Leaf 40kWh v eGolf

Superfoods

I have clearance to get company car, I moved off it a few years ago but the rising costs of insurance/fuel/service/tires etc means it doesn't make sense anymore to buy my own car. I need car by June 7th due to my current insurance ending.

The 0% BIK makes the TCO a lot more attractive of course. So now what car to get. Kia/Hyundai are not available from company. Model 3 is not available. So Leaf or e-Golf seems to be option.

The choice is entry model e-Golf, not the executive edition or the Leaf SV Premium.

Which would you pick and why? I have no experience of electric cars.

Mickeroo

Leaf would have a bit more range, golf probably nicer to drive.

I'd go the golf myself if it suits your driving habits. Folks who have driven them will be more informed than me though.

You might find this informative:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WecVkJ2Nf6o

ltd440

Superfoods wrote: »

I have clearance to get company car, I moved off it a few years ago but the rising costs of insurance/fuel/service/tires etc means it doesn't make sense anymore to buy my own car. I need car by June 7th due to my current insurance ending.

The 0% BIK makes the TCO a lot more attractive of course. So now what car to get. Kia/Hyundai are not available from company. Model 3 is not available. So Leaf or e-Golf seems to be option.

The choice is entry model e-Golf, not the executive edition or the Leaf SV Premium.

Which would you pick and why? I have no experience of electric cars.

The usual questions you'd have to ask are. Do you have a driveway. What I your usual daily, weekly driving. How often do you take long drives. Would you be reliant on the public charging network

Gumbo

Is your employer providing charging in work or at your home?
What is your daily mileage?
What type of driving, motorway etc

Superfoods

ltd440 wrote: »

The usual questions you'd have to ask are. Do you have a driveway. What I your usual daily, weekly driving. How often do you take long drives. Would you be reliant on the public charging network

Charger will be installed at home, office has charger but don't expect to use

I won't use public charging, I will use Ionity when it comes online. Range is not an issue.

Car is work car, separate car for non work

Mupchease

Superfoods wrote: »

Charger etc will be installed

I won't use public charging, I will use Ionity when it comes online. Range is not an issue

In that case if you are thinking of using the IONITY network when it comes online you will have to choose the egolf as it is CCS charging.

Superfoods

Sorry to be clear, I mention Ionity if I go e-Golf of course.

My plan would be to do all charging at home/work

unkel

You might not realise it now, but you are very likely to use it as your main car. Most people who got an EV as a second car / commute car start using it more and more as their main car

Go test drive them both, see which you prefer. If there's 5 of you the eGolf is probably too small. It feels more upmarket though and it drives much better.

tedpan

Mickeroo wrote:

Leaf would have a bit more range, golf probably nicer to drive.

Have you driven the new Leaf, it's very nice to drive.

krissovo

I was looking at the e Golf & Leaf, from pricing up both in the last 2 weeks you should get a SVE spec for a couple of grand cheaper than a basic spec golf. Both nice cars but I liked the epedal & auto pilot which worked much better for my commute than the golf. Golf got quite expensive when adding leather and paint.

SVE Leaf with two tone paint was €31,400, eGolf with equivalent options (leather, Light pack, paint, lane assist) €36,200

Mupchease

tedpan wrote: »

Have you driven the new Leaf, it's very nice to drive.

Personally I don’t agree. The drive and feel of the golf is what done it for me.

Dont be at yourself

Where's Mad Lad to tell us all how well the BMW i3 drives on the back roads?

grudgehugger

Leaf 40 owner, SVE, very happy with it. Can’t compare to eGolf tho

Superfoods

grudgehugger wrote: »

Leaf 40 owner, SVE, very happy with it. Can’t compare to eGolf tho

The Leaf might be back in play as it will save me about €3500 over the contract.

What is the difference between the SV Premium and SVE? is it just the leather seats

Superfoods

e-Golf WLTP range in city is 307 and combined is 230km.

The Leaf just says 270km? I guess that is combined? b

You said range not an issue?

Superfoods

Deleted User wrote: »

You said range not an issue?

Range is not an issue but I am doing up comparison and range of course is a consideration. I can't find the city/combined for Nissan. Do they not do the same tests?

unkel

Superfoods wrote: »

e-Golf WLTP range in city is 307 and combined is 230km.

The Leaf just says 270km? I guess that is combined? b

Neither of those cars will do anywhere near that range when it matters (when you have to make a long motorway trip). Bear that in mind!

catharsis

leaf is quite a bit larger (20CM longer, 10CM higher) and has better cargo space.

most people probably think the opposite at first guess......

Superfoods

unkel wrote: »

Neither of those cars will do anywhere near that range when it matters (when you have to make a long motorway trip). Bear that in mind!

I think I am confusing the situation. I only wanted to use the WLTP as a reference. I know both cars will not get to that range but at least it provides a guideline.....

unkel

Yes it's a base guideline and quite good at predicting the range in mixed city driving but there is almost no motorway driving in the cycle

And my point is that for most people, the only time you need the full range of the car is when you do long distance travel. It would be far more helpful if there was an official range at 120km/h GPS speed. This is also why it is important where and how fast an EV can fast charge.

Obviously this is not relevant for any EV owner who never travels beyond the range of the car. A Leaf 40kWh would do 250km every day as a Dublin taxi no bother. But if you need to drive long distances at 120km/h, it's not so good. Even though it has 40kWh, it would go less far than a 36kWh eGolf, which would go less far than a 28kWh Ioniq.

Superfoods

I never found it so hard to order a car.....Long story and expensive one so far. Anyway Nissan got back today to Lease company saying no more stock of Leaf in the country. A "new" model is been introduced in August/September and the price could increase?

I know the 60kWh version is coming out but it's too expensive. Do they have a new model? I seen nothing about it. Any idea's?

Soarer

Yeah, the L62 is coming out, but they're also increasing the price of the L40.
Think it's going up by €1500 or something like that.

The upgraded L40/L62 have updated navi/audio system which can get OTA updates which is a good idea as the 2018-19 system is not great and the updates are not easily available. The Propilot has also be upgraded. Those seems to be the only major difference between it and our April 2018 specimen.

Have anybody managed to get their 2017-18 maps updated? Ask the service back in April and they didn't know.

Superfoods

Soarer wrote: »

Yeah, the L62 is coming out, but they're also increasing the price of the L40.
Think it's going up by €1500 or something like that.

F**kers…...is the spec changing?

From the email from Nissan they seem to suggest it is an updated model

oceanfroggie

Mickeroo wrote: »

Leaf would have a bit more range, golf probably nicer to drive.

I'd go the golf myself if it suits your driving habits. Folks who have driven them will be more informed than me though.

You might find this informative:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WecVkJ2Nf6o

"We have to drive at 90kph" - the need for hearse driving is what gives BEVs such a bad reputation.

Rapidgate?? No active cooling of FCP?

Mind you its winter in Norway.

Bjørn complains he's had bad luck all day, until BEVs have the range to adapt to 'bad luck' or changing circumstances they may still suffer negative publicity. Tesla, Kia and Hyundai seem to gave cracked this nut. Just jump in and drive. Next year VW ID range joins the party which may shift the tectonic plates between ICE and BEV. The future looks BEV, the infrastructure may eventually catch up with small range EVs. Long range EVs don't need public infrastructure.

KCross

oceanfroggie wrote: »

The future looks BEV, the infrastructure may eventually catch up with small range EVs. Long range EVs don't need public infrastructure.

Why do you think that?

You might not need it everyday or every month, but you will need the public infrastructure at some point. It doesnt matter that you will only use it <1% of your time it needs to be there for that 1%.

e.g. Someone going to a match in Dublin from Cork(or Galway or anywhere else) would do that return trip in the one day. So, they either need a destination charger in Dublin (not likely on a match day) or they need a rapid on the way home.

ELM327

Generally in Norway most roads are 80-90-110, very few if any near 120+

Old diesel

oceanfroggie wrote: »

"We have to drive at 90kph" - the need for hearse driving is what gives BEVs such a bad reputation.

Rapidgate?? No active cooling of FCP?

Mind you its winter in Norway.

Bjørn complains he's had bad luck all day, until BEVs have the range to adapt to 'bad luck' or changing circumstances they may still suffer negative publicity. Tesla, Kia and Hyundai seem to gave cracked this nut. Just jump in and drive. Next year VW ID range joins the party which may shift the tectonic plates between ICE and BEV. The future looks BEV, the infrastructure may eventually catch up with small range EVs. Long range EVs don't need public infrastructure.

Rapidgate is an issue restricted to Nissan 40 kwh batteries as used in that Leaf.

It's the Nissan that overheats due to no active cooling. The Nissan eNV200 electric van does have active cooling but it's actually not great so the van still overheats.

The Golf actually doesn't have active cooling either but it does not get as hot as the Nissan so rapidgate type problems are considerably less on that car.

Nissan claim to have fixed the issue with a software update but its not particularly successful especially in summer.

Third_Echelon

Love my eGolf (2019) I have to say. Have it 3 months now and it's a pleasure to drive! I really look forward to getting into the car every morning and evening.

Fully charged range is ~150 miles. I've never gotten near zero or low charge, so have to do a real life range test, but it's perfect for my commute (16 mile round trip 4 days per week + the odd trip here and there about town). I live in an apartment, so I don't have a place to install a home charger, so I either charge at work for free a couple of times per week (Level 2 charger) or there is a public fast charger a couple of mins up the street that would do a full charge in ~40 mins. Full fast charge cost is about US$16 (live in California) for me and I never have had to do a full near zero to full charge on that.

In 3 months, I've spent $40 on charging (free at work helps). As a commuter car it was a no brainer for me. Lovely car to drive.

Lantus

Just bear in mind that when you go back to your own vehicle ownership you will be a new customer from an insurance perspective and well into 4 figure premiums. Start Saving now.