enter an EV under $30k on any car search site and plenty will come up. Examples: * Kia Niro EV / Hyundai Kona EV: $13k-$26k * Ford Mach-E: $18k * Chevy Equinox EV: $22k * Nissan Ariya: $19k-$33k * Hyundai Ioniq 5: $20k

Not sure, friend. When I looked it up last, they'd sold only around 3,800 Bolts this year yet had about 4,700 sitting on lots. A 2027 Bolt currently stays on the lot for roughly 105 days on average. I'll probably end up buying one soon. Which state are you in? Is something around $21k or less doable for you now?

I'm in the middle of doing exactly this. My old car was on its last legs and I needed something cheap, and although there wasn't much in my budget, I found a '22 Plus. Since I'm moving in a couple of years anyway, I decided to go electric. On weekends I charge at the library, which doubles as a little outing for us and happens to be the fastest and cheapest charger around. Depending on how low the battery is and how hot the charger gets, a session runs from about 40 minutes to 90 minutes. The rate is $0.24/kw, which I think is decent. Town has 4 Chademo chargers plus plenty of other kinds, so I'm not short on choices, and I also own a NACS adapter and a Lv 1 charge cord for extra flexibility. In short: it isn't ideal, but it's workable if you're patient and don't need everything optimized.