Nissan LEAF 2017 electric car owner review

Carl MH drives a Nissan LEAF Black Edition 30kWh 2017.

This is Carl’s first electric car, he’s owned the Nissan LEAF from new and drives under 5,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 20,000-30,000 miles and he achieves 135 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the Nissan LEAF?

It was one of only a few available and I had a Nissan dealer very close to my home.

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

It’s so much fun to drive
loads of gadgets
costs a fraction to run compared to an ICE.

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

Would like more range (obviously), not being funny but I can’t think of ANYTHING else – it’s just ace!!!

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

There was a minor recall due to an electrical isolation problem. The auto wing mirrors started making a horrid noise but Nissan sorted it FOC. I get an occasional brake lock when reversing but very infrequent.

What are the standout technological features of the car?

Cameras throughout, bluetooth connectivity, electric mirrors, auto-speed function, torque drive giving really smooth drive, regenerative braking, black-out windows at rear. Lots more I can’t think of!

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

I would say that the most surprising thing is that it costs me about £6 to charge overnight on the house supply. Insanely cheap motoring especially if you have solar, effectively free mileage when the sun shines 🙂

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

Would love to upgrade the battery on this Nissan – I’m a ‘keeper’.

Do you charge your electric car from home?

Yes

Do you have a home charging unit installed?

Electricity supplier & tariff – outline both positive & negative elements

I use Ecotricity who used to operate the Electric Highway chargers and so I got very good charging rates but not so now GRIDSERVE have taken this on. However, I still get an Eco discount on my home supply just for possessing an EV.

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

GRIDSERVE are great but the CHAdeMO needed for my particular EV are not as plentiful as the CCS outputs so you have to queue at busy times. LIDL have a good charging system as well. There are some black spots and I’ve nearly come a cropper during trips away; I recently went from the Wirral to Whitby and only just made it to Middlesbrough to top up as I couldn’t find anything close to me. I don’t like subscribing to schemes, it has to be contactless plug-charge-go for me.

Insurer – outline both positive & negative elements

I use LV= and they are ace, no profiteering and I get an extremely competitive quote every year. It actually went down this year!

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

Mileage is the best saving, then road tax and service costs. I bought mine in 2017 so I realise the costs have really gone up for purchasing EVs since. Insurance went up when I bought it initially but it has dropped since. I don’t do a massive amount of miles but I reckon I have saved at least £2.5k over 5 years of motoring.