Before Tesla made its way onto the market, one car was instrumental in the electrification of vehicles – the Nissan Leaf. So, is this pioneer EV the right one for you?
Overview
Variants: Nissan Leaf and Nissan Leaf e+
Range: 235km and 340km
Charging time and ports:
The Nissan Leaf will charge in 21 hours using a wall socket, or 7.5 hours using a 7kW wallbox and one hour if using a 50kW DC quick charger. The Nissan Leaf e+ will take 32 hours to charge using a wall socket, or 11.5 hours with a 7kW wallbox, 1.5 hours using a 50kW DC quick charger and 45 minutes using a 100kW DC quick charger. Both variants use a Type 2 charger and a Japanese DC CHAdeMO charging port.
Battery: 39.0 kWh and 59.0 kWh
Power: 110 kW and 160 kW
Efficiency: 17.1 kWh/100km and 19.3 kWh/100km
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 7.9s and 0-100 km/h in 6.9s
Top Speed: 144 km/h and 157 km/h
Torque: 320 Nm and 340 Nm
Weight: 1995kg and 2140kg
Drive type: FWD
Dimensions: L 4490mm, W 2030mm and H 1530mm and L 4490mm, W 2030mm and H 1540mm
Design & look
The Nissan Leaf is unlike many EVs in that it could get away with looking like a regular combustion car. So, if you want to drive an EV without looking like you’re driving an EV, this could be the perfect car for you.
You get LED daytime running lights, automatic LED headlights with an auto levelling system, power-adjustable, power-folding and heated door mirrors, to name a few. Both variants are forward wheel drives and have 17″ alloy wheels.
The boot is large for a hatch, offering 405 litres of storage space, better than the MG ZS EV small SUV. However, a Bose sound box on the boot’s floor takes up some precious space. The Nissan Leaf sadly doesn’t offer any frunk storage space.
The Nissan Leaf is an easy car to drive with excellent visibility. If you have the Nissan Leaf e+, you also get a good amount of power to help you overtake easily on a highway. The car also offers one-pedal driving to get regenerative braking, which maximises your range. You also get a comfortable ride in the car as you can barely feel any bump in the road.
Features and interior
The Nissan Leaf is understated on the outside, carrying this design through to the car’s interior, which may be a little too plain for many of you. It feels like it could be any old car on the inside and lacks the modern edge that many EVs, such as the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2, bring to the table.
There aren’t too many bells and whistles inside the Nissan Leaf with manual seat adjustment, a standard 8″ touchscreen display and an analog speedometer paired with a digital screen. Thankfully, you do get heated seats, so that’s a win! You also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; however, there is no wireless charging.
The seats are very comfortable and the materials used feel luxe. You also feel as though you’re driving an SUV as the seats sit higher than your average hatch. In terms of storage, you get a large bottle holder in the door and the centre console, though it seems like a wasted opportunity not to have storage underneath it.
In the backseat, the seats are once again very comfortable and have that SUV feel as if you’re sitting even higher than the front passengers. You also get good leg and headroom in the backseat as an adult. Annoyingly, however, the floor isn’t entirely flat like it is in most EVs, taking away some of that legroom. In addition, you get a small bottle holder in the backseat but no drop-down armrest and a bottle holder in the middle seat. You also don’t get any power outlets or directional AC – not so great for those long drives with the kids! One thing back passengers will love, however, is the heated rear bench, perfect for those early mornings.
Performance
The Nissan Leaf is a surprisingly quick hatch and has reasonably good efficiency at 17.1 kWh/100km and 19.3 kWh/100km, as well as offering 235km and 340km in range, depending on the variant. However, and understandably, if you’re out on the open road and aren’t able to use the regenerative braking as often, your range will be much lower than if you’re driving around town. So, the Nissan Leaf might not be for you if you frequently take longer trips. But, on the other hand, if you only use your car to drive around town, you’ll be happy with the range offered here.
Unlike many EVs with one combo charging port, the Nissan Leaf has two – a European Type 2 AC charging port and a Japanese DC CHAdeMO charging port, which is a little harder to find. Interestingly, however, the CHAdeMO port can also dispense charge, which not every EV can do. Charging the Nissan Leaf on the Type 2 charger at a speed of 7kW will get you fully charged in about 7.5 hours, while charging on the 50kW DC quick charger will take about 60 minutes. The Nissan Leaf e+ will take 11.5 hours to charge on a 7kW charger, 90 minutes using a 50kW DC quick charger and 45 minutes if using a 100kW DC quick charger.
Safety and warranty
The Nissan Leaf has a five-star ANCAP safety rating. It offers several safety features, including auto emergency braking with pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning and lane assist.
The car is covered by Nissan’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and has five years of roadside assistance, while the battery has a separate eight-year/160,000km warranty.
The Nissan Leaf will need to be serviced annually or every 20,000km, whichever comes first.
Summary
If you’re in the market for your first EV, then the Nissan Leaf could be the right car for you. Stepping into this car, you won’t feel too out of place after driving a combustion vehicle and will likely feel very comfortable. However, you may find greater value in the Tesla Model 3 or the Polestar 2, as their base models are more affordable.
Help make ACT and its surroundings cleaner and greener by finding, financing and charging your EV with ActewAGL. ActewAGL is helping you find an EV sooner, reduce the cost of ownership, and stay fully charged while saving 50% of your personal CO2 each year. This will help us all live a good life, now and in the future. Find out more here.
