Why did you choose the Nissan LEAF?
I have always bought British-built cars and that was key to a Nissan LEAF being my first EV. I loved it so much I’ve stuck with this make and model since.
I was looking for an electric car so I could be a bit better on the environment. The Nissan dealer was offering a good scrappage scheme for my old car which brought the LEAF into my price range. I’d done my homework and had chosen the age and spec for a reason.
In 2018, choice was between this and the BMW i3 but as the LEAF was a 5-seater with more room and more range it was chosen.
Nissan LEAF 40kWh N Connecta 2019, Gutto
Decent price and Nissan gets a good name.
Positives – List 3 or more reasons why you love this car?
- Efficient
- Warms up remotely in winter
- Fast acceleration with instant torque.
Nissan LEAF e-Tekna 2020, Colin
- It’s really smooth to drive
- It doesn’t pollute
- It’s very cheap to run.
- Matches my bladder range
- Love the e-pedal
- Love the acceleration, it would beat my old Lexus V8 off the line.
Negatives – List 3 or more things that you really don’t like about this car?
- Range
- Needs updating
- No washer water low light!
I can’t say really don’t like, but things I’m not so keen on:
- The sat nav/infotainment being a bit dated
- The range isn’t great (but I knew that when I bought it and it covers me for 95% of journeys)
- Finally, it’s not about the car but about the charging infrastructure (which isn’t great, so I charge at home mainly).
- Slight blind spots due to the front quarter lights but compensated for by new driver alerts
- New menu system on the dashboard is not as user-friendly as with the first-gen LEAFs albeit there’s much more in it!
Surprise us! Tell us something surprising about this car?
The acceleration for overtaking is surprisingly agile.
Quick away from the lights!
It took me 6 months to convince my wife it will work for us…within 3 weeks she loved it and I couldn’t get the keys off her.
Nissan LEAF 40kWh N Connecta 2019, Gutto
What home charging unit do you use? Would you recommend it to others and why?
Rolec – quite basic, better out there now.
Pod Point comes with an app so I can check my consumption and set charge times to take advantage of cheap ‘leccy’ for both of our cars.
What home electricity supplier & tariff do you use? Would you recommend it to others and why?
Octopus Go – 5p per kW charging 00:30 to 04:30 every day = electricity costs of just 1.25p per mile. Would absolutely recommend.
Octopus Agile with the Ohme Smart Cable – yes, no issues.
Nissan LEAF 40kWh N Connecta 2019, Gutto
What public charging networks do you use? Would you recommend them to others and why?
I use Pod Point a lot when out and they’re good. Polar/BP Chargemaster are reliable too. Electric Highway used to be hit and miss but they’re getting better. My personal favourites are Instavolt, they have got the chargers just right and are putting them in all over the place. They aren’t the cheapest but they just work.
Who do you insure your EV with? Would you recommend them to others and why?
Admiral – MultiCar cover with house and our BMW PHEV, good value.
Direct Line- they do not seem to charge a premium for EVs or hike their prices up for no reason each year. I have had to claim twice with no quibbles from Direct Line about settling the claims nor attempts to put up the premium the following year. Yes, I would recommend.
