Nissan LEAF vs Zeekr 009

What's the difference?

If you’ve never driven an electric car before, the Nissan Leaf e+ is the perfect starting point.

It looks and feels for the most part like a conventional car, and it doesn’t throw any of its tech in your face.

It might sound like a criticism, but the Leaf e+ is easy-to-use and unintimidating, which is refreshing in a world dominated by TikToks, smart watches and cryptocurrency.

With a boosted driving range and a bit better performance, the Nissan Leaf e+ certainly puts a strong case forward as your next – or first – EV.

The Zeekr 009 is difficult to fault. It's a luxurious, practical vehicle that's easy and enjoyable to drive. There's no SUV on the planet that can compete with its practicality, whether it's room for people and their cargo, or just getting in and out of the vehicle. The only thing I would change about the 009 in terms of family use are the captain's chairs in the second row; a bench seat here for three people would be more practical for a family. If, however, you are using the 009 as a chauffeur car then the captain's chairs would provide the comfort and luxury jet-setting executives would welcome.

If you were expecting all electric cars to look like something out of Star Wars or Blade Runner, you might want to lower your expectations a tiny bit with the Nissan Leaf.

From the outside, the Leaf looks just… fine?

You can tell it’s an electric car because there aren’t big gaps in the front grille to let in air, and the sharp, angular styling helps the Leaf better cut through the air to maximise its driving range.

Step to the side and you’ll see a silhouette of a small hatchback, but spruced up with ‘Zero emissions’ badges and 17-inch wheels with low-rolling-resistance tyres.

The blacked-out C-pillar is kind of cool, and pinches the rear end a bit for a more stylish and even coupe-like roofline.

That roof is finished off with a subtle spoiler that carries down into the half-blacked-out tailgate and sharp tail-lights. There’s also a little diffuser down there and, being an electric car, there are no exhaust outlets to ruin the plastic.

Inside, once again, the Leaf looks just fine.

The biggest thing that really stands the Leaf e+’s cabin apart from a conventional small hatchback is the shifter, which is now a small puck-like thing.

It still functions the same, you pull it towards you and down to chuck the Leaf in drive, it’s just not a gear stick, and is one of the only giveaways that the Leaf is an EV from the inside.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen dominates the centre stack, and it's great to see that, despite the Leaf’s futuristic feel, there are still buttons and switches for the climate controls, rather than being an all-touchscreen affair.

It might sound like I'm a fan of the way the Leaf e+ looks, but it doesn’t really break the mould in terms of styling.

Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is completely up to you, as some would rather a more traditional looking vehicle, but I’d prefer a bit more zing in the style department.

You might think that there's only so much you can do to make a people mover good looking but Zeekr’s futuristic and alien-like take is inspired.

I love to sheer bluntness of the face. I love the chiseled looking bonnet, the LED running lights and the little show they put on every time you walk to or from the car. Even the side profile of the car sitting low and planted on its air suspension looks sleek and stylish. And I love the roulette-wheel-style alloys wheels.

I was impressed by the interior of the Lexus LM500h but the interior of the 009 exceeds even that with modern and youthful styling wrapped in beautiful soft leather upholstery. The second-row seats are just absolutely sumptuous and every single touch point throughout the cabin feels luxurious.

The 009 doesn't match the size of the gigantic entertainment screen in the second row of the LM500h but I found the drop down 17-inch 3K entertainment to have an even more modern look and feel.

Measuring 4490mm long, 1788mm wide, 1540mm tall and with a 2700mm wheelbase, the Nissan Leaf e+ sizes up nicely against small hatchbacks like the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30.

Up front, there’s no denying the Leaf’s practicality, and the cabin feels light and airy thanks to big and generous windows, even if the A-pillars are a little on the thick side.

However, the seats are positioned a little too high – at least for our tastes – and without a telescoping function on the steering wheel, it can take a bit of time before you find the most comfortable driving position.

Storage options in the front seats include door pockets that will take a big water bottle, two cupholders between the seats, a deep storage cubby under the armrest and a tiny little recess that will fit your wallet and smaller phones.

In the rear seats, space does get a bit tighter, at least for my six-foot-tall frame, but there is still sufficient head and leg-room in the two outboard seats.

The middle position is pretty compromised, however, because of the lithium-ion battery underneath and all the components needed to get juice up to the front wheels, which eats away significantly at the footwell.

In the back, storage options extend to a bottle holder in the doors and map pockets behind the two front seats.

Opening the boot reveals a cavity that will accommodate 405 litres officially, but you might want to be careful not to load the Leaf to the brim.

There’s a Bose sound system device positioned right behind the back seats, which emits a beeping sound when reversing to warn pedestrians you are there, so you’ll have to be careful not to damage it with anything big and heavy.

