Nissan Leaf review: New electric car can power your house

One of the big drawbacks of electric cars in Australia is they draw power from coal, but Nissan’s new electric car has a work around.

Nissan’s battery-electric Leaf is an expensive amulet to ward off climate change. You’re essentially paying $15,000 over the odds for a mid-size hatch to salve your enviro-conscience. Even then, if you plug in to recharge at home at 7pm when everyone else does, a fair chunk of the electricity the Leaf is absorbing will be coal or gas-generated.

Nissan is not to blame for our baseload power issues but this quandary highlights the need for a coherent national energy policy so people can make accurate long-term assessments of their choice of power and transport.

Potentially lending a hand there, the Leaf can even help power the house (or will be when the wallbox is certified for use in Australia) and cut the peaks and troughs of demand on the grid.

The Nissan Leaf can power your house when it is not in use.

Value

There are two ways to look at the Leaf: an overly expensive, limited-range hatch or a standard-bearer for the latest generation of electric vehicles with reasonable range and the promise of cheaper running costs.

The Leaf, at $49,990 plus on-roads, is $13,000 more than a top-spec Mazda3, though that comparison is like apples to oranges.

Nissan EV infrastructure partner ChargeFox says average annual running costs will be about $800, or $1000 cheaper than a comparable car with internal combustion engine. Toss in more expensive servicing for the regular rival and you’re still looking at eight to 10 years to recover the extra cost.

Of more relevance, Nissan’s EV costs $5000 more than the Hyundai Ioniq Electric Elite but claims about 40km more range. It is also $2000 dearer than the Renault Zoe Life but has more space and a more powerful motor.

Electric cars ask a huge premium over normal petrol powered vehicles.

Standard gear in the Leaf — there’s only one spec — includes an eight-inch infotainment display with satnav and smartphone mirroring, heated steering wheel and front seats and adaptive cruise control.

Service intervals are 12 months or 20,000km and the first five trips cost $1388. That’s not cheap, especially when the Ioniq can be serviced (via a prepaid plan) for $800 for the first five years/75,000km.

Comfort

The Nissan’s interior quality is not up to scratch.

The Leaf has some legacy issues — no one expects a foot-operated park brake in a new car, especially one that is otherwise so advanced.

Ditto the lack of reach adjustment for the steering column and plastics notable for the absence of soft-touch surfaces, the sort of tactile quality that can be had in $25,000 hatches. It suggests Nissan cut corners on the interior design to try to contain costs.

Pluses include well-cushioned seats, easy-to-read driver’s display and plenty of storage space in the front of the cabin. Two adults will fit comfortably in the second row of the Leaf and will have reasonable outward vision.

The Leaf has a claimed range of about 270km.

Safety

ANCAP gave the Leaf five safety stars last year. Adult occupant protection was rated at 93 per cent, though the driver’s pelvis area had poor protection in the full width frontal crash test.

In the crash test, it was noted “the driver’s pelvis slipped beneath the lap section of the seat belt and the dummy was not properly restrained during the crash”.

Child occupant protection was 85 per cent, vulnerable road user protection was assessed at 71 per cent, largely due to the autonomous emergency braking earning marginal and weak scores for pedestrian detection at night.

The safety assist software was rated at 70 per cent with the biggest criticism directed at the fact the lane-keep assist doesn’t include an emergency lane keep feature. The AEB was rated at good and operates from 5km/h to well beyond the legal limit.

The Leaf has a spacious cabin for a small car.

Driving

Under-floor batteries endow the Leaf with a low centre of gravity to help it corner but also bump up the mass to 1594kg. That is hefty by mid-size hatch standards and means the Leaf can thump into bigger lumps and bumps.

It is generally pretty composed over the smaller undulations on most of our roads and there’s not much roll around the corners. No surprise, the tyres are low-rolling resistance jobs to improve efficiency — given that inherent compromise, they have a respectable amount of lateral grip in the wet or dry.

The Nissan is in its element amid the cut and thrust of city motoring. The electric motor packs 320Nm and can spin the front wheels when launching from the lights.

That initial accelerative burst then extends into a predictable power delivery that suggests the claimed 7.9-second run from rest to 100km/h isn’t beyond reach.

It is also capable of attaining its claimed 270km range in this environment.

With the “e-pedal” engaged to maximise regenerative braking but no other concession to efficiency, the Leaf indicated 12.7kWh of charge to cover 100km. The battery stack is good for 40kWh, so you’re in business.

Regenerative braking adds power to the battery.

It’s a different story on a two-degree Melbourne morning with the heating on high and the seats toasting my posterior.

The constant 100km/h pace gives no scope to recover energy. The consumption meter showed 17.8kWh/100km, meaning I’d be getting nervous around the 180km mark, given you don’t want to completely drain the battery.

Head says

The Leaf is too dear and too restricted in application to be considered by anyone outside a major city.

Heart says

The infrastructure rollout is accelerating and the Leaf will help shift the perception of EVs from peculiar to practical.

Alternatives

Hyundai Ioniq Electri c
From $44,990 plus on-roads

The cheaper price is reflected in the restricted 230km range, courtesy of a 28kWh battery and 88kW/295Nm motor.

Renault Zoe
From $47,490 plus on-roads

The Zoe doesn’t match the Leaf for size but has marginally better range thanks to similar battery capacity and smaller 68kW/220Nm motor.

Verdict 3/5

The Leaf is well-priced by EV standards but I’m not convinced the advantages will induce buyers to pay a premium for a non-premium mid-size hatch.

Nissan Leaf vitals

Price: $49,990 plus on-roads

Warranty/servicing: 5 years/u’ltd km, $1388 for 5 years

Motor: 110kW/320Nm, 40kWh battery

Safety: 5 stars, 6 airbags, AEB, blind spot and lane departure alerts

Range: 270km

Spare: Space-saver

Boot: 405L