Third time the charm
First drive of the all-new Nissan LEAF
- Joe Rayfus -
The Nissan LEAF has been around long enough to have earned its place in the history books, and long enough to have been overtaken by cars that owed it their existence. Nissan sold close to 700,000 of them since 2010 and effectively proved that ordinary people would buy an electric car. Then it spent the guts of the last decade watching everyone else build a better one.
The third generation, launched to the Irish media recently at Bellinter House, is Nissan's answer to that. It is not a facelift; not just a tidy-up. It is a different car wearing a familiar badge, and on first acquaintance it is a considerably better one.
Let's start with the way it looks, because that is where the biggest change is. The outgoing LEAF was an awkward thing, the first generation was just straight up awful looking. This one is a crossover, and the shift in proportions has done it enormous good. There is a proper flowing roofline, flush door handles, a full underfloor cover and a set of surfaces that actually catch the light. The lighting signature front and rear gives it an identity it never had before. Parked outside Bellinter, I couldn't help seeing similarities with the Ariya and perhaps even a little of the old Honda CRX.
Inside, it is well appointed and generally well judged. The materials are a step up, the driving position is good, and the NissanConnect system with Google built-in is one of the better implementations of that setup. Google Maps with route planning, Google Assistant for voice control and Google Play for apps means you spend very little time learning a manufacturer's own interface, which is no bad thing. The safety kit is comprehensive as standard, including intelligent emergency braking, blind spot intervention, rear cross traffic alert and a 3D around view monitor that earns its keep in a tight Irish car park.
On the road, efficiency is the headline. Nissan quotes up to 622km from the 75kWh battery and 424km from the 52kWh, and more usefully, up to 370km at a steady 120kph. That second figure is the one that matters, because motorway speed is where most EVs quietly haemorrhage range. The LEAF holds on to it well. Fast charging is rated at 150kW for the larger battery and 105kW for the smaller, with up to 420km recovered in half an hour.
Two changes will please anyone who has lived with an older LEAF. The charging port has finally moved off the nose and onto the front passenger quarter panel, which makes far more sense in a real car park. And CCS charging is now standard, which quietly removes the single biggest reason people avoided the previous car. CHAdeMO is gone.
It is not all good news. Rear legroom is tight and the boot, while quoted at 437 litres, does not feel especially generous in the metal. A power liftgate is available, which helps, and vehicle-to-load lets you run a kettle or a set of lights, which is a genuinely useful for anyone who camps or works outdoors.
Pricing starts at €36,095 for the 52kWh Engage, rising to €41,795 for the 52kWh Evolve. The 75kWh cars open at €39,995 and run to €51,795 for the Evolve. All figures include VRT relief, with the €3,500 SEAI grant applied where it qualifies.
Nissan Ireland described the new Leaf as a no-compromise EV. It is certainly a far more convincing car than the one it replaces, and for a lot of Irish buyers, it will do the job without asking them to think about it much. That is progress indeed!