Nissan Leaf SUV
New from £35,989
Is the Nissan Leaf SUV a good car?
Read our expert review
Words by: Catherine Kent
"The terms pioneer and trail blazer are used all too often but when Nissan launched the original Leaf it really was way ahead of the curve. The Leaf was the first mass-production electric car (predating the Renault Zoe) and back in 2011 the words electric car and Leaf were synonymous. Yet, the rest of the world woke up to the electric revolution and by the second generation the Leaf had lost its competitive edge. Now it’s back – and it's had a glow-up. Could it be a case of third time’s a charm? Gone are the gawky looks and the outdated charging technology, here a is sleek, modern crossover ready to make its presence known. This all-new Leaf is composed, comfortable and significantly more premium than its predecessors. It has all the ingredients to be a winner, but will the overall package turn buyers’ heads away from accomplished rivals like the Kia EV3 or Skoda Elroq and newcomers like the electric Jaecoo 5?"
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Running costs for a Nissan Leaf
5/5
The Nissan Leaf will be assembled in the UK which helps it to qualify for the highest level £3,750 Electric Car Grant. Additionally, all models dip below the £40,000 threshold for the VED (or ‘road tax’) ‘expensive car supplement’ which will save you a significant sum of money in running costs. Company car drivers will get the usual Benefit In Kind incentives for going electric and if you can charge at home using a dedicated EV tariff it should be fairly cheap to run. Nissan is working on building an entire ecosystem so in the future you could use your car’s battery to store energy at off-peak times and use it later to power your home. This has the potential to reduce your total household bills even before you take savings on petrol or diesel into account.
Reliability of a Nissan Leaf
4/5
While models like the Juke have struggled with reliability, electric Nissans have fared well. According to a recent survey by WhatCar? the previous generation Leaf was the second most reliable electric car up to five years old. Meanwhile, the Renault Megane E-Tech which has shared foundations with the all-new Leaf, scored third place. The prognosis looks positive although we will have to wait to find out how this generation of Leaf holds up in the long run. For peace of mind Nissan offers a three-year/60,000-mile standard warranty plus the EV specific components get a separate five years or 60,000 miles of cover. The battery’s state of health is guaranteed for eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Safety for a Nissan Leaf
4/5
Our range-topping test car came with all the safety goodies you could imagine. The basics were covered with emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, road sign recognition and driver attention monitoring but we also had the really useful stuff like blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alerts and a 360-degree camera. Nissan takes even this a step further with a clever ‘Invisible Hood View’ allowing you to see exactly where your front wheels are to avoid pesky kerbs – a feature you’ll usually only find in expensive Land Rovers. We don’t know yet exactly which systems will come as standard but the fancier features will be the preserve of higher trim levels so it would be worth upgrading to get adaptive cruise control and the rest of Nissan’s ‘ProPilot Assist’ suite.
How comfortable is the Nissan Leaf
4/5
Comfort and refinement are two of the Leaf’s top strengths. The boot is a reasonable size, the seats are very squidgy yet supportive and there’s a nice combination of soft-touch materials throughout the interior with contrasting textures to add interest. Our test car had the lighter interior available on higher trim levels but there is also a darker option for those worried about it showing marks. The wipe-clean synthetic leather upholstery – 60 per cent of which is recycled – should help alleviate this concern, though. We do think Nissan has missed an opportunity to use more recycled materials elsewhere in the interior and it could take inspiration from brands like Kia and Volvo. Out on the road there’s a real sense of calm, with the Leaf seemingly floating over rough surfaces and speed bumps. At motorway speeds it is almost as zen with only the tiniest amount of wind noise to interrupt the peace. On the flip side the driving position is higher than we would like, the coupe-like shape eats rear headroom and the Kia EV4 hatchback is roomier in the back, but these don’t detract too much from what is a comfortable car overall.
Features of the Nissan Leaf
5/5
There will be four trim levels: Engage, Engage+, Advanced and Evolve. We recommend you move up to at least Engage+ trim to get infotainment with Google built-in giving you an apps store, voice assistant and most usefully maps with route planning and real-time charging point availability. Two 14.3-inch screen provide the driver display and infotainment, plus there’s a touch-sensitive panel below for heating controls which makes it straightforward to adjust the temperature when driving. The large panoramic roof which dims at the touch of a button is a standout feature letting in lots of light and making this Leaf feel more premium. We also like the head-up display, however we expect both features will only be fitted to range-topping Evolve models. Like many electric cars, you can control some of the car’s features using an app on your phone to precondition the temperature or check the battery charge level and you can also use your Leaf to power other electric devices with vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology.
Power for a Nissan Leaf
4/5
You have the option of either a standard-range model with less power and a range of around 270 miles, or a long-range model with 215 horsepower and an official range which should in theory get you from London to York on a single charge with a comfortable buffer. These models get a heat pump as standard to aid efficiency in colder weather, but when you do need to top-up you should be able to rapid charge from 20 to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes. We drove the long-range model and Nissan’s 15 years of experience in electric cars really shows. This new Leaf is smooth, nippy around town and very relaxing on the motorway. We liked the paddles on the back of the steering wheel to adjust the intensity of the regenerative braking, and we were particularly impressed by the automatic mode which slows down more sharply at junctions. There’s also the ‘e-Pedal’ option for ‘one-pedal’ driving for around town and a selection of drive modes if you are feeling sporty or need to eke out range. The Leaf is easy to get along with with nicely weighted steering and a grown-up, accomplished vibe giving you confidence you are in safe hands.
Lease deals
These deals are based on terms of 8,000 miles, for a 36 month lease with a 6 months initial payment.
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Standard equipment
Expect the following equipment on your Nissan Leaf SUV. This may vary between trim levels.
Other vehicles in the Leaf family
Leaf Hatchback
Entry-level models are affordable
Zippy performance
Lots of standard safety kit
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