Nissan Leaf: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Nissan Leaf: 10 model years scored from 443 NHTSA owner complaints and 24 recall campaigns. Worst year 2015, best year 2012.
Nissan Leaf: which years to avoid
Across 8 scored model years the Nissan Leaf ranges from 65/100 in 2015 to 94/100 in 2012 — a 29-point spread, so which year you buy matters. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Service Brakes (86 of them).
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2023 — scored 70 or better.
Check carefully: 2015.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2015 Leaf, a CAUTION at 65 with 109 complaints, 85 of them Service Brakes; buy a 2012, 2014 or 2018, which score 94, 84 and 78. Every other scored year is a BUY, and the whole record holds only 442 complaints. Service Brakes is the top component on the 2012 to 2015 cars, and 16V119000 covers the 2013 to 2015 Leaf for a relay inside the electronic brake booster that may freeze in very cold weather; the 2013 to 2015 cars also carry the occupant detection and air bag campaigns 13V069000, 14V138000 and 16V244000. The second-generation 2018 car has 66 complaints with Service Brakes at 19 and Electrical System at 18, and 23V494000 covers the 2018 to 2023 cars for unintended acceleration if the driving mode is changed after cruise control is disengaged. The 2017 and 2023 cars score 89 and 88 with no complaints on file and low evidence; the 2024 and 2025 cars are DATA PENDING.
Read the guide
Used Chevrolet Volt, Bolt EV and Nissan Leaf: the years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the Leaf changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2015
Mean score 81/100, about 6 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Service Brakes more than anything else (180 complaints). 10 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2017–2018
Mean score 84/100, about 8 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Service Brakes more than anything else (19 complaints). 1 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2012 (score 94). Worst: 2015 (score 65, CAUTION).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | DATA PENDING | $1,230 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | DATA PENDING | $1,370 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 88 | BUY | $1,510 | 0 | 3 |
| 2018 | 78 | BUY | $2,366 | 66 | 4 |
| 2017 | 89 | BUY | $2,300 | 0 | 2 |
| 2015 | 65 | CAUTION | $2,770 | 110 | 4 |
| 2014 | 84 | BUY | $2,824 | 34 | 6 |
| 2013 | 75 | BUY | $2,978 | 81 | 5 |
| 2012 | 94 | BUY | $3,176 | 57 | 0 |
| 2011 | 87 | BUY | $3,360 | 95 | 0 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Leaf, through the years →
Leaf sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Leaf on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Leaf
Across every Leaf model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Service Brakes199 complaints across all Leaf years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
- Electrical System104 complaints across all Leaf years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Air Bags75 complaints across all Leaf years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
- Vehicle Speed Control36 complaints across all Leaf years · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement$520–$1,150
- Unknown Or Other33 complaints across all Leaf years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Forward Collision Avoidance13 complaints across all Leaf years · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration$780–$2,160
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Nissan Leaf years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2023 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2012 at 94/100, on 57 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
Which Nissan Leaf years should I avoid?
The 2015 is the weakest year we score, at 65/100 (CAUTION), on 110 complaints and 4 recalls. Check the year-by-year table above before committing to any particular car.
What is the most common Nissan Leaf problem?
199 of the complaints filed against the Leaf across all its model years sit in the Service Brakes group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04