Mike drives a Nissan LEAF e+ Tekna 62kWh 2021.

This is Mike’s first electric car, he’s owned the Nissan LEAF less than 1 year and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 10,000-20,000 miles and he achieves 230 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the Nissan LEAF?

I have wanted to go electric for years and this came up at an unbelievable price. In fact, I am paying for it with the money saved from not using diesel.

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

• Comfort
• cost of ownership
• quietness.

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

• CHAdeMO

Compared to when you first bought the car, does your battery still charge at the same rate & do you still get the same range?

Yes

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

Nothing

What are the standout technological features of the car?

e-Pedal (one foot driving) – I drive many cars everyday for an accident replacement hire car company from different manufacturers & in all specs. When I finish work I love getting into my LEAF and gliding home just using the accelerator pedal. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when the brake pedal gets used but this is few and far between. It makes driving really easy.

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

I don’t have one standout feature, the car is a car, just better than the rest. I charge it at home although I don’t have a drive. I use an industrial cable guard to span the path and lay my lead along the gutter to plug in (15 meter cable, £220). I plug it into my zappi charger and charge it every few nights from 00.00 to 05.30 for 8.5p per kWh, getting around 150 miles for £3.64.

What’s the biggest or funniest myth you’ve heard about EVs?

“They burst into flames”. Well, so do petrol and diesel cars and at a far higher rate. Take the LEAF as an example, I could only find one battery fire listed on the internet since they hit the road.

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

Tesla Model Y – as it’s the best.

Home charging unit – outline both positive & negative elements 

myenergi zappi – no visits to the garage for me (well, except for sweeties!). There are no negatives for me. I charge on the street and use an industrial cable guard with a yellow top to cross the path – 4 ft long about 5 inches wide with a height of about half an inch. There is a yellow spring-loaded flap on top that covers the cable grooves. It has a bit of weight to it and doesn’t move when stepped on. It also has slopes each side so that it can be passed over without effort. I then lay my 15m cable along the gutter until it reaches my car. The cable rolls up and fits into a soft case that stays in my porch. I’ve had no issues with this setup.

Electricity supplier & tariff – outline both positive & negative elements

We’ve upgraded all our white goods (washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher) to ones with timers so only use them between 00.00 and 05.00. It saves us over a third in cost. My zappi charger detects the household electric requirements and only charges when its below a certain level.

Do you use public charging networks?

No

Insurer – outline both positive & negative elements 

Moja insurance by AXA – they were not the cheapest but didn’t require me to install a black box. I’m 62 and drive 20-400 miles a day for a living delivering and collecting hire cars over 4 counties. I also have never had an accident in a car. I do think the cost of insuring my car is very high and think the insurance companies are taking the mick.

Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running a Nissan LEAF

I got my car off a main dealer for the grand sum of £16,800. It is a ’71 plate car and had 12,000 miles on the clock. I put a VW Golf in for part-exchange (£4,500) and £2,000 cash. I’m on a PCP for three years and pay £132 a month. That’s at least £50 less than the cost of the fuel I was putting into my old 2006 diesel Škoda.

My fuel charge for going to work and back is about £8 per week now I’m on an EV energy tariff. Maybe I’m not saving much a month but I have no mechanical issues I had running an old diesel. My car starts every morning and because I put the timer on to heat up the car, I never have iced up windows either. I am driving a nearly new car and enjoying the experience. For example, I did a 750-mile round trip from Cornwall to Suffolk last year in the LEAF and only spent 20 mins extra each way than I used to in my Škoda.

See other Nissan LEAF Owner Reviews here