Nissan Leaf long-term review

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Have electric car. Will travel. Distance no object. (Rapid chargers permitting.) - 15th August 2018

Our Leaf has racked up a surprising number of miles in its first few weeks with us, immediately proving that it’s capable of much more than just pottering about in town – although it’s brilliant at that too.

Not only have I taken it on at least three trips of close to 200 miles each, but some of my more masochistic colleagues also nabbed it to use as unconventional transport for this year’s Three Peaks Challenge.

Although 160-170 miles of indicated range doesn’t sound like enough to give you complete freedom, the rapid charging infrastructure at motorway services and other locations along major routes now seems to be good enough that longer runs can be relatively painless in an EV with the Leaf’s capability.

Once, I might have been deterred from attempting such trips by the prospect of having to wait for hours while the batteries recharge. But in reality, I won’t have to, because in those situations, the Leaf is rarely likely to need a 0-100% charge. In most cases, a strategic top-up from, say, 30% to 80% in 30 to 40 minutes is enough to allow me to complete each journey. That I can handle.

Admittedly, I’ve tried this quick-stop approach only a couple of times so far, but it appears that other EV drivers are doing likewise and, to me, it seems quite liberating. It not only reduces range anxiety (by not letting the battery pack get close to running dry) but also allows me to drive the Leaf at the speed I want to – by which I mean comfortably keeping up with most other traffic on motorways – as opposed to chugging along at snail’s pace, trying to eke out every last mile of range from each charge.

When it’s working properly, Ecotricity’s Electric Highway smartphone app seems like a neat way of connecting with the charging point, paying for the energy used and keeping tabs on progress. However, on one occasion the app went AWOL part-way through a top-up and refused to let me stop the process early, as planned. I had to phone Ecotricity to get them to do it remotely.

The only downside of pay-as-you-go chargers such as Ecotricity’s is that they’re relatively expensive compared with recharging at home. A 30-minute top-up, adding about 80 miles to the Leaf’s range, is roughly £6 – probably three times the cost of a full overnight charge at home. You’re paying for the speed and convenience, though, and that figure still seems like a bargain next to the cost of the petrol or diesel you’d use to cover the same distance.

Meanwhile, as expected, the ability to drive the Leaf using just one pedal is proving indispensable – around town at least. The e-Pedal function is especially convenient in stop-start city traffic and on stretches of road with lots of sleeping policemen across them. It’s also wonderful when going down ramps in multi-storey car parks, controlling the speed of your descent perfectly without you really having to do a thing.

Of course, e-Pedal is only as good as your ability to accurately judge when to lift off the accelerator, especially if you want the car to come to a complete halt. It soon becomes second nature, though – and frankly, you don’t want to use the brake pedal unless you really have to because it feels horribly spongy at first and then very abrupt. The combined effect of the two braking systems results in an uncomfortable stop, with anything that might be sitting on the back seats slamming into the footwell.

Most of the time, though, the Leaf is proving to be a highly agreeable car to drive every day. With its perky performance, absorbent ride and reasonably quick, well-weighted steering, it’s exceptionally good for commuting and zipping around town in.

And if my strategy of making better use of motorway rapid chargers for quick battery top-ups pays off, I can easily see me being able to use the Leaf as my only car for the next six months.

Love it:

REFINEMENT Noise levels are exceptionally low all round and the powertrain is silky smooth, as you’d expect of an electric motor

Loathe it:

TAILGATE RELEASE Getting into the boot is trickier than I’d like. The button on the tailgate is awkward to locate and operate and there’s no other means of opening it

Mileage: 2430

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Life with the Nissan Leaf: Month 1

Taking charge of electric top-ups - 1st August 2018

I’ve had a Chargemaster wallbox installed in my garage for overnight recharging. I had to make do with a 3kW wallbox rather than a faster 7kW one, but it’s still better than plugging the car into a domestic socket. It has its own tethered cable, too, so there’s no need to faff around with the one that comes with the car. And it’s paid for by the government.

Mileage: 1245

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Welcoming the Leaf to our fleet – 18th July 2018

I have a theory about electric cars. As these things go, it hardly ranks up there with Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, but here it is anyway: I reckon EVs are good for your health.

