The three keys to the Nissan Leaf 2018: range, price and rivals

The new Nissan Leaf is one of the most interesting electric cars on the market. But it is worth clarifying some things about its real range and its price, as well as knowing its rivals and possible alternatives.

The evolution from the first-generation Nissan Leaf to the new Nissan Leaf 2018 is significant. And not only in design. It is larger than its predecessor, has a boot that offers up to 435 litres of capacity and a cabin comparable to that of any compact of its size, has notably improved its range, and also adds new technologies to enhance driving comfort and safety.

Furthermore, it is more powerful: the motor now delivers almost 40 CV more, reaching 150 CV. In performance, like all electric cars, it stands out more for its acceleration, reaching 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds, than for its top speed, limited to 144 km/h, which is much lower than that of any combustion-engined car of equivalent power.

Nissan talks about two innovative technologies in the Leaf, which in reality are not that innovative. The e-Pedal is something that BMW already introduced in the i3: an accelerator pedal that also allows deceleration to be controlled without using the brakes, making the most of regenerative braking. And the ProPILOT assistants for parking (parallel or perpendicular, without the driver having to turn the steering wheel or operate the pedals) or for assisted driving, capable of maintaining the set distance from the vehicle ahead and keeping the car in its lane, stopping it if necessary, for example in a traffic jam.

All this is very good, but there are three aspects worth analysing in detail when discussing the Nissan Leaf, especially if you are considering buying one: range, price and rivals.

The range of the Nissan Leaf on the WLTP cycle

Undoubtedly, one of the points that can define the purchase of an electric vehicle is its range. And here you must bear in mind that Nissan currently quotes the new Nissan Leaf with a range of 378 km, but that range is on the NEDC cycle. What happens if we look at the range on the WLTP cycle, which is much more realistic? Well, the range of the Nissan Leaf drops to 285 km.

Nissan Leaf 2018

What is more, you should know that under the new driving cycle, which takes into account the consumption differences that exist when wider tyres are fitted, that figure applies to the versions with 16-inch wheels and tyres on the Leaf, and drops to 270 km for versions with 17-inch wheels.

Note that the WLTP driving cycle delivers much more realistic results than the NEDC cycle. But this does not mean that the Nissan Leaf guarantees you this range. As with the fuel consumption of combustion-engined cars, the combined average electricity consumption of the Nissan Leaf – according to official figures, 19.4 kWh/100 km, and 20.6 kWh/100 km with 17-inch wheels – can vary considerably depending on conditions of use: speed, whether or not the air conditioning is running, and so on. The most realistic approach is to expect that with the Leaf, real-world range will average around 250 km, and you may exceed 300 km if you do a lot of city driving, where you will benefit from the advantages of electric cars when recovering energy.

Price of the 2018 Nissan Leaf: from 31,900 euros

The price of the Nissan Leaf, like that of all electric cars, is not competitive against other hybrid or combustion-engined alternatives while there are no purchase incentives for eco-friendly cars. The Plan VEA is just around the corner, but it will last less than a sweet in front of a school gate.

Without any incentives, if you want to buy a Nissan Leaf you need, at a minimum, 31,900 euros, which is what the Acenta version costs with the brand’s current offer, financing the purchase through them. Without that discount, which totals 1,500 euros, the price is 33,400 euros.

But note that Nissan currently has a special offer for the N-Connecta trim, which, under the same conditions as the previous one – including financing through the brand – represents a discount of 2,650 euros, with a final price of 32,200 euros. The N-Connecta is worth considering, as the difference with the Acenta is only 300 euros, and it adds parking sensors, electrochromic interior mirror, peripheral view camera, lane departure warning and steering assist, and the Pro-Pilot system with hands-free assistance in traffic jams.

Above it is the Nissan Leaf Tekna, which with a 2,000 euro discount goes from 37,050 to 35,050 euros. Here you get absolutely everything, with LED headlights, heated seats and steering wheel, leather upholstery and even a BOSE audio system with 7 speakers. But we still find the Nissan Leaf N-Connecta more recommendable.

Rivals and alternatives to the Nissan Leaf

What can I buy for the 32,200 euros that the Nissan Leaf costs? Let’s look at three possibilities.

Among comparable electric cars, for this budget you can get a Renault ZOE R90 (motor and battery equivalent to the Leaf’s) in Life trim for 20,780 euros… but in this case with the battery on lease. The contract is annual, at 70 euros per month, for a total of 7,500 km travelled per year. Another alternative would be the Hyundai IONIQ electric, which costs around 33,000 euros in Klass trim. Finally, the BMW i3 94 Ah could be a very interesting option to the Nissan Leaf if the brand maintains the 5,500 euro discount it has been applying until a few months ago, which would let you take home the i3 from 32,700 euros. Currently, this discount has disappeared from the BMW configurator, leaving the final price at 38,200 euros.

A very interesting alternative if you want to enjoy the advantages of hybrid propulsion day to day, without being penalised on range or depending on a plug when it’s time to travel, would be the Kia Niro 1.6 PHEV. Currently, prices for this interesting plug-in hybrid SUV start from 32,600 euros, with the current discount reaching almost 2,900 euros.

Finally, we choose a compact with a 150 CV engine and automatic gearbox: a Volkswagen Golf 1.5 TSI evo DSG. With equipment similar to that of the Nissan Leaf N-Connecta, it comes in below 25,000 euros. The difference is more than 7,000 euros, which covers many years of fuel. And it is that, without purchase incentives, electric still comes at a high price.

Nissan Leaf image gallery

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackNissan Leaf8 versions · from 37,080 €