Nissan LEAF 2016 electric car owner review

Sue drives a Nissan LEAF 24kWh 2016 electric car.

This is Sue’s first electric car, she’s owned the Nissan LEAF from new and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 50,000-60,000 miles and she achieves 90 miles range from a full charge.

Why did you choose the Nissan LEAF?

Availability at the time and trade-in options. Tech specifications such as heated seats, steering wheel and all-round camera were a deciding factor too. Even now, no other affordable manufacturer seems to offer 360 cameras which are great for me.

Sign-up to Electric Road now to receive a FREE ‘Nissan LEAF Guide’, a weekly Newsletter and to win some great prizes!

Positives – List 3 or more reasons why you love this electric car

All-round camera
comfort and quietness of ride
safety.

Negatives – List 3 or more things that you really don’t like about this electric car

Not a fan of its body’s aesthetics
charger (CHAdeMO) now seems to be harder to find especially in more remote places such as North Wales
App no longer seems to work and sat nav maps don’t seem to update.

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

I think it was recalled for brakes, which was rectified. I had to recently have brakes changed due to corrosion.

What are the standout technological features of the car?

The regenerative braking is great
I love the 360 camera
heated seats and steering wheel on this Tekna model are good for me
the ability to set a timer to set air conditioning was invaluable when I used to do an early school run in the winter.

Surprise us! Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car

If buying second-hand do try to get a later model with an updated charger. Mine is only 3.3 AC so only good for overnight charging and not quick top-ups if a CHAdeMO isn’t available. It’s potentially useful to obtain a Type 2 converting cable for emergencies though as you won’t find a Type 1 charger anywhere.

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

KIA e-Niro seems good as the range is much better and you get lots of gadgets! But I also loved the VW ID.3 when I looked.

Please outline both positive & negative elements of your home charging unit?

It’s an old Type 1 Pod Point charger – it does the job. The down points of it are that you can’t charge any other make of car so when I change I’ll have to get a new one. Also, my cable is fixed so if it gets damaged I’ll need more complicated repairs, I think.

Please outline both positive & negative elements of your electricity supplier & tariff?

I’m on Ecotricity E7 which is a completely green tariff. It seems expensive compared with some.

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?

The Gridserve ones are now astonishingly bad. I will avoid those now because the last time it took ages to get connected then it failed while I was in the Services so I wasted even more time waiting for another one to become free.

Please itemise where you’re saving money owning & running your Nissan LEAF

I have no idea how much I’m saving to be honest. But I compared my spending on public chargers over my two-week holiday with my friend’s diesel estimate (during the fuel crisis in August 2022) and it just about came out cheaper than his. Obviously, I pay less on servicing and no tax, so it’s surely cheaper. And if I get stuck in traffic it doesn’t cost me in fuel like an ICE vehicle!