Not having to pay for gas probably the biggest benefit of owning an electric car. Affordable insurance. Friendly to the environment. I also enjoy the fact of how silent it is. I am a big fan of anything high-tech.
Extremely cheap operation, very little to service, ie. No oil changes, transmission, coolant flushes, etc. Limited range works great for daily commutes but no road trips with this vehicle. Need to rent a car or have a second vehicle for longer trips.
In the three years I have owned my leaf I the only maintenance cost I have had is replacing the windshield wipers. It is fun to drive and comfortable for myself and my passengers. On top of that it costs me about $10 a month to drive.
The limited range of the vehicle is sometimes a headache. Usually I could get worried to go with a little bit of planning. But only being able to drive safely about 80 miles get sometimes be a challenge.
Range limited to daily commutes running errands no long trips need to rent a vehicle or have a second vehicle for longer trips. Other than range limit this is an awesome vehicle and fun to drive, cannot complain.
The only real con is the limited range. I get 85 miles from a full charge. It still works fine for me as it is our around town, going to the grocery cart. We have a hybrid SUV for camping and other road trips.
The 2013 Nissan LEAF has an average owner rating of 4.69 out of 5 which ranks it #7 of 27 other Hybrid & Electrics.
From the Vehicle History blog
Moderate Overlap Front
Side
Roof Strength
Driver-side Overlap Front