Nissan Leaf long-term test
What's an electric car like when you live with it every day? We're running a Nissan Leaf for six months to find out...
![Nissan Leaf long](https://media.whatcar.com/fit-in/760x503/wc-image/2018-12/20181201_125421_copy.jpg)
26 November 2018 – Advance warming
The Nissan Leaf climate control timer has been coming in handy in recent weeks to pre-warm and demist the interior in advance of me setting off to work each morning.
At first, I wasn’t sure whether it would work unless the car was connected to a charging point, but it turns out that the interior can be warmed up either via the mains or the high-voltage drive battery – the latter for no more than 15 minutes and at the expense of chopping a few miles off the range.
So far, the timer has been doing a decent job, leaving the cabin warm and mostly mist-free on cold mornings. The side windows still seem a bit reluctant to clear properly, though, and the unheated door mirrors take even longer.
![Nissan Leaf long-term Nissan Leaf long-term](https://media.whatcar.com/wc-image/2018-11/20181126_141522.jpg)
Meanwhile, the indicated range on a full charge has dropped even more due to the colder conditions. Last weekend I charged up the Nissan Leaf battery overnight with the car parked outside and I had just 124 miles of range showing when it was complete. That’s a big drop from the 160-170 miles usually promised during the summer months and means the realistic range is no more than 100 miles. All electric cars suffer similarly in cold weather, but it’s a little disappointing all the same.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
Read more long-term tests >
More on our long-term Nissan Leaf >
![New MG 4 vs New Renault Megane E-Tech vs Cupra Born triple header](https://media.whatcar.com/370x245/wc-image/2022-11/header.jpg)
Best small electric cars 2024 - the top 10, plus one to avoid
Think going electric has to be expensive? Well, the best small EVs prove otherwise, but which models are we talking about, and which one should you avoid at all costs?