Since the current-generation Leaf, the electric vehicle market has advanced significantly. Despite improvements to its charging capabilities, the Leaf's battery and range capacities fall short of those of the majority of its immediate rivals. Even if you can make use of those features, the Leaf's cabin and cargo space have practical limitations. Inside, the technology is beginning to look dated.
It's not all bad. The ride comfort and acceleration of the Leaf are excellent. Those brand-new multi-spoke, two-tone wheels have an appealing, well-known style. Additionally, the Leaf is an alternative for drivers looking for straightforward fuel-free transportation due to its pricing. But we're looking forward to Nissan's electric vehicles in the future.
Exterior:
Nissan's electric car receives a few stylistic tweaks for 2023 including a reworked grille, front bumper, and exterior lighting features. A pair of stylish multi-spoke wheels and an illuminated Nissan emblem finish off the Leaf's outward modifications.
It is a far superior all-around vehicle than the first Leaf and is currently in its second generation. It is quicker, safer to drive, has a larger interior, and—possibly most significantly—can travel much farther between charges.
Interior:
The Leaf’s interior isn't great by current electric car standards. While some alternatives have adopted the minimalist futuristic cabin look, the Nissan Leaf retains a more traditional interior layout, with a few modern touches, most aptly demonstrated by the rather odd half-digital, half-analogue driver display, which is a 7.0-inch digital readout that can be reconfigured to show a variety of displays.
An 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, it comes with DAB radio, navigation with voice control and an EV telematics system that shows charging stations along your planned route. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included too, so you can use your own navigation and music streaming apps if you prefer.
You sit quite high up in the Leaf, which you’ll either like or you won’t.
Performance and Drive Comfort:
The Nissan Leaf is quick and responsive, with a comfortable ride around town, although other EVs can offer a sportier driving experience.
The Leaf’s 40KWH LITHIUM-ION battery produces 150 HP and 320 Nm of torque. With a range of 311 kms (claimed), though, having driving the Leaf for a week, I noticed the range significantly decreases when you turn on your aircon or turn off “ECO” mode.
The electric motor responds quickly and smoothly, while the e-Pedal system makes the Leaf a great car to drive. In town, the e-Pedal system really comes into its own – allowing you to drive using just one pedal.
Most drivers will take a couple of hours to learn where to lift off to come to a halt at traffic lights and junctions – the braking is so strong that, to start with, you’ll stop short of where you're meant to. But once you’ve adapted to the system, you’ll wonder (as I do) why e-Pedal is not the default setting and has to be switched on manually.
The steering is also ideal for urban driving – light, but direct enough for you to position the car confidently. And, although the ride is firm – anything with such a big battery pack will require that approach, to keep body control in check – the Leaf shows enough of the sophistication over the bad potholes. Only really sharp imperfections reach the cabin, while the firm set-up means the car doesn’t roll too much in bends.
Space and Practicality:
Tall folks are unlikely to grumble about the amount of space in the front; even though the seats are mounted quite high up in the car, there’s loads of head room and you’d have to be seriously lanky to need more leg room.
The door bins are a decent size and there’s another small cubby in front of the gear selector that's useful for stowing a phone or a set of keys. If you like a cup of coffee during your daily commute, you’ll also appreciate the two decent-sized cupholders between the front seats.
There’s at least as much rear leg room in the Leaf as you'll find in any direct rival. The Leaf beats its closest peers for luggage space because its boot is really quite long. The boot space isn’t particularly cleverly designed, though: there’s an enormous lip at the boot entrance and folding down the rear seats creates an annoying step in the floor of the extended load bay. On the plus side, there are handy nets at each side of the boot to keep the charging cables neatly tucked away.
Safety and Tech:
The Nissan Leaf received a full five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2018, it scored an impressive 93% for adult occupant safety with 86% for child occupants.
You get a lot of active and passive safety systems in your Leaf. Nissan’s Safety Shield system is standard fitment, it includes lane departure warning, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and high beam assist among its many features.
The ProPilot autonomous driver assist package is also standard on all trims, it can steer, brake and accelerate for you on the highway.
Verdict:
The Nissan Leaf impresses in pretty much every area. It’s easy to drive and comfortable, especially around town, and it has a decent range that should make it appealing to a wide range of buyers. Given how much it costs, there’s an impressive amount of tech on offer, too, and it has enough space for all the family. But it faces a growing number of EV rivals.
With a comfortable ride and well-considered driving position, the Nissan Leaf makes for a good city car. Visibility is good aside from a side pillar that partially blocks the view out over your shoulder, and you also get a standard rearview camera which aids with parking manoeuvres.
If you keep the battery topped up every time you park (much like you would with a smartphone) then range anxiety shouldn't be an issue the vast majority of the time. That will leave you to get on and enjoy the Nissan Leaf and how it drives. It's quiet, refined and comfortable around town - although the suspension is a little on the firm side to help it cope with the weight of the batteries - while the assorted driving aids are very useful.
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