It’s a bit disappointing to see there are no bag hooks or luggage tie-down points in there, but at least there are storage nets where you can put your charging cables.

Fold the rear-seats down and available volume swells to 1176L, but the seats do not fold flat, making it trickier to transport longer items.

When it comes to practicality, no SUV on the planet can beat a people mover for space, storage and utility. The Zeekr 009 is beautifully luxurious with outstanding practicality.

Air suspension can lower the vehicle to an entry height that is just a small step into a cabin through the power sliding doors and while space in the second row is outstanding, entry to the third row is easy with the second-row seats folding forward at the touch of the button.

This third row by the way is the most spacious I have encountered with excellent leg and headroom.

Gigantic door pockets, a folding table between second-row seats, great storage under the floating centre console and in the centre console bin, cupholders in all three rows along with wireless charging pads and USB ports everywhere make this a practical and versatile cabin for families or executives.

Boot capacity with all seven seats in place is 574 litres and with the third row folded flat there's 2979 litres of volume.

A front boot can be found under the bonnet but will probably just fit the charging cable.

The list price of the Zeekr 009 seven-seater is $135,900 before on-roads. There is also a six-seat version for $139,900 which swaps out the third-row bench seating for two separate, more luxurious seats.

We’ve tested the seven-seater version here but the standard features on both are almost identical.

Coming standard on the seven-seat 009 are LED headlights and LED tail-lights, power sliding side doors, a power tailgate and 20-inch alloy wheels clad in Michelin Pilots for EV tyres.

Inside, seven seats come standard with two captain’s chairs in the second row with heating, ventilation and massaging functions, and of course these are also fully power adjustable.

Standard, too, is a 30-speaker 3000W Yamaha sound system with speakers in the head rests. While I’m no audiophile, I have experienced the best sound systems offered by carmakers and this is up there with the most exceptional - Mark Levinsons included.

Folding out of the ceiling is a 17-inch 3K OLED screen for second and third-row passenger entertainment.

There’s four-zone climate control, sun shades for all side windows, a glass roof, and an 8.6-litre fridge large enough for six cans of drink.

Up front the seats are power adjustable, heated and ventilated too, there’s a 15.05-inch media screen, a 10.25-inch instrument cluster, a 35.95-inch augmented reality head-up display, sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

If you're wondering how all this adds up to $136,000 you can't forget that the Zeekr 009 has one of the largest batteries available in a production car. The 116kWh battery is only matched by Mercedes-Benz's EQS and BMW's i7 and these cars cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Batteries account for a large portion of the cost of an electric car and so at under $140K, and with all of the features it has as well, the Zeekr 009 is a relative bargain.

Under the bonnet of the 2021 Nissan Leaf e+, you will find the electric motor and inverter, which drives the front wheels via a single-speed automatic transmission.

The Leaf e+’s electric motor produces 160kW of power and 340Nm of torque, which is a noticeable step up over the standard Leaf’s 110kW/320Nm output.

As a result, the Leaf e+ is quicker in the 0-100km/h sprint, needing just 6.9 seconds, compared to the Leaf’s 7.9s time.

The Zeekr 009 has two electric motors - one at the front and one at the rear - with a combined output of 450kW and 693Nm. That's Lamborghini Huracan stuff! Almost identical power, but this has more torque.

Not only does this provide all-wheel drive and fantastically controlled traction, but the way the power and torque is delivered is simply superb. This is a seven-seater rocket that will never leave the ground - hopefully.

The nature of electric motors - especially these ones - are the perfect fit for this vehicle, providing a serenely quiet, luxurious and effortlessly powerful experience.

Officially, the Nissan Leaf e+ consumes 18kWh per 100km … which we’re betting means absolutely nothing to you.

Translating this into real-world terms, the Leaf e+ will travel about 385km with a full charge.

This is much higher than the 270km afforded in the standard Leaf because the e+ has a much larger 62kWh battery, which is part of the reason it costs so much more.

However, with things like regenerative braking and careful use of the air-conditioning, your mileage can greatly vary.

In our week with the car, I actually managed an average consumption rating of 17.3kWh/100km, bettering the official figure.

Regardless, using a standard household socket will get the Leaf e+ from 30 per cent battery to full in about 11.5 hours, and using a DC fast-charger will cut the 20-80 per cent charge to just 45 minutes.

Do note that the Leaf e+ features the CHAdeMO DC fast-charging ports, which are a little harder to find than the CCS varieties.

The Leaf e+, as well as the Leaf, also now support bi-directional charging, so you can use your car to power your home to charge things like your phone and Nintendo.

