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Nissan Leaf Reliability by Year

Every Leaf model year from 2011 to 2025, scored on reported failures weighted against how many were sold — and ranked against every other Compact Passenger Car of the same year.

The short answer

Best model year
2024
#1 of 22 that year
Year to avoid
2020
#27 of 27 that year
Latest scored
2025
#17 of 18

Across 15 scored model years the Leaf needs fixing more often than its class, though repairs are cheaper than average. The spread between years is what matters: 2024 is its strongest, 2020 its weakest.

Every model year, scored

Longer bar is better. Rank is against every Compact Passenger Car sold that same model year.

YearRelative standingClass rankPctl
2011#30 /326th
2012#30 /4128th
2013#28 /4336th
2014#10 /4178th
2015#34 /3913th
2016#22 /3843th
2017#18 /4157th
2018#33 /356th
2019#33 /343th
2020#27 /270thAvoid
2021#22 /2513th
2022#25 /2914th
2023#16 /2229th
2024#1 /22100thBest year
2025#17 /186th

The line has moved around across 15 model years, with its weakest stretch in 2016–2022. The recent trend is upward. This 2025 car falls in a middling stretch.

What tends to break

All 12 systems, measured against the class average for each model year.

Every Leaf model year is scored across 12 separate systems — engine, transmission, brakes, electrical, steering and suspension, structure, interior, and five more. Each system is compared against how often that same system fails on the average Compact Passenger Car of the same year, so a common failure is judged against how common it is everywhere else.

Across the last three model years (2023–2025), the trouble concentrates in one place: electrical & electronics. That system draws issue reports more often than the same system on the average Compact Passenger Car of its year — which changes what you should be inspecting before you buy.

Full Dashboard Preview

Real charts, sample vehicle. Open the lookup to see these for your Leaf.

Reliability Matrix Sample Chart

2018 Mid-Size SUVs

Your Leaf is plotted against 18 rivals from 2025.

Look up your Leaf →
better than classtypicalworsebubble = units sold

System Breakdown Sample Chart

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander

Your Leaf is scored the same way, for every model year.

Look up your Leaf →
below class averageabove class average

Common questions

What is the best year for a used Nissan Leaf?

2024 is the strongest Leaf model year on record, ranking #1 of 22 Compact Passenger Cars that year.

Which Nissan Leaf years should I avoid?

2020 is the weakest year in the model's history, ranking #27 of 27.

Is the latest Leaf reliable?

The 2025 Leaf ranks #17 of 18 Compact Passenger Cars — the lower half of its class.

Where does this data come from?

Failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes so a high-volume model is not penalised for selling well, then benchmarked within segment and model year.

See the full picture for your Leaf

All 12 systems scored, the whole class plotted, and a downloadable Full Model Report for any year — 6,000+ vehicles in the dashboard.

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How this was built. Scores derive from failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes and benchmarked within segment and model year. We measure two separate things: Fix Frequency — how often a vehicle needs fixing — and Fix Severity — how costly those fixes are. These figures describe a model line, not the specific vehicle in front of you; trim, mileage and service history still decide an individual car.