[renagade]

I am about to put my foot in the water and try an ev.I only have 10k on hire purchase to spend and I am turning very much to the Leaf 30kwh. I have tried to see what all the fuss is about the BMW I3 but cannot for the life of me understand the price and size of the car.
Is there any driver on here that has had the BMW I3 and wished they had kept it instead of getting the Leaf.?????

 

[JohnMars]

I have a Leaf 30 - was looking at the i3 for my partner recently and the i3 with REX seemed a fantastic car

 

[Boxbrownie]

I have a Leaf 30 - was looking at the i3 for my partner recently and the i3 with REX seemed a fantastic car

It is, but then I am bias

 

[80698]

The i3 is pretty good, but very rarely worth buying. If you get the right price on a lease or subscription then absolutely go for it. But if you are buying it rarely makes sense unless you're a huge supporter of the BMW Brand. It's not just the purchase price but also maintaining it will come with a larger price tag too. The tires for that compared to a LEAF would be a pretty big difference.

The LEAF is absolutely fine. The acceleration is slower and it lacks the more enthusiastic nature of the i3. Other than that though, it's a very comfortable car, practical too, and very capable with it's fair range (very similar to the 94Ah i3) and both have a very similar rapid charge ability too. In fact if you go for the Tekna trim level you'll likely find the quality of the LEAF to be more solid and a little more luxurious since BMW got a little carried away with all the recycled plastics on basically EVERY surface inside making it feel a lot cheaper than it really is.

What sort of car are you coming from right now?

 

[Boxbrownie]

The LEAF is absolutely fine.

And oh so boring........

To the OP....you have to go test drive both and make your own decision.

 

[Jedispooner]

If you have kids? Yes: Leaf 30 No: i3, that was what decided it for us. We bought the 2017 Leaf 30kwh Tekna and we love it!

I spent months deliberating on an i3 60Ah REX (Lodge interior) or a Leaf 30Kwh Tekna for a run around now that I work from home. Test drove the i3 extensively and I got carried away with the design over practicality. When it came down to boot space and kids in and out, everyday use like any family would, the i3 just fell on it's knees on so many levels. Suicide doors box you in in car parking spaces, the boot is the size of a shoe box and they are pricey.

Due to choosing the Leaf we found a top of the range version to add all the toys and interior refinement but yes I agree, plastics on most surfaces, needed to add some top strut covers, silicon spray on the door mirrors to stop the horrifying creaking but over all it's a charming little piece of engineering and a joy to drive. Oh and Leafspy for SOH 97% swung it for us, we get great mileage on it.

 

[peterboat]

We bought the I3 Rex over the leaf, it seemed better made, it looked better than the leaf and its made from carbon fibre and aluminum which makes it high tech and very light. The batteries are cooled and heated properly which matters as we intend to keep the car for a long time. The driving experience is totally different its a quick car that handles well and in our case is doing 3.9 miles per Kwh, we have the suite interior which is leather and very comfy. Yes its boot isnt large but 2 of us and 2 dogs doesnt require anything bigger.
We like having the Rex as a backup and have used it once to make sure it works and how it does it. I love the single pedal driving experience so would think that brake pads and discs will have a long life, I intend to service it myself so dont expect it to be an expensive purchase. I normally dont like BMWs so my purchase of this car was driven by my thoughts that its a very clever well built machine that should last a very long time

 

[DanP]

Both have their pros and cons but for 10k or so you’re likely to be looking at an early i3 without a decent warranty, so for that reason I’d have the Leaf.

(Ex Leaf owner, now in an i3!)

 

[renagade]

The i3 is pretty good, but very rarely worth buying. If you get the right price on a lease or subscription then absolutely go for it. But if you are buying it rarely makes sense unless you're a huge supporter of the BMW Brand. It's not just the purchase price but also maintaining it will come with a larger price tag too. The tires for that compared to a LEAF would be a pretty big difference.

The LEAF is absolutely fine. The acceleration is slower and it lacks the more enthusiastic nature of the i3. Other than that though, it's a very comfortable car, practical too, and very capable with it's fair range (very similar to the 94Ah i3) and both have a very similar rapid charge ability too. In fact if you go for the Tekna trim level you'll likely find the quality of the LEAF to be more solid and a little more luxurious since BMW got a little carried away with all the recycled plastics on basically EVERY surface inside making it feel a lot cheaper than it really is.

What sort of car are you coming from right now?

Hi I have a 2017 Citroen Picasso 1.6 hdi fully automatic. 20500 miles on the clock. The big hit for me is that there is still 10900 owing on the car.

 

[JohnMars]

Hi I have a 2017 Citroen Picasso 1.6 hdi fully automatic. 20500 miles on the clock. The big hit for me is that there is still 10900 owing on the car.

GOOD GOD!

 

[andrew*debbie]

Is there any driver on here that has had the BMW I3 and wished they had kept it instead of getting the Leaf.?????

I have had a 2014 LEAF Tekna, 2017 LEAF 30 Tekna and now drive an 2018 i3s with Range Extender.


The i3 is a far superior car. There is only one thing Nissan did better. A 2014 LEAF is more reliable than a 2014 i3. A lot more. Don't even think about getting a bargain priced 2013 or 2014 i3. The repair bills will bankrupt you.

BMW corrected the problems with the early i3. 2016 is fine. My 2018 i3 is the most reliable car I have ever owned. So far I have had zero faults. Both of the LEAFs had several minor issues.

 

[peterboat]

I have had a 2014 LEAF Tekna, 2017 LEAF 30 Tekna and now drive an 2018 i3s with Range Extender.


The i3 is a far superior car. There is only one thing Nissan did better. A 2014 LEAF is more reliable than a 2014 i3. A lot more. Don't even think about getting a bargain priced 2013 or 2014 i3. The repair bills will bankrupt you.

BMW corrected the problems with the early i3. 2016 is fine. My 2018 i3 is the most reliable car I have ever owned. So far I have had zero faults. Both of the LEAFs had several minor issues.

I only looked at 2017 cars onward because of this forum, it was clear that earlier cars had issues