50,000km and still going

Woo, have done 50,000 km in my Nissan LEAF and still going happily. I have not had any mechanical repairs and my tyres are looking good.

Fuel costs are low, only $1960 of electricty. My old Toyota Corolla would have used $5512 ($3552 more) of petrol (7.5litres/100km @ $1.47/litre). I don't use petrol anymore so I don't have records. I used ACCC Petrol Pricing and QLD Gov Stats Office to estimate an average of $1.47 / litre (for Brisbane).

Service costs were $820, higher than I expected. A Toyota Corolla is $650 (this comparison is due to previously owning Toyota Corolla's). I suspect that could change after the Toyota capped service pricing expires at 60,000 km (Nissan's expires at 120,000 km).

I don't include the purchase price in my cost calculations. It was costed when I bought it and did not weigh heavily into my purchase decision. I find when looking at the differences between various cars, I ignore / justify the price, using other measurements (like features/safety etc.), only using price as a guideline.

If the purchase price of the car is the most important factor to you (i.e. keeping it to a minimum), then you are not going to purchase a new car. So perhaps wait for 2nd hand LEAFs (ex lease) from 2015 - 2016 onwards. They should be cheaper than a new petrol car and still have more than 80% battery left.

When I purchased the LEAF, I was thinking about

• Do I like the look of the car? - YES
• Does it drive well? - YES, very fun
• Is it comfortable to drive? - VERY, low noise and lot of headroom
• What extras does it come with / can purchase? - Almost everything was standard
• How reliable is it? - UNKNOWN - but I am hoping more than a petrol car
• What is special about the car? - High Safety Score, Reduced impact on the environment
• Can I afford it without pushing financial security? (i.e. did I have 25% income left after paying bills) - YES
• Does it cost more / less to run than my current car? - Much Less

My main reason for purchasing was because it drove really well (much nicer than previous cars I had owned). I also loved that you only need three things to make it go

1. Sun
2. Solar Panel
3. Battery

Also, I have put my home charger on PlugShare. If you install the application on your phone (iPhone / Android), then my charger should appear on the map. It is handy if you are on your way to / from the Gold Coast and need some juice (Is in my garage, so ring / SMS me if you need it [number is in the app]. I can leave the cord hanging outside if I am not home).

Pulled over on the side of the road to take a picture of the dashboard

KW/h per 100 km (falling as this summer had very few hot days)

Price per 100 km (there was a 4c per KW/h price rise half way along)

Summary of the running costs (excluding car repayments)

Bridgestone tyres still have lots of tread