Nissan Leaf long-term test

• The car Nissan Leaf Tekna
• Run by Allan Muir, managing editor
• Why it’s here To see whether our 2018 Electric Car of the Year has advanced the cause of battery-powered vehicles at the affordable end of the market
• Needs to Have a long enough range to make it usable for more than just short hops; be cheap to run; and be as comfortable and practical as any regular family hatchback

Price £32,890 (before £4500 Gov’t grant) Price as tested Price as tested £34,555 Miles covered 2630 Official range 168 miles (WLTP), 235 miles (NEDC) Real-world range 160 miles Options ProPilot Park £1090 and metallic paint £575

15 August 2018 – one-pedal wonder

As expected, the ability to drive the Nissan Leaf using just one pedal is proving indispensable – around town at least. This e-Pedal function is especially convenient in stop-start city traffic and on stretches of road with lots of sleeping policemen across them – situations when you’d normally be on and off the accelerator and brake pedals continually. It’s also wonderful when going down ramps in multi-storey car parks, controlling the speed of your descent perfectly without you really having to do a thing.

Of course, e-Pedal is only as good as your ability to accurately judge when to lift off the accelerator, especially if you want the car to come to a complete halt. It soon becomes second nature, though – and frankly, you don’t want to use the brake pedal unless you really have to, because it feels horribly spongy at first and then very abrupt. The combined effect of the two braking systems inevitably results in an uncomfortable stop, with anything that might be sitting on the back seats slamming into the footwell.

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