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What causes 2017 Nissan LEAF battery degradation?

I’m used car shopping at the moment and am eyeballing a 2017 Nissan LEAF. The current owner has been very transparent in the state of the vehicle and let me know the battery range isn’t what it used to be, but it’s still in good shape overall. Would the battery have degraded from their misuse or is it natural wear and tear?

avatar
Abbey Orzech · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
It probably wasn’t their misuse that caused the 2017
Nissan LEAF
battery degradation. It is natural for electric vehicle batteries to lose range over time, and
Nissan
themselves have noted that older LEAF vehicles between the years 2013 and 2018 tend to see a range of 64 to 176 miles on a full charge.
Newer LEAF’s maintain a minimum 100-mile range.
That’s a sizeable gap between range estimates, but how far it’ll take you depends on the overall state of the vehicle. It probably also won’t help if the current owner of that LEAF lives in a hot climate with high daily temperatures year-round.
The LEAF battery is unique in that it uses air flow, rather than cooling liquid, to regulate its temperature, so it may degrade faster in warmer weather.
I’m glad to hear the seller you’re working with has been so open with you! It can be unnerving to
buy a used car
from a tight-lipped owner.
View full answer 
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