The Zeekr 009 has a 116kWh battery which is enormous - almost the biggest you can get in Australia currently. This lithium-ion battery has a range of 582km (WLTP). There are petrol cars that can’t go that far on a tank.

The battery has an AC charging capacity of 11kW and DC charging capacity of 205kW, allowing you to charge from 10-80 per cent in 39 minutes.

Energy consumption is officially 19.5kWh/100km and we’ve been getting an average of 23.5kWh/100km.

That’s because this thing is so heavy at 2.9 tonnes.

If you’ve never driven an electric car before, there is a bit of a learning curve. For starters, the torque is available instantaneously, and there isn’t any exhaust or engine noise to contend with.

But don’t worry, because Nissan has made it really easy to just get into the Leaf e+ and go.

Firstly, there is nothing intimidating about the cabin. The layout for all the controls and switches is well thought out, and everything is just where it should be and does what it's meant to do.

This means that, despite having an electric drivetrain, the Leaf e+ feels familiar – and that’s important to some.

Turn the car on, put it in Drive and – just like a regular car – push on the throttle to move. But even though torque is available right away, the Leaf e+ never shoots forward at a mind-blending or uncontrollable pace.

Can you tell the Leaf e+ has a peppier engine than the base offering? It’s hard to say without driving the Leaf and Leaf e+ back-to-back, but Nissan’s new electric hatchback offers spritely enough performance.

What is noticeable is the boost to driving range.

While an extra 110 or so kilometres might not seem like that much in the grand scheme of things, it means you don’t have to worry about plugging in and recharging as often, and it's always nice to look down at the range-remaining display and see a three-digit figure.

In our week with the car, we only charged up once, and there was never a moment where we stressed about running out of juice before getting the car back to base.

And if you really are worried about your range, or are into hypermiling, there is always the Eco mode, or Nissan’s e-Pedal, to play around with.

The former will just dial back performance to add about 15km to the overall range, while the latter allows the Leaf e+ to be operated with just the throttle pedal.

Lift off the right foot, and the Leaf e+’s aggressive regenerative braking will kick in to recoup energy and slow down the car, forcing you to think about and be careful with your inputs.

It might sound like a marketing gimmick, but it really is the best way to drive the Leaf e+ if range is a concern.

The Nissan Leaf e+ isn’t the last word on dynamics by any stretch, turn the wheel and the car will travel where you direct it, but it does so without any great flair or panache.

No, the 2021 Nissan Leaf e+ is a not dynamic wunderkind, but it absolutely nails being a comfortable, familiar and unintimidating step into the world of electric cars.

The Zeekr 009 is one of the largest vehicles on the Australian market at almost three tonnes and 5.2 meters long but it's also one of the most comfortable, and one of the easiest and most enjoyable cars I've driven.

This is for three main reasons. The first is the air suspension which provides a beautifully comfortable and composed ride.

The next is those electric motors which provide so much grunt but in a very predictable way that's smooth, silent and instant, allowing you to move through traffic or drive confidently on a motorway.

Finally the visibility, steering and pedal feel all combined to provide an effortless piloting experience through narrow laneways, carparks or while parking.

Adding to the enjoyment of driving this people mover is a comfortable, plush interior that's so well insulated that you'll coast serenely through traffic.

As for handling, I have also driven the 009 on a race track at Sydney Motorsport Park. I pushed it through a couple of corners where even some sports have cars struggled to maintain their composure and this massive people move performed surprisingly well, staying planted through the corners.

I've also taken the 009 onto a skid pan and intentionally tried to slide the vehicle and even under these controlled conditions it showed no sign of roll or loss of control.

Having taken the 009 through probably the widest range of testing I've ever put a car through I'd say that it feels safe and secure in pretty much any real-world condition you will experience.

The Zeekr 009 hasn’t been tested by ANCAP yet, but it comes with auto emergency braking (AEB), front and rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assistance, auto parking, and blind spot warning. You’ve got airbags covering all three rows and a centre airbag up front.

For child seats there are four ISOFIX points in the second and third rows and four top tether points.

Like all new Nissan models sold in Australia in 2021, the Leaf e+ comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, along with five years of roadside assist.

The battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km assurance period, which ensures three quarters of capacity after that time.

Scheduled service intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever occurs first, matching the industry standard.

With Nissan’s capped-price-servicing schedule, the Leaf e+ will cost around $1742 to maintain over five years, averaging out to be about $290 per year.

Without the need to change things like oil and sparkplugs, the all-electric Leaf e+ is much cheaper to keep on the road than petrol-powered competitors.

The 009 is covered by Zeekr’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. The battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty.

Servicing is recommended every 40,000km or every two years, whichever comes first. There’s also five years/unlimited kilometres of roadside assistance and five years of connected services as standard.