I’m not just talking about the fact that they don’t produce any exhaust emissions, thereby contributing to an improvement in the quality of the air we breathe. I’m convinced that driving an EV is also a guaranteed way of reducing stress levels and blood pressure. Even the most humble of EVs are so relaxing to drive that I rarely feel any kind of aggression towards other road users or like I’m in a rush to get anywhere.

For that reason – plus the fact that petrol and diesel prices are creeping up to extortionate levels – I’m exceedingly happy to be back behind the wheel of another electric car (having previously run a Renault Twizy and a BMW i3) for the next six months.

Sadly, it isn’t a Jaguar I-Pace, but it’s no less interesting or significant. It’s a new Nissan Leaf. The car that kicked off the modern era of EVs in 2011 has moved into its second generation as of early this year, and it’s a useful step forward compared with its predecessor in every way.

Among other things, it’s got more power and performance than before, a bigger battery pack, a longer claimed range and a smarter interior. Its progress prompted us to give it a game-changer award at this year’s Autocar Awards.

The claimed 235-mile range under the old NEDC test procedure can be discounted as unachievable, but Nissan is now quoting a real-world range of 168 miles, based on the new WLTP test. That’s better than the 124-mile figure that Volkswagen claims for the e-Golf, but only about the same as what you can already get out of a Renault Zoe. Frankly, I’d been hoping for something closer to 200 miles this time around.

The 40kWh battery pack can be recharged with a three-pin domestic socket (taking a tedious 21 hours), a seven-pin plug (seven and a half hours via a 7kW wall box) or a 50kW public rapid charger (40-60 minutes, to 80% capacity). With a subscription to Chargemaster’s Polar network, we’ll have access to more than 6500 public charging points in urban areas around the country.

For longer trips, I’ve also registered the car and a credit card with Ecotricity, which provides all of the rapid chargers at motorway services, so I’ll be able to access them and pay for each recharge via a smartphone app. However, previous experience suggests that the majority of the recharging will be done at home or the office, both of which are convenient for me.

Of the three trim levels available, mid-range N-Connecta gives you as much kit as you’re likely to need, but we’ve gone for range-topping Tekna, mainly because it opens the door to the full gamut of Nissan’s latest safety technology and driver aids. Standard equipment includes ProPilot (which combines active cruise control with lane-keeping assistance and blindspot monitors), as well as heated front and rear seats with leather and ‘ultrasuede’ upholstery, a surround-view monitor, a Bose premium audio system and full LED adaptive headlights.

On top of that, we’ve added ProPilot Park (£1090 with Tekna trim only), which is an almost fully automatic parking aid, and Spring Cloud Green metallic paint (£575).

I was never a fan of the previous Leaf’s interior or driving position, but the new one is a definite improvement, with a much more contemporary design and higher-quality materials. On first acquaintance, I still have some reservations about the driving position, mainly because the steering column doesn’t adjust for reach and I feel as though I’m perched on top of rather unsupportive seats. However, I’m not expecting this to be too much of an issue once I’ve settled in properly.

Practicality is a strong point for the Leaf, with plenty of space front and rear and a good-sized boot that’s hindered only slightly by the presence of a subwoofer on the floor. There’s a cargo net on either side of the boot for retaining the two charging cables – not as good as a separate compartment but hopefully convenient enough to prevent the boot from getting cluttered up with tangled cables.

Another piece of new technology for the Leaf is e-Pedal – a strong regenerative braking function that allows you to drive fairly easily most of the time without touching the brake pedal. I know from previous experience with the i3 that this ability to drive using just one pedal makes for exceptionally smooth progress, especially around town. There’s no creep in this mode, though, so it isn’t ideal for parking. In which case, you can switch it off, giving the same level of creep as you’d get in a normal automatic.

As you’d expect, the Leaf is wonderfully smooth and quiet when it’s rolling along, and its ride is remarkably comfortable, while the 148bhp electric motor provides lively, linear performance. The new car also feels more stable than its predecessor did, so I’m hopeful that it’ll be more assured on the motorway.

The big questions for me are ‘Has Nissan made a big enough step forward compared with the original Leaf and its contemporaries?’ and ‘Is the Leaf now usable enough to give it widespread appeal?’. No matter what the answers turn out to be, there are two things I can count on. One: my running costs are about to drop dramatically. And two: my doctor will be happy, as I’ll be in rude health.