By Armen Hareyan G+ Apr 8 2018 - 8:55am

Chevy Volt vs Nissan Leaf: When You Should Keep Your Volt

In recent weeks we hear number of reports where people speak to media explaining why they trade their Chevy Bolt to Tesla. However, there are number of Chevy Volt owners, who simply want to go all-electric but with less expensive options. Their comparison is between the Volt vs Nissan leaf and Chevy Bolt. Yet, there are situations in which keeping the Volt is a better choice for them.

"I am about ready to turn in my Chevy Volt and am looking at the Chevy Bolt or the Leaf. I don’t have a charging station at home. There is an expensive fast charger at the local municipal power company. I rent in a condo complex. Carport where my car is parked has solar panels, but I am not sure how those may be hooked up to my meter, which is about 100-200 ft away," writes and asks Jeanne Lahaie at SF Bay Area Nissan Leaf Owners public group on Facebook.

In these types of situations the group members, who are mostly Nissan Leaf owners, suggest either keeping the Chevy Volt or going for the Bolt. Here is why.

Thomas Crummett, who has also contributed a story to Torque News about how to use Nissan Leaf's Trip Computer, writes that in this situation it's better to keep the Volt vs Leaf or Bolt. "I would say the Volt is a better choice if you don't have regular access to low cost charging. Sometimes the station rates exceed the cost to travel on gas as well," Crummett writes.

"Keep the Volt! I moved to a place with street parking and being unable to charge my Leaf at home is super problematic. I wish I had bought a Volt instead," suggests Elizabeth Danae from the group.

Really, without a reliable home charging it's difficult to go all-electric. In this situation it's better to keep the Volt or get another Volt. Also, you can think of getting another plug-in option.

However, if you insist on full electric, get the Chevy Bolt. "Periodic quick charging for a 238 mile pack will make a big difference. Oh and thermal management," suggests Felix Truong.

Thermal Management is something that the Nissan leaf sadly lacks. It tends to keep the battery in a sub-optimal state, which can lead to accelerated wear. The Leaf only has a heater to prevent the battery from freezing, but nothing beyond that in terms of warming it up before scheduled departure (but it will heat the cabin).

Here is a good comparison of Chevy Bolt vs Nissan Leaf, in which you can find an entire section dedicated to the Active Thermal Management that Bolt has and it's one of the advantages of Bolt vs Nissan Leaf.