Nissan LEAF 30kWh: Getting started with an electric car

David drives a Nissan LEAF 30kWh and shares how he got started with his electric car.

What got you into a Nissan LEAF in the first place?

Since seeing the Tesla Roadster on Top Gear, I knew that I wanted to switch even though the Top Gear presenters tried to make it look bad, that actually that made me more interested. I had started seeing early Nissan LEAFs, BMW i3s and Teslas on the road, so noticed that they were clearly beginning to appear, so reality was becoming nearer.

I also hated dirty, stinky, filthy petrol stations, the queue, the cold getting out and the chocolate bar gauntlet at the till. Also, living in a rural area getting fuel was a pain. My diesel was costing me money, lots of repairs, servicing & breakdowns. The worst was when the car went into DPF clean mode, I felt like I was about to choke to death.

So I worked out the actual cost of my diesel car per month & per mile and reached a figure. I then went to the Nissan dealer & test drove a LEAF Tekna, went back, did the sums and the PCP was lower than my diesel and to boot for the top of the range version!

The rest is history and in 2016 I went EV without much clue about EVs, charging or anything as there was little out there to read and nobody to ask!

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Initially, what did you find most confusing about electric car ownership and how did you solve that?

Confusing? Plug, socket, put plug in socket, car charges! That was it really. On the second day I drove to London, 111 miles return. I did drive quite slowly and got back with 3% as I hadn’t got a home charger or any apps/RFID cards at this point.

The challenge that arose later was planning longer trips. Chargers were scarce and unreliable but if a chap can drive his ENV200 to Spain I can get to places 100 miles away. Of course, these issues have gone today with longer range & many more faster chargers!

What sources of information helped you e.g. people, groups, websites etc?

At that time there were very few sources of information, a couple of forums and early maps. I contributed as much as I learnt!

What are your top 3 pieces of advice for those people considering their first electric car?

1 – Ignore the brand and buy a dedicated EV platform car with the range you actually need. Avoid ICE compromise cars that come as ICE/Hybrid as they are poor value, badly designed & small inside.

2 – Do not think of charging like filling you tank with fuel. You charge at night, shops, work or services when you are away from the car.

3 – Enjoy the car, allow for extra time until you get used to the car, charging, public charging or new destinations. A bit of planning = super easy travelling.