The Nissan Leaf is still there and costs ‘only’ 37 grand – Back to Basics

Nissan Leaf N-Connecta – €36,890

What was the first electric family car to go into mass production? No, not a Tesla, but the down-to-earth Nissan Leaf. The Leaf was almost finished in 2009 and first appeared on Dutch roads in 2011. At AutoWeek we have also often been introduced to electric driving in a Leaf, from the first time commuting to the first ‘road trip’ along the fast chargers that were only available in small numbers at the time. A concept, then, that its makers have now largely ignored. After several technical updates, a new generation appeared in 2017, which has many technical and even appearance similarities with the original model. In 2019, Nissan added a larger 62-kWh battery, although the equally expensive Tesla Model 3 was also introduced that year. This meant that the battery was too late to make this Leaf really successful. After a minor facelift, we are now back to just the small 39-kWh battery and the Leaf seems to be heading for an inglorious death after almost fifteen years.

Before that happens, you can still order the Leaf new. In any case, for almost 37 grand you can buy a fairly spacious car, which can hardly hide its age when it comes to electric performance. For example, the battery with a net capacity of 39 kWh provides a WLTP driving range of only 270 kilometers, after which you can fill it up again with a maximum of 50 kW at the fast charger. At least, if you can still find such a charger with the now seriously out of favor ChaDeMo plug, because a Leaf cannot handle CCS. Charging at home is also not quick, because there is no 3-phase charger. The officially stated consumption is 17.1 kWh per 100 km, decent, but certainly not spectacular. For comparison: a modern MG 4 consumes about the same, but even as a Standard Range it has a considerably larger battery and a driving range of 350 kilometers, all combined with a CCS connection and 117 kW fast charging. What does that cost? €32,285. Ouch.

Standard red

With 150 hp you have a healthy amount of power on board in the Leaf, good for a smooth 0-100 time of 7.9 seconds. For €36,890, Nissan parks it in front of the door in N-Connecta trim, one of the two available equipment levels. The basic Acenta version has been discontinued and things are looking good for the standard equipment of the Leaf. We mean that literally, because the N-Connecta gets the striking 17-inch wheels that appeared with the last facelift as standard. Moreover, the Leaf is red by default, which may explain why a specific secondment company love this model so much. LED headlights are not standard, but require an additional investment of €550. This puts the Leaf in a short list of electric cars with halogen headlights.

Will it be black or ‘light’? That choice has no influence on the price of the Nissan Leaf!

The good news in terms of color continues, because there is also something to choose from in the interior. You can replace the standard black with a light-colored interior at no additional cost. Its beige-ish tint extends not only to the seats, but also to the door panels and even the dashboard. That brightens up nicely! Seat heating is also standard, in the front and rear, and even the steering wheel can be heated. All Leafs come standard with a modest 8-inch screen by today’s standards, but with navigation, Android Auto and CarPlay. To further enhance comfort, Nissan is also giving every Leaf buyer from 2024 a ‘smart key’ with keyless entry as standard, plus an automatically dimming interior mirror, electrically folding exterior mirrors, parking sensors all around, a 360-degree camera, automatic climate control and adaptive cruise control. Neat. The Tekna costs almost 2 grand more at €38,840 and offers a lot of extra luxury for that modest additional price. This version has standard LED headlights, Nissan’s Pro-Pilot steering assistant, leather and suede seat upholstery and a Bose audio system. Prefer that variant? Then look carefully for an existing copy, because we can imagine that Nissan dealers are quite willing to think along when a potential Leaf buyer is at the door.