Leaf 40 or Ioniq 38?

natexornate

I was about 90% sure I was going to buy a Leaf 40 SV premium or SVE in the next week or two, but now I'm wondering, should I spend a couple grand more and get an Ioniq 38?

Background: This would be a second car for my wife and I, we also have a Qashqai which can handle long trips and loading up with more home/garden supplies and pets. We're in a village ~90km from Cork. No daily commute, WFH. Budget: ~15k, L40 I'd hope to get for a bit less. I know we could get away with a smaller range vehicle, but one requirement we've decided is roundtrip to Cork on a single charge is a must. I'm fine with private party sales or dealer, wherever the right car is.

The plan would be to drive this car for at least a year, maybe more. Eventually we might upgrade this EV or replace the Qashqai? Who knows what the market will look like 1-3 years down the road.

I've driven a Leaf 40 at a dealer in Cork, and I like it. I haven't driven the Ioniq. Last weekend at the Hyundai dealer they didn't have any Ionic 38s, but they did have a Kona. Wife and I were both "meh" on the Kona. The Kona wasn't really in the running, but figured we'd drive one anyway. Will the Ioniq feel more premium/sturdy than the Kona?

For the Leafs, I was looking at < 100k kms, SV Premium seems to be around 11-13k asking, and SVE 13+k asking. So here I'd potentially be saving a few thousand off the budget.

I noticed however, some Ioniq 38s coming up and the decent spec ones (Irish or NI Premium SE both seem to have leather interior, I think that's what I'm looking for) for not too much more asking at a dealer than the budget.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/premium-auto-irish-car-heated-leather-120tax/36868372 16,950 in Dublin

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/hyundai-ioniq-100kw-premium-se-38kwh-5dr-auto/36828218 GBP 14,498 in Belfast (would need to confirm NI car for VRT AFAIK, has 3 first digits for the reg)

In the Ioniq pros column:

1. A couple years newer car
2. Much nicer infotainment/screen
3. CCS fast charging (not a big deal for my use case)

For the leaf:

1. Save a few thousand now
2. Bigger boot, more rear headroom? (would very occasionally load up 4-5 adults in the car)
3. Possibly the most reliable and understood EV in Ireland

Any thoughts? Am I going to be kicking myself in a few months/years if I spend 12-13k on a Leaf SVE soon?

You have done your research.

Good thing about Ioniq is that the battery is more robust but most likely was replaced under warranty due to bad batch of battery cells. Nissan is probably better form factor for a family car. Chademo is a question mark for resale value.

With Nissan haggle hard and buy exactly the spec and colour you want as there is more of them available. Ioniq less of choice.

Get the car which feels better to drive.

SmithySeller

e-Golf is a great consideration! I used to own one, great little Car!

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2019-vw-e-golf-high-spec-full-electric/37027438

Red Silurian

The ioniq would be a more premium feeling car to the leaf, and threfore attracts a more premium price point. If it were me, I'd haggle the price of the leaf down, try and get sub-10k and invest in a CCS-Chademo adapter with the savings

natexornate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122174889#Comment_122174889

Thanks! Yeah it sounds like I'm going to need to spend this Saturday test driving cars again. Seems like it would be silly at this point to not even drive the Ioniq.

natexornate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122175042#Comment_122175042

The e-Golf does look nice. Looks like it might be a big short on range though, I would be rolling in on fumes for the Cork roundtrip. Or whatever the expression is for EVs. What's the back seat comfort level for reasonably tall adults?

natexornate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122175062#Comment_122175062

That would save some cash for sure, though I probably wouldn't bother with the adapter. I don't think I'd do enough rapid charging to need CCS + chademo.

...Ghost...

It's a second car. Save the money and get the Leaf. Upgrade the Quashqai in a year or two for a longer range EV. Just be sure to get a Leaf with minimal battery loss.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122175315#Comment_122175315

You can always get the car today and get the adapter later if you find you need it

spockety

I test drove a leaf and an ioniq 38 one straight after the other. Was happy enough with the leaf, until I drove the ioniq. No way I was going to buy the leaf then. It felt like a bit of an unrefined tank compared to the Hyundai. It may be personal preference though, so try both for yourself. I bought the Ioniq. Love it.

Megastreisand

Op are you absolutely certain a Leaf in your budget is capable of a 180km round trip in winter,in the rain, possible headwind, heating on , driving at a speed you can live with? Depends on the route but if your driving at 110+kmh it could be tight. If you divide battery size by real world efficiency - not manufacturer's range you will have a good idea. I could be out by c.50km though.

natexornate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122178872#Comment_122178872

I am not absolutely certain. The village is Glengarriff, so it's 80kmh roads for the most part, only get up to 100 once on N22. I was thinking a Leaf 40 could handle it at least most of the time. Wish a dealer would let me do a trial run.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058352904/leaf-40-or-ioniq-38

Firstly haggle well on whatever you buy as there are lots of cars in that bracket. Avoid dealers for best deals.

Both cars are very similar, the leaf has a higher driving position and a more comfy seating position.

If you live on the cork to limerick road, while there are a number of public 50kW chargers they are terribly unreliable with easygo often claiming it's ok when it's not. Cars with less than a 60kWh battery are somewhat obsolete but are still relatively expensive. For 17-22k you can get a very high mileage 60+kWh car if you buy right.

That said either car will probably be fine, I went with ioniq 28kWh over leaf 7 years ago due to CCS, even though I rarely needed it.

In terms of real world range learn the real world worst case range.

At very high speed in winter with a head wind you are likely to get at least 180km on a 38kWh, most of the time 200+km. For a leaf 40kWh you may not get 180km unless you slow down in worst case winter conditions.

180km range is only 90km from home, which is fine but limited for rural life. Ideally you want extra range for unplanned trips and worst case conditions. That said it's great for an introduction and to learn how EVs can be great vehicles.

joe1303l

An eGolf in Executive trim like this one would be my choice over either of them. Much more upmarket inside and great to drive. The Qashqai will end up parked up quite a bit if you’ve one of these as your “second” car.

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/37027438
2019 VW E-Golf High Spec Full Electric

CivilEx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058352904/leaf-40-or-ioniq-38

Not all drivers want to be experts in EV charging infrastructure, so even with the best forward planning in the world, sometimes life just takes over, you will find yourself outside usual locations and finding CHAdeMO chargers away from home is going to become more challenging in the future. You'll be kicking yourself in a year if you don't go with a CCS car.