Nissan Leaf review - Range, charging and running costs

One of the major attractions of any electric car is how little it can cost to run. Depending on how you drive and charge it, it can work out to be significantly cheaper than a conventional petrol or diesel car.

When you plug into one of the sockets under the flap in the nose to charge up, it’ll take 21 hours from empty to 100 per cent off a household three-pin plug socket, 7.5 hours with a home 7kW charger or you can get a 20-80 per cent charge in 60 minutes from a 50kW fast charger.

The Leaf e+ has longer charging times thanks to its bigger battery. From a plug socket, it's a huge 32 hours, while a wallbox takes 11 hours, so if you're charging a flat battery overnight, you best get it plugged in as soon as possible to guarantee a full charge. A 50kW top up from 20-80 per cent takes around 1.5 hours.

Perhaps the big question is: how far will it go? According to the new Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure (designed to produce a more representative result than the previous test), the standard Leaf will travel as far as 168 miles; and, if our test drives of the car are anything to go by, around 150 miles should be achievable.

However, in common with any electric car, the range you actually achieve will also depend hugely on the way you drive, the time of year (cold weather has a negative impact on driving range) and how much you’re carrying. The Leaf e+ has better figures than the standard car, with a WLTP combined range of 239 miles.

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Regardless of how far you go, having zero tailpipe emissions also means that the car gives you access to further savings - for example, the car is exempt from the London Congestion Charge. 

Regular maintenance can also be cheaper on the Leaf than on a petrol or diesel car, because there are fewer moving parts, and you won’t have to pay for things like oil changes. In addition, using the e-Pedal system reduces brake wear, as it uses electrical resistance to slow the car instead of the discs and pads so you'll save on costs there, too. You’ll also save on annual road tax rates as electric cars are exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty. 

Insurance groups 

The Leaf range starts from insurance group 21, but climbs to group 26, so higher-spec cars will incur more expensive premiums. However, in comparison, a Peugeot e-208 in GT trim sits in group 28 for insurance.

Depreciation

The Leaf holds onto around 56 per cent of its value after three years and 36,000 miles, so as well as providing you with low running costs, the all-electric family hatch should provide you with a decent return come resale time.