Nissan Leaf 2023 review: e+

What does it look like?

Honestly, it sort of looks like a Lego car. Particularly, how the nose is broken into distinct panels of the bonnet lid, charging lid and then the black grille. It makes it look pieced together and that interferes with any futuristic vibes that a lot of other EVs have been going for lately.

The 17-inch alloy wheels are weird-looking but I like the mix of materials of synthetic leather and metal accents on the dashboard inside. The interior is let down by the small-looking 8.0-inch touchscreen and big plasticky buttons/dials. An electric car should feel fun! 

How does it drive?

The e+ offers a longer driving range than the regular Leaf at 385km (WLTP), which makes the Leaf a more realistic every day car. The power output isn’t too shabby at 160kW/340Nm, so I’m surprised that this isn’t super responsive at low speeds and when you’re getting up to speed, say on a highway merge, your foot is literally on the floor to wring out the power. A bit like a golf cart. It’s pretty cruisy once you’re up to speed though and I still feel confident overtaking when I need to.

The ePedal is a cool feature - when it’s engaged, you only use the one pedal. Take your foot off the accelerator and it starts braking, and can even come to a full stop. It took me a day to get used to it but I actually really like it. And it's part of the regenerative braking system that helps recoup energy on the go.

The Leaf is definitely a city-slicker, though. It gets hammered by the wind and passing of other cars and can feel wobbly and unsure of itself at higher speeds. Which ended its chances of being a road tripper for my family.

The compact size of this makes it easy to park. The 360-degree view cameras make light work of even a tight spot.

How spacious is it?

It reminds you that it’s a hatchback as soon as you close the doors. The legroom and headroom are okay for my 168cm (5ft6) height but taller individuals may disagree! But it’s the width of the interior that bugs me, I find that most of me is pressing against the car (even my very fit husband experienced the same) - which made it feel more cramped than the legroom/headroom specs might suggest.

There’s not a lot of storage throughout the car either, which will stop this being practical for a lot families. The glove box is average in size but the middle console is tiny and besides a drink bottle holder in each door (but no storage bins) and two cupholders … that’s it for up front. The back seat only gets a drink bottle holder in each door and map pockets.

The boot is a good size for a little car with 405L of capacity when all seats are in use. Pop the back row down and that jumps up to a healthy 1176L (impressive for a hatch). There’s no ‘frunk’ storage, though, and with the permanently installed Bose sound system bolted to the cargo floor (and charging cables), the boot can feel a little awkward to use. No Leaf models have a powered tailgate but the lid isn’t heavy to operate.

How easy is it to use every day?

It has quite a few traditional features in it that makes it feel somewhat comfortable to operate, despite being an EV. That both works for and against it because while easy enough to understand, the plasticky buttons and big dials stop it feeling special inside. Yet, once you get used to the systems (about a day for me) and the ePedal, this is like using a big golf cart. Pretty simple.

The seats are manual on all grades, which is a bit of a bummer at this price point but the front seats and rear outboard seats are heated, which is a plus. The synthetic leather with blue stitching detail looks good and the seats get some points for being so well-padded, even if they’re narrow.

My five-year old really missed having some amenities in the backseat (there are none) but did get a decent view because of the higher seat position. The lower height of the car made it easy for him to scramble in and out too.

Charging is easy and plugging it in overnight in my garage did the trick of keeping the battery topped up and stopping any dreaded ‘range anxiety’ but the Leaf isn't as fast to charge as newer EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6.

How safe is it?

The Leaf comes with some great safety features, like: auto emergency braking (AEB) – with pedestrian detection, lane keeping tech, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and a handy rear-view mirror that can be switched over to show a camera feed of the rear.

It has the usual airbags but it doesn’t have a driver’s knee airbag or a front centre airbag like you find on some newer cars.

This version of the Leaf is unrated at the time of this review but the smaller motored version scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2018. Which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unsafe, but it’s something to consider.

There are ISOFIX mounts on the outboard seats plus three top tether child seat mounts but you’ll only be fitting two child seats comfortably. It was easy to fit a child seat but front passengers will lose some room when a 0-4 rearward-facing child seat is installed.

What’s the tech like?

It’s okay but it could be better. For example, there’s only one USB outlet, and just one 12-volt port (which is in the boot) in the whole car, leaving passengers without the means to stay charged up as the USB-A port will most likely be in use by the driver for the wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto function.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system is simple to understand but the graphics look a little boring. As a bonus, it has built-in satellite navigation, which I always like to have.

The partial digital instrument panel is easy to read but not super customisable.

How much does it cost to own?

There are two models available, the smaller motored Leaf and our model, the e+. The e+ has a greater driving range and motor size but will cost you $61,490 before on-road costs.

The Leaf comes with Nissan’s five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is pretty standard but it also comes with five-years roadside assistance which is great for peace of mind and an eight-year/160,000k battery warranty.

It has six-years capped-price servicing and services average $306, which is competitive for a small car but a bit expensive for an electric one. Servicing intervals are every 12 months or a longer than usual 20,000km, whichever occurs first.

If you’re considering an electric vehicle, you get some good features on the Leaf and it’s at the more affordable end of the electric car price scale.

Verdict