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Nissan Leaf: new vs old compared

The Nissan Leaf is the world's best-selling electric car, but how does the new version compare with its predecessor?

Nissan Leaf new vs old – dashboard and driving position

Nissan Leaf: new vs old compared

Most of the controls in the new Nissan Leaf are laid out in the same way as in the previous car, but that does mean they're pretty user-friendly.

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Unfortunately, there's still no reach adjustment for the steering wheel, so the driving position remains compromised; there’s a good chance that you'll be forced to sit closer to, or farther away from, the wheel than you’d ideally like.

The previous car always felt like it was pretty well screwed together – an impression backed by the fact that the Leaf was the best-performing electric car in our 2017 reliability survey. But the new model still manages to move things on a bit, with dashboard plastics that are more appealingly textured.

Nissan Leaf new vs old – infotainment

Nissan Leaf: new vs old compared

Both cars feature a 7.0in touchscreen that’s mostly simple to use, thanks to big icons and logical menus. And both have physical shortcut buttons that flank the display to make it easy to hop between functions.

The new Nissan Leaf has the edge, however, because it features both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring to let you control apps while driving.

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