2013 Nissan Leaf Battery Replacement

If you’re in need of a new battery in your 2013 Nissan Leaf, you’ll be looking at a mechanic bill of about $5,500 for parts and labor.
Written by Liz Jenson
Reviewed by Brittni Brinn
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It costs about $5,500 on average to replace a 2013 Nissan Leaf car battery, making this type of repair one of the most expensive types of care for your vehicle.
With a repair this expensive, many car owners question whether or not it’s worth it to replace the battery in their 2013 Leaf. Would it be better to buy a new car? Or are there ways around the high cost of an electric car battery?
Fortunately,
Jerry
, the trusted
car insurance
broker app, is here to answer all of your questions. We’ll discuss battery replacement costs for your Nissan, different battery options for your vehicle’s model year, and battery life for electric cars like the Leaf. We’ll even give you some tips to help you lower your
Nissan Leaf insurance costs
and save some cash for that new battery!
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How much does it cost to replace a 2013 Nissan Leaf battery?

When replacing the battery in your electric vehicle, there are two costs to consider: the price of materials and the price of labor. In the case of the Nissan Leaf, the cost of materials is pretty high.
A new 24 kWh battery pack for your 2013 Nissan Leaf will cost you $4,500 before labor costs. After you add labor to the bill, which can be as much as $1,000 more, you’ll be looking at a total repair bill of approximately $5,500.
Since Nissan’s Leaf battery warranty only covers the first eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, you won’t be able to get this type of repair covered by your vehicle’s warranty, either. Your
car insurance
also may not cover repairs and maintenance, including things like replacing the battery in your electric vehicle.
In short, you’ll have to pay for this repair bill out of pocket. Considering that Edmunds places the value of a used 2013 Leaf between ​​$3,725 and $8,671, it’s possible that these repairs will cost more than the overall value of your car—especially if your Leaf is in poor condition.
This brings us to the question: is a battery replacement worth it? If you’re willing to pay this much for a battery replacement, it’s likely that your Leaf will last for years to come. Still, this expensive repair process isn’t the best choice for everyone. 
Let’s look a little deeper into what a battery replacement in your Nissan Leaf might entail.

Can you put a new battery in an old Nissan Leaf?

The short answer: yes! The 2013 Nissan Leaf can function with the original 24 kWh battery, but it can also be equipped with a 30, 40, or 62 kWh battery pack instead.
However, this tactic isn’t the best way to save money. While new Nissan Leaf batteries are technically less expensive per kWh than batteries from 2013 (a 2020 40 kWh battery pack costs $137/kWh while the 2013 battery costs $187/kWh), there are a couple of reasons that newer Leaf batteries work out to be more expensive:
  1. New Nissan batteries have higher kWh. This means that a standard new 40 kWh battery pack works out to be between $6,500 and $7,500—that is, about the cost of an entire 2013 Nissan Leaf. This is the type of battery that Nissan uses in many of its current electric models and is the standard type of replacement under warranty.
  2. Your mechanic will have to make some adjustments to your vehicle. Replacing the battery in an electric vehicle is a little more complicated (and more exact) than it would be in a gas-powered vehicle. As such, your mechanic might need to make some small changes to your Nissan Leaf in order to make the new battery fit. This will likely result in higher labor costs for the replacement.
With all that being said, this option might be worth it if you intend to keep your vehicle around for a long time. A newer battery could improve your vehicle’s range and battery life!

Nissan Leaf battery capacity and range

To give you a more complete understanding of the history of the Nissan Leaf’s battery options, take a look at the following table, which covers the battery capacity and
driving range
of various model years of the Nissan Leaf.
Model years
Battery capacity
Driving range
2011 – 2013
24 kWh
73 to 75 miles
2014 – 2017
24 kWh
84 miles
2016
30 kWh
107 miles
2018+
40 kWh
151 miles 
Leaf Plus (2019+)
62 kWh
226 miles
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How long does a 2013 Nissan Leaf battery last?

A typical 2013 Nissan Leaf battery has an expected life of eight to ten years.
However, there are a lot of factors that go into these numbers, including your driving habits. When estimating eight to ten years of life, we assume that you’ll drive about 100,000 to 150,000 miles during that time, placing you at about 10,000 to 18,000 miles of driving per year.
There are also a couple of ways that you can extend the life of your Nissan Leaf’s battery! To keep your battery from going bad, try to follow these rules:
  1. Don’t charge your Leaf to 100%. Instead, charge your vehicle to 80% before driving. Charging your car to 100% consistently can wear out your battery more quickly.
  2. Use a lower level charger. Superchargers are certainly convenient, but they also put a strain on your car battery. To keep your vehicle in good condition, use a Level 1 or 2 charger instead.
  3. Keep your car cool. Heat can cause increased rates of battery degradation. To prevent this process from happening, keep your car cool whenever possible.

Your guide to saving money on your Nissan Leaf car insurance

Depending on how much you love your Nissan, you might be wondering how you can save a little extra cash to fund this battery replacement, or you might be considering buying a new car.
Either way, check out the
Jerry
app. This
trustworthy super app
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Simply download Jerry and spend 45 seconds taking the insurance needs quiz. Then, Jerry will use your answers to perform a comprehensive cross-analysis of over 55 top insurers to find the one that best matches your answers. It’s a simple, fast, and trustworthy way to ensure that you’re getting the best deal on the coverage you need.
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