The Used EV That’s Still A Benchmark For Reliability

The electric automotive industry has been on a roll recently, with various car brands dropping some impressive models over the last five years. Even in the last two years, electric vehicles (EVs) have shown out-of-this-world performance, long driving ranges, affordable price tags, and more. It’s taken a while for people to become unskeptical about EVs, but the funny thing is that there are almost ten-year-old models that are still worth getting into in 2025.

Electric vehicles get a bad rep when it comes to reliability, with other platforms, such as non-electric gas-powered cars (ICE), hybrids (HEVs), and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), typically taking the limelight when it comes to dependability. Stereotypes can last a long time, even after they’ve been debunked, and there’s one used EV that demonstrates some hefty reliability even by today’s standards.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Nissan and other authoritative sources, including J.D. Power, Edmunds, and KellyBlueBook.

The 2017 Nissan Leaf Demonstrates Tank-Like Reliability

The 2017 Nissan Leaf might seem to look all that impressive, but in terms of reliability, it’s a winner. This Japanese electric car has a long history, dating back to its debut in 2010. The Nissan Leaf has been in production for quite some time and holds the title of the world’s first mass-marketed electric vehicle. It is the grandfather of electric vehicles and is still relevant to this day. Almost fourteen years later, this compact electric sedan is still in production but is on the chopping board for being discontinued.

J.D. Power Gave It A 90 Out Of 100 Rating

Much like the newer-gen Nissan Leaf, the 2017 Leaf is also underrated and deserving of some extra attention. J.D. Power gave the 2017 Leaf a 90 out of 100 for reliability, which covers the level of defects, malfunctions, and design flaws. Other areas included its resale value, which scored 65 out of 100. With the other scores put together, the 2017 Nissan Leaf received an overall score of 77 out of 100.

J.D. Power Score Over 2017 Nissan Leaf

• Quality And Reliability: 90/100
• Driving Experience: 63/100
• Resale Projection: 65/100

Edmunds Scored It A 4.5 Out Of 5 For Reliability

If you think it was a fluke and there’s no way this funky-looking EV would come in that hot with reliability, you’d be wrong with other credible sites agreeing with one another. Edmunds gave the 2017 Nissan Leaf a reliability score of 4.5 out of 10. Edmunds, after testing the EV, didn’t think it did that great overall, giving it an overall score of 3.5 out of 10.

The pros it gave were the cabin being quiet, having a greater range when compared to similar EVs in its price range, and having spacious cargo. For its cons, it came down to the dated design compared to competitors, acceleration is slow, and interior controls are weird to use. At the time, Nissan offered the 2017 Leaf at $30,680, but it lowered substantially today, which you’ll get to in a moment and a significant reason why this EV is a steal in 2025.

The 2017 Nissan Leaf Depreciated By 30 Percent In The Last Three Years

In terms of ownership costs for the Nissan Leaf, there isn’t much data available on the web for this compact EV. One area that has plenty of stats is depreciation. In the last three years, the 2017 Nissan Leaf has depreciated by $5,703, or 50 percent. The last time it appreciated or raised its value was in 2022 when it gained $2,662. This may seem like a bad thing, but in retrospect, it’s ideal for a car to depreciate before you buy it. This saves you some costs rather than the price sitting high.

Only Two Recalls Popped Up On The 2017 Leaf

The 2017 Nissan Leaf didn’t receive an overall safety rating, but tests were done, and it showed some good and bad results. Its overall frontal star rating, which combines the driver and front passenger head-on collision test, came in at four out of five stars. The driver rating was a five out of five, whereas the front passenger was three out of five. It held up well over the years for an older used model, with only two recalls popping up. The recall you don’t have to really worry about is the incorrect information in the owner’s manual.

On the other hand, the second recall pertained to the front passenger airbag possibly not deploying correctly. For the rest of the safety scores, the 2017 Nissan Leaf received top scores in the side, roof strength, head restraints and seats, and others, whereas the small overlap front, driver side was the only area in the crashworthiness category that received the worst grade of “poor”.

A Dive Into The Electric Powertrain

The 2017 Nissan Leaf wasn’t an EV nor was it ever the EV to take the electric automotive industry by storm. This compact electric sedan was designed and engineered around the focus of providing the public with an affordable EV. With that being said, it’s expected that this electric sedan isn’t going to offer the best performance. The 2017 Leaf houses a single electric motor, producing 107 horsepower and 187 pound-feet of torque. It utilized a 30.0-kWh battery with a single-speed transmission.

2017 Nissan Leaf Specifications

The Nissan Leaf’s Biggest Downside Is Its Range

Possibly the biggest downside to the 2017 Nissan Leaf is its range and fuel economy. Due to it utilizing one of the smaller electric batteries on the market during its time, and even today, it could not capitalize on efficiency. It should be noted that it wasn’t technically entirely alone at the time, with two other compact electric models, the BMW i3 and Fiat 500e, sharing many characteristics. For the 2017 Nissan Leaf, you get an overall driving range of 107 miles and a combined MPGe of 112. It does surprisingly well when it comes to its charging time, which you’d hope for with how small of a motor it has, and it takes 30 minutes to charge it from 0 to 80 percent.

You Can Pick Up A Used 2017 Nissan Leaf For $6,386

And now, what you’ve probably been waiting for is the price of a 2017 Nissan Leaf. If you’re in the market for one of the most affordable used EVs, then buckle up because the base 2017 Leaf sits at around $6,386. For the highest trim, the SL Hatchback 4D, it increases a little, but not by much, with an average price of $8,738.

The 2017 Nissan Leaf might be lackluster in some areas, but it is ideal for short-distance commuters who just want an EV that can easily get them from point A to point B. Now, that’s if those two points are within a 50 to 100-mile radius. Still, nonetheless, for an electric sedan priced at around $7,000, offering incredible reliability just seems like a great deal in 2025.