Nissan Leaf review

A bona fide EV legend. First launched in 2010, the Nissan Leaf was for several years the best-selling electric car in the world, shifting the kind of numbers that Tesla and several others could only dream of. Temporarily, anyway. To date more than 645,000 Leafs have found homes around the world.

This second-generation car was introduced in 2017, building on the success of the original but with vastly more competition. Coupled with the rise of SUVs, its popularity has dwindled. A new one is due soon, and it’s expected to drop the hatchback format and follow the crowd. The Nissan Ariya will be there to greet it.

It’s a real hall-of-famer then?

Precisely. The original Leaf had amazingly loyal and satisfied customers. They loved the tiny running costs, convenience of home charging, silence, and simple practicality. And they liked that at the top and bottom it was just a car: five seats, good boot, easy to drive, affordable to buy. None of this fart mode nonsense. It showed carmakers that EVs could work for the masses.

But that first Leaf had weaknesses. In a world where Tesla got the headlines, if not the sales leadership back then, it was slow and lacking in range. It also looked odd. And as all cars got better connectivity and driver assist, the Leaf needed upgrades there too.

So those are the new Leaf's promises. Quicker, further-reaching between charges, better-looking, more assistance. And prices are lower, model for model.

Tell me more about this second gen, then…

In the standard Leaf, the motor is technically the same as before. But the inverter – the heavy-duty electronic device that supplies and controls the electricity going around the car – is more powerful, so the motor itself develops much more power. 148bhp to be precise, with 0-62mph taking 7.9 seconds.

In 2019, though, Nissan introduced the top-spec e+ model with a 62kWh battery, a more powerful 214bhp electric motor (that still only drove the front wheels) and a more expansive range of 239 miles. It’s no longer for sale though, with your only option being a 39kWh version that’s good for just 168 miles of range. Pathetic in this day and age, and one of many signs that the legendary Leaf has been overtaken and left for dead.

How much does it cost?

Prices start from £28,495 (imagine that, a sub-£30k EV!), and there are four trim levels to choose from, the most expensive of which costs a fiver under £32k.

Rivals? The MG4 is a similar size for similar money, but it gets a bigger battery and is therefore much better value and more convenient. Other cheap and cheerful options include the Vauxhall Corsa Electric, Peugeot e-208 and Fiat 500e, although this is stretching the definition of ‘cheap’ somewhat.

If you're a total road warrior, hell-bent on end-to-end 300-mile motorway stints with just a wee and a sandwich between, the Leaf will not serve you.

If you're a driver who loves the process of combustion and the involvement of a chassis, then again no. (Although actually at real-traffic speeds, hypermiling a Leaf can be more engaging than reining back a sports car.)

But that still leaves a vast constituency of folk who are scared of a pure EV. And although this second-gen Leaf dismantles those fears with an easy package that makes bimbling around town a doddle, the stark reality is that there are countless other electric cars that do it better than the Nissan. Its replacement can’t come soon enough.