How Better Information is improving Used Electric Car Sales and Leasing like the Nissan Leaf

Used Nissan Leaf Electric Car Sales and Leasing is improving with Better Information

In a timely piece of news from the BBC - How good is the battery in a used electric vehicle? - the concept of battery health and certification for the swathe of used EVs hitting the auctions, car supermarkets and used electric car lease websites is becoming a more important consideration.

As our e-car lease website transitions the old Nissan Leaf to the all-new   Nissan Leaf     it makes you wonder about the predecessor. Where are they sold? What happens to them? Who will buy or lease them? How long do they last?

The Nissan Leaf happens to be one of the longest serving electric cars in production. The Japanese produced hatchback was unveiled in 2009 and sold across Europe as early as 2010 and 2011. It is amazing to think that the Leaf has been sold for just over 15 years in the UK.

Considering that mass-adoption and utilisation of electric cars probably only arose around 2020, to say the Nissan team were 10 years ahead of the curve is some achievement. But, as they say, it isn’t always who is first. It’s more about who is the best and who remains when all is said and done. In the case of the Nissan Leaf, which now enters its 3rd major revision, the vehicle is aiming to revolutionise what customers think of Nissan.

With a more modern Coupe / Crossover style and a whole host of range, performance and technological improvements, this is very much a robust modern car. Entering the UK’s new personal and business leasing market in 2026, this could be the perfect companion to the new Nissan Micra EV.

But what of the older electric Nissan Leaf?

This is an important and relevant consideration with the used market and ex-lease cars essentially being the backbone of residual values. The good news is that used EV options are starting to have a more positive reception in the UK.

While new EVs are credible for companies and consumers, with 3-5 year vehicle warranties and 8-year battery warranties, this isn’t always the case with used options. As the BBC article discusses, how robust will the range be and how efficient can a battery be?

Thankfully there are more companies helping to provide this detail to those selling / buying older EVs like the Aviloo team and ClearWatt who are now helping this to be understood in more detail. There are tools which can be plugged into the vehicle to monitor the battery or quicker tests where vehicle information can be automatically uploaded and read by an app. More hands-off AI tools can help use a vehicle’s age to disseminate the battery State of Health (SOH) so that a potential driver has an accurate assumption of the performance.      

Information is, and always will be, the key to EVs becoming more successful in the UK

While brands can discount their options at the newer-end, or throw in gimmicks like free chargers and charging credits, ultimately more sustainable options are required. Having education as underpinning the EV industry will more readily address confidence and ensure that those buying a new or used car understand the proposition more accurately.

At e-car lease, all of our new car customers (personal and business) receive a free Electric Vehicle Certificate which discusses aspects like range (warm/cold/motorway/city driving), AC and DC charging, vehicle performance, towing, battery efficiency, bidirectional charging, charge point locations, EV tariffs and motor insurance.

However, for used EVs this is required and much more. With driver behaviour on the operation and charging of the EV so crucial, this needs to be more accurately and simply explained to the UK community. Battery repair and upgrade centres are increasing in Britain but understanding how the vehicle is going to perform at the outset remains more fundamental. We always encourage any customer purchasing or leasing an older EV to obtain certification first.       

Our used-electric car lease partners, Lex, have very much recognised this too. Their used ex-lease EVs are on offer, and these are all available with a funder-maintenance package. This means that all servicing, maintenance, tyres and breakdowns are covered for the duration of the lease.

The cost for this is included within your monthly rental and ensures that you, or the business, have robust comfort. If anything arises with the vehicle, their maintenance team will assist and also ensure that any works undertaken are covered.

Save for driver negligence and windscreen damage, all facets are taken care of. With many of the vehicles only 2 - 4 years old, and sub 30,000 miles, battery degradation and performance has not yet been a questionable issue. However, the team are committed to improving vehicle data and employing certification standards on every vehicle so that our amazing customers have the perfect used electric car lease journey!

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