Nissan Leaf

Nissan Leaf at a glance

The first two generations are five-door C-segment hatchbacks with a front-mounted electric motor driving the front wheels and the battery under the floor. More Nissan models are listed in our Nissan catalogue.

First generation (2010–2017)

The first Leaf was built from October 2010 at Oppama, Japan, and later also at Smyrna, Tennessee (from January 2013) and Sunderland, UK (from March 2013). Its 80 kW motor was fed by a 192-cell lithium-ion battery developed with NEC, giving about 160 km of range at launch. A full charge took about 8 hours at 230 V, while a fast charger restored 80% in about 30 minutes. It was the world's best-selling electric car from 2011 to 2014 and again in 2016.

Second generation (2017–2025)

Exterior

The second Leaf, presented on 6 September 2017 and launched in Japan in October 2017, looks much more attractive than its predecessor, with revised headlights, a new intake shape and more surface detail. The front sits high and slopes for good visibility, with a large bonnet with a recessed centre and prominent ridges, near-rectangular full-LED headlights and Nissan's trapezoidal V-motion panel with chrome and gloss-black inserts. Small fog lamps sit in recesses at the corners. The drag coefficient is 0.29.

At first glance it is hard to tell from the side that the Leaf is electric. The upper body and roof are always black, the mirrors carry indicators, door handles are chrome or gloss black, and a rising window line with black rear pillars creates a "floating roof" effect. Ground clearance is an average 150 mm, and wheels are 16 or 17 inches. At the rear, a black roof spoiler with a brake light frames a large, slightly sloping tailgate window, flanked by unusually shaped LED tail lights joined by a gloss-black panel; the lower bumper has a black diffuser and fog lamps. There is, of course, no exhaust.

Interior

The cabin became more conventional and modern. The seats are very comfortable, especially in the front, with light side support, but the steering wheel does not adjust for reach. The instruments combine an analogue speedometer on the right with a display on the left, behind a flat-bottomed three-spoke multifunction wheel. A 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto sits in the centre, below slim air vents and the hazard switch. Lower down are seat-heating buttons, USB and AUX ports and a socket — the only ones in the cabin. Materials range up to leatherette with Alcantara, and the dashboard is trimmed in leather. A small joystick with blue lighting selects the drive mode, next to buttons for automatic parking and e-Pedal. The rear bench is simple and not especially roomy. The boot grew to 400 litres, or 1,176 litres with the rear seat folded.

Electric drivetrain

The synchronous AC motor drives the front wheels through a single-speed reduction gear. The 40 kWh version reaches 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and 144 km/h. Nissan gives an eight-year or 160,000 km battery warranty. The e-Pedal button activates strong regenerative braking of up to 0.2 g, allowing the car to be driven almost without the brake pedal. Charging takes 8–16 hours from a household socket depending on the supply; the on-board AC charger is rated at 6.6 kW, and CHAdeMO fast charging (50 kW, up to 100 kW on the e+) reaches 80% in about 40 minutes. The charging ports sit under a flap at the front. The Leaf also supports vehicle-to-grid.

Chassis and safety

The second Leaf uses Nissan's front-wheel-drive EV platform with plenty of high-strength steel, MacPherson struts at the front, a torsion beam at the rear and anti-roll bars at both ends; body rigidity increased by 40%. Steering has electric assistance, and all four brakes are ventilated discs with ABS and EBD. Safety equipment includes ESP, LED lights, a 360-degree camera system, automatic parking, intelligent cruise control, ProPilot — which handles acceleration, steering and braking within a single lane on higher trims — six airbags plus curtain airbags, tyre-pressure monitoring, blind-spot monitoring and driver attention monitoring. The battery's position helps stiffen the structure.

The second-generation Leaf was built at Oppama, Smyrna and Sunderland; UK production ended in March 2024 after about 270,000 cars.

Third generation (2025 onwards)

Previewed by the Chill-Out concept in November 2021 and unveiled on 17 June 2025, the third Leaf is a subcompact crossover built on the AmpR Medium (formerly CMF-EV) platform shared with the Nissan Ariya, in Tochigi, Japan, and Sunderland, UK. It offers a 52 kWh battery with a 130 kW motor (344 Nm) or a 75 kWh battery with a 160 kW motor (354 Nm), with ranges of 436–604 km WLTP. It charges at up to 150 kW DC, is Nissan's first model with the NACS connector in North America, and has a drag coefficient of 0.25.

Key specifications by generation

Strengths and weaknesses

Owners like the updated styling, acceleration, reliability, low running costs, easy handling, comfort, attractive interior and many electronic aids and safety systems; it is ideal for city driving. On the other hand, its range is shorter than some rivals', it can feel underpowered on the motorway, charging takes a long time and specialised service centres are scarce in some regions. Rivals include the Renault Zoe, Hyundai Ioniq, Volkswagen e-Golf, BMW i3, Kia Soul EV, Tesla Model 3, Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius.