When it comes to mass-market electric cars, the Nissan LEAF is the granddaddy of them all.
Launched here 11 years ago, with a pretty miserable 24kWh battery that offered around 130km driving range, it has been considerably beefed up since, and is now available in two battery sizes.
The 40kWh pack (from €28,145) is sufficient for the needs of most urban drivers and comes with a WLTPcertified range of 270km, while the 64kWh LEAF e+ (from €36,090) offers 385km for those who need to drive longer distances. Both prices are net of tax relief and the SEAI grant.
There are other changes. Nissan debuted the car only with a CHADeMO socket, but there is now also Type 2 input alongside it, though not the faster CCS. The advantage is that at charging units with all three plugs, you now have a choice, but you won't be able to use the really high-speed 150kW CCS chargers on offer from ESB ecars and Ionity.
That said, the LEAF has another big advantage. The socket is under a pop-up panel at the front of the car, which means any charge cable will reach it. I've been frustrated many times because a car already in one of the two bays means the other cable available won't reach the socket on the one I'm driving.
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On a 50kW charger, you'll get from 20-80% battery capacity in 90 minutes, while a 7kW wall box at home will give you 100% in 11 hours and 30 minutes. A full home charge, at today's domestic electricity tariffs with 9.5% VAT added, will cost around €21.25, by my reckoning.
Theoretically, that's enough to get you 365km, and in my experience, you won't be far off. The weather has got warmer, so range is better, and I found myself very little off the pace over journeys up and down to Dublin from Co Wexford, in mostly motorway driving.
The LEAF e+ is nippy too, zooming from 0-100kph in 6.9 seconds. The top speed of 160kph, which sounds a bit limp, is still fine if you're a law-abiding citizen!
The car also comes with the e-Pedal, which you switch on or off as you wish. It takes a little getting used to, but effectively it is accelerator and brake in one. Press your foot down to speed up, lift it off to brake. The smoothness of this action is learned - do it too quickly and the car comes to an almost immediate full stop, whereas easing off gently brings you to a gradual halt.
It becomes second nature soon enough and, as I say, if you prefer to brake the old-fashioned way, you don't have to engage the e-Pedal at all.
Up until relatively recently, the Nissan LEAF was the world's bestselling EV, but has been overtaken by the Tesla Model 3. It's very popular in Ireland still, selling 613 units between January and April this year, though Nissan is no longer the market leader in EV sales, having been overtaken by Hyundai, Volkswagen, KIA and Tesla.
That looks set to change with the arrival of Nissan's new Ariya crossover, priced from €48,995, giving it a competitive foothold in the most popular bodystyle space and going head-to-head with popular models such as the Ioniq 5, EV6 and ID.4.
It's a while since I've driven a LEAF - years, in fact - and I was impressed with the technology, including the ProPilot suite of safety aids, such as lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane centring even through corners, cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and so on. It's a very comfortable car from a driver point of view, and it feels spacious inside, even for five adults.
It might look like a fairly standard hatchback in terms of size, but it's almost 4.5m long, and it feels wide too. All the connectivity you'd expect is present, including Apple
CarPlay and Android Auto, and the infotainment screen is a decent size.
Driving it is effortless. It's not sporty in the corners because the steering is a little to well-mannered, but the suspension is well set up for comfort, and the solidity of the car, especially with the weight of the bigger battery pack, is a plus. I say this without prejudice, but it seems to me especially well-suited for the older driver who wants to go electric.
That's not to say the granddaddy of EVs has appeal only for granddads - far from it, because it's ideal for families too, and at a decent price point. But for those looking for a few extra thrills, and with more cash to burn, well, they might be taking a leaf out of someone else's book.
NISSAN LEAF E+ ENTRY-LEVEL PRICE €28,145 MODEL DRIVEN €39,210 Motor 160kW Power 214hp TRANSMISSION Single-speed automatic 0-100KM/H 6.9 seconds TOP SPEED 160kph ELECTRIC RANGE (WLTP) Up to 385km
POWER CONSUMPTION 16kWh/100km CO2 0g/km €120 tax DIMENSIONS 4490mm (L); 1788mm (W, excl mirrors); 1540mm (H)
