They both deliver smooth, all-electric power. They both plug into the wall to recharge their battery packs. And after two years, they're the first and second best-selling plug-in electric cars in the U.S.
So which one is right for you: the Nissan Leaf, or the Chevrolet Volt?
Both electric cars run on energy stored in a built-in lithium-ion battery pack. The EPA rates the Leaf's electric range at 75 miles, after which you'll need to recharge its battery--almost certainly using a 240-Volt Level 2 charging station.
The Volt has an EPA-rated range of only half that--38 miles--on its battery, but it has a kicker: Unlike the Leaf, the Volt carries a small engine that's used as a "range extender". When the Volt's battery is completely drawn down, the engine switches on and turns a generator that provides electricity to power the electric motor that drives its front wheels. (Under very limited circumstances, the engine also contributes power directly to turn the wheels, but the driver will never know--the experience behind the wheel is always that of an electric car, with smooth, quiet power and strong acceleration away from stops.)
The Leaf has no range extender, so its electric range is its maximum. Note that the range of the newest Leafs, rated at 75 miles, isn't directly comparable to the 73 miles of earlier models--due to changes in testing procedure. The newer Leaf's ratings are 10 to 15 percent higher than the previous model years' ranges.
Recharging the latest Leafs has also gotten quicker. A full recharge used to take 6 to 9 hours using the Level 2 charging station, but an uprated onboard charger in 2013 and later models cuts that time almost in half. Still, a Leaf relies entirely on its battery pack.
After the Volt's 35 to 45 miles on electricity, on the other hand, it'll run for another 300 or so miles on gasoline. Fill the tank, it'll do another 300 miles on gasoline. For the 78 percent of U.S. drivers who never exceed 40 miles a day, a Volt that's recharged nightly could effectively run forever as an electric car--never switching on its gasoline engine, achieving gas mileage close to infinity. The Volt's combined fuel efficiency, though--the EPA says it's 37 mpg when the engine is running--will depend entirely on each driver's blend of electric and gas-powered driving.
The Nissan Leaf is a straightforward proposition and easier to understand in some ways than the Volt. Leaf drivers will have to think more about how they drive and how they use their electric car. Its battery gives the Leaf an effective driving range of somewhere between 60 and 90 miles, perhaps more if drivers accelerate slowly and smoothly, and don't use the Leaf in very hot or very cold weather. On medium-speed flat roads, without using air conditioning, heat, or the radio, some drivers may net a total Leaf range of more than 100 miles on a single full charge of the battery. That's rare, though--a range of 65 to 80 miles is about right in typical mixed use.
In part, the right choice depends on what the buyer prioritizes. Some don't want to use any oil, period--but others can't fit their daily driving needs into 100 miles, or may not think they can. And other factors affect how you'll use these vehicles--one of the most important being being the number passengers and volume of stuff you need to carry. That's where the Leaf comes out on top. The Volt seats four and has only a shallow load deck; the Leaf seats five and its more upright styling and vertical hatch give it more cargo space.