2025 Nissan Micra review: reborn small car is fully electric
Being so closely related to our current What Car? Car of the Year, the new Nissan Micra looks like a winner on paper – but how did it fare during our test drive?...
Priced from £22,995 | On sale Late 2025
The new Nissan Micra might seem like a kid whose favourite after-school activity is copying other people’s homework, but don’t worry, there’s no need to alert the headteacher.
You see, due to Nissan's alliance with Renault, the reborn Micra was always destined to be a close relation to the reborn Renault 5. In other words, it’s a joint project.
To say we’ve sampled and praised the Renault-badged side of the assignment would be an understatement. The R5, as it’s otherwise known, is our current Car of the Year. In essence, it won us over because it’s a cheap (relatively speaking) small electric car that doesn’t feel all that cheap. It’s good to drive, smart inside and comes with competitive electric ranges.
The new Micra, at least on paper, has all of those attributes: it’s just been styled a bit differently – most notably it has curvier front and rear lights that hark back to the third-generation, 2003-2010 Nissan Micra.
Still, the proof is in the pudding, as they say, and we’ve been given special access to the new Micra at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedford. We went for a test drive to see how it stacks up.
What’s the new Nissan Micra like to drive?
Like the R5, the Micra will have you choose between a 40kWh or 52kWh battery, the former option coming with a 121bhp electric motor and the latter a 148bhp one. Both Micra variants are front-wheel drive.
Even the lower power figure feels like enough in the R5, providing a 0-62mph time of nine seconds, and there's no reason to doubt that it feels exactly the same in the Micra. The more powerful R5 is a bit sprightlier, although not by a huge margin: it has a time of 7.8 seconds.
Our test drive was in a top-spec Micra, meaning one with the bigger battery and higher power output. We can’t say for absolute certain that it’s the one to have until we try the other option, but it’s our pick in the R5 – not really because it’s quicker, but more so because it ups the official range from 192 to 253 miles on a full charge.
After a couple laps of Millbrook’s hill route, we can safely say that the Micra not only matches the R5 on paper, but also from behind the wheel. In other words, remove the different badges, drive the two cars back to back and you’d think you’ve driven the same model twice.
You could view that as a bit of a negative because there’s no USP here – nothing to set the two cars apart and make them appeal to slightly different buyers. On the other side of that argument, the R5 is great to drive and the Micra is just as impressive.
Firstly, there’s the ride, which is supple enough to cushion you well over bumps and potholes, all the while remaining planted and composed. The rival Citroën ë-C3 is a comfortable cruiser too, but the Micra's better degree of composure gives it the edge. The Micra is a bit quieter on the move too.
Mind you, where the Micra really sees off most rivals – including the ë-C3, as well as the Fiat Grande Panda Electric and Hyundai Inster – is in the corners. It’s a more confidence-inspiring handler, thanks to precise steering, good grip and brakes that are strong and easy to modulate.
Is it fun to drive? Well, next to those rivals, yes, but you do get sharper, more agile handling with a Mini Cooper Electric.
What’s the new Nissan Micra like inside?
The Micra has a Nissan badge on the steering wheel, an outline of Mount Fuji on the centre console and a Micra-specific colour scheme, but apart from that, it’s R5 business as usual.
Again, it means there’s not much to sway buyers one way or the other here. We’re happy, though, because the R5’s interior is great and the Micra’s, ditto.
It's smart, modern and surprisingly plush for a car of its price point, with soft-touch materials and splashes of colour on the doors and dashboard. It feels more premium inside than an ë-C3 or Inster, and cuts it very close with the Cooper Electric.
We should mention that the entry-level R5 trim is noticeably more basic, doing without the soft-touch materials, and that the Micra range is likely to follow suit. As we mentioned, we’ve only sampled a top-spec Micra so far.
The 10.1in infotainment touchscreen is one of the R5 interior’s best attributes and the same goes here. It has sharp graphics and is easy to use – more so than the systems in the Fiat 500e and Cooper Electric. All the trims except the entry-level one have Google enhancement, meaning the Google Maps sat-nav app and Google Assistant are built in.
Tall adults should be happy up front because there’s plenty of space and plenty of adjustment in the seats. You can get the driving position pretty much spot on.
Rear-seat passengers are less well catered for. Sure, the Micra has rear doors (you don’t get those on a Fiat 500e or Cooper Electric), and children and shorter adults will fit just fine. Anyone approaching 6ft tall will feel rather cramped though. The larger BYD Dolphin and MG4 are bigger in the back.
It’s worth noting that interior space in the Micra is identical to that of the R5. The boot space is the same story, meaning you should be able to fit four carry-on suitcases beneath the parcel shelf. For comparison, the ë-C3 can swallow five cases, but the Cooper Electric can take only two.
New Nissan Micra verdict
On paper the Micra is an R5 with some different styling and, in reality, that’s exactly the case. You might be disappointed by the lack of variation but there’s no denying that the Micra is just as recommendable as the R5.
It’s just as good to drive, just as competitive on range and just as smart and intuitive inside. Pricing for the Micra will start at £22,995 – the same as the Renault 5. That will put it in line with the Hyundai Inster, and well below the Peugeot e-208 and Mini Cooper Electric.
Overall, when the new Nissan Micra goes on sale later this year, it’s only going to add to the immense pressure that small electric car classmates, like the Citroën ë-C3 and Mini Cooper Electric, already feel with the A+ Renault 5 on the market.
What Car? says 5 stars out of 5
Nissan Micra price and specs
Price £29,865 Engine 52kWh battery and electric motor Power 148bhp Torque 181lb ft Gearbox 1-spd automatic, FWD 0-62mph 7.8sec Top speed 93mph Range 253 miles CO2/tax 0g/km, 3%
Rivals:
Renault 5
Mini Cooper Electric
Read more: The best electric cars
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