Buy EV NIssan Leaf or 2011 Prius Hybrid?

Question

I am considering buying either of these cars maybe by the end of year (USED). That is when the Nissan leaf will come out. At first I liked what it would cost to charge the leaf for every 100mi which they said about $3.00 something on .10cents a kwh. But that is not in Los Angeles! Its about .34kwh or even 40kwh. That means it would cost about 9.00 a charge which comes out same as reg car. Now I dont like it as much.
Only thing I like is that its electric and when you charge it well you dont have to pay for it imediately, pay your electric bill every 2 months : ). Thats about it.

Now the 2010 prius is looking good. I like that it gets average 50 mi+ and its not expensive. Do you think that the 2011 prius will have better mileage? I think why not. They could improve it by 5 miles more.

So if you have a 2010 prius how do you like its mileage. Does it do what it says 50mi+?

Answer 1

why don't you ride a bicycle instead. that will give you infinity miles to a gallon

Answer 2

I calculated this out and did the math myself. It would take about 18 years for a Prius to match up to a Honda Civic when considering the starting price ($21k versus $15k). We harp on mpg, but fuel only takes 5-20% of your total budget unless you are a travelling salesman. Also, in that time, you will have to change the batteries once or twice, which means another 10 to 18 thousand dollars spent. Check out my math below. If you really want to do the environment and your wallet a favor, buy used.

Answer 3

I would rather go for the Nissan Leaf, but demand for that vehicle is very high. People claim that Nissan Leaf can do 367 miles to a gallon. I just think thats nonsense. Its a electric car, it needs no gas, its suppose to do 100 miles in one charge, depending upon your driving style   how much power you will use in the vehicle such as radio and AC, it can theoretically do 132 miles in one charge. This car will ignore all fuel stations, just your electricity bill will spike up.

Now for the Prius, yes it can do over 52 MPG, people can even get 61 MPG, if its driven carefully. But honestly its a hybrid, a gasoline engine with battery.

Prius for follwing generations:

Gen 1 = 59,827 miles (3 years) averaged 45.4  mpg
Gen 2 = 118,185 miles (5.5 years) averaged 47.7 mpg
Gen 3 = 20,219 miles (1 year) averaged 50.1 mpg

I know you mentioned Nissan Leaf, and I know you will consider the Chevy Volt, be advised that the VOLT IS NOT A REAL ELECTRIC CAR. ITs just another hopeless attempt for GM to lie to its customers and try to make their last hope. What I am saying is that its just another hybrid, it uses 40 miles of electricity and 300 miles of gas.  overall 340 miles of drivings (may vary depending upon how you drive). what GM claims is a complete lie, just trying to confuse simple Americans like us to buy their garbage. I would just get a TDI from VW over that. A cobalt can still do better.

You can get great deals on Prius today, thanks to the major recall. Pruis is not expensive to run afford maintain or insure. and neither will be the Nissan, PLEASE ignore the Fair Tax guy above, what he claims about nissan is untrue.

Answer 4

lets think about the cost to buy one. you'll have to own both for well around 10 years to even out the savings on gas. then think of the maintenance after its out of warranty. hmm lipo batteries that size cost upwards of 9,000 bucks! now lets tackle the leaf, a electric car, hmm i wonder what your electric bill will be when your charging it at home? does the places you go have charging stations for them right now? but if your intent on buying one, id recommend the prius as it also runs on gas and wont strand you if the battery dies.

i have a 2008 Honda fit, worst tank i got was 32 mpg, best was 45, all for under 20k to boot! dont really listen to consumer reports or the EPA's "average" MPG as listed on the window sticker, go to edmonds.com and read actual customers reviews and find the real MPG of the car. some cars are really underrated and some are seriously overrated