Nissan Sakura review: could this tiny electric city car make sense in the UK?

On sale no current date Price from £11,500 (est)

The doe-eyed character who turns out to be formidable is a popular theme in Japanese anime stories (think Pikachu from Pokemon), and the Nissan Sakura mirrors this same 'gentle-to-unstoppable' approach pretty accurately. 

This tiny hatchback – whose name means cherry blossom in Japanese (the national flower of the country) – makes good use of Nissan’s many years of experience with the Leaf electric family hatchback and punches well above its weight. Not only has it been the nation's best-selling electric car (EV) every year since its launch in 2022, but on most years, it has also accounted for around half of all EV sales in Japan.

But what is it? Under the demure metallic pink paintwork of the car you see in our pictures, the Sakura is classed as a Kei car - a type of small car that’s been around for many decades in Japan that has a strict set of rules to comply with. It can't have a power output greater than 63bhp, and must not exceed dimensions of 3.4 metres in length, 1.5 metres in width and 2.0 metres in height. As a bonus, kei cars these days also come with financial incentives, such as cheaper tax, insurance and parking costs.   

Given Honda has just launched the Super-N in the UK (which itself is based on a kei car),  Nissan is also considering bringing the Sakura over to the UK and it could be one of the most affordable EVs on sale. So to find out if the Sakura has what it takes to succeed, we spent a day with one to see what's what. 

What’s the Nissan Sakura like to drive? 

In a word: good. Its 63bhp electric motor may sound paltry, but the Sakura weighs just 1080kg. The result is a handy 0-62mph sprint time of 9.8secs and a top speed of 81mph. That makes it speedier than the Honda Super-N, which takes 14.5secs to cover the same ground unless you press the 'boost' button, but a little slower than the Fiat 500e and Mini Cooper Electric. 

Like its larger and pricier pure electric rivals, the Sakura is impressively responsive from a standing start, making it an appealing urban runabout. In fact, during our drive, only determined drivers of larger petrol-engined cars (Civics and Corollas) got away when the traffic lights turned green. 

It holds its own at motorway speeds, too, although it is better suited to urban roads, plus single and dual carriageways where you don’t have to push towards the limit of its power, and you don’t have to worry about using up all the range too quickly.

There are three driving modes: Eco, Standard and Sport. Standard is peppy enough for most driving situations, and we didn’t notice a massive amount of extra oomph in Sport mode.

In spite of its narrow, tall shape, the Sakura handles reasonably well too, although it’s not in the same league as the Mini. There isn’t much road or wind noise, and the car copes well with broken sections of Tarmac. 

The Sakura’s dinky dimensions also make it a breeze to punt around the busy city roads, and it’s particularly well-suited to the tiniest of Japan’s urban back streets, many of which are only marginally wider than the car. Its 4.8-metre turning circle and large glass areas also make it easy to reverse into one of Japan's many small parking spaces.  

Powered by a 20kWh battery (it's a smaller capacity than the first-generation Leaf),  the Sakura's official range of 112 miles isn’t great for a main family car, but it isn’t far behind the 118-mile range of the 500e and the 128 miles of the Super-N. That said, as a car that you need just to cover all those short trips around town, it will be sufficient. If you want to spend less time plugged in, you’d be better off with a Mini Cooper Electric (190-mile range) or a Hyundai Inster (203-mile range). 

The Sakura’s maximum charging speed is only 30kW, but its battery is so small that it takes 40 minutes to charge from 10 to 80%, which is on a par with many other small, budget EVs. The charging port is on the rear offside, and it has a light to make it easier for users to see when they’re plugging their car in at night. 

What is the Nissan Sakura like inside? 

The Sakura is a strict four seater, but there's plenty of room inside for four adults. Although there are two separate front seats, there isn’t a gap between them as there is in most cars; they butt up against each other and look more like a bench, helping the front of the car feel roomier. That said, each one slides back and forth separately and has a recline feature, so it is easy to find a good driving position. We were impressed by the supportiveness of the well-padded driver’s seat during our day’s driving.  

There’s a surprising amount of space for two adults to sit in the back as long as you slide the rear seats as far back as they can go. If you want to make use of the full 107 litres of boot space, you'll need to ask your back seat passengers to either sit on their legs or get out and walk. 

Although the Sakura is a budget model, Nissan hasn’t stinted on equipment. Our test car had a 7.0-inch digital driver’s display and a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with the NissanConnect navigation system and Apple CarPlay wireless connectivity, which is the sort of system you’d expect to find in pricier models. 

Nissan Sakura Verdict 

What Car? Says

Considering its dinky dimensions, the Sakura isn't as compromised as some may expect. It's refined and roomy with a relatively plush interior, plus, it’s no slouch when it comes to low speed performance. It's a good proposition if you’re after a pure electric urban runabout.

It costs around £11,500 in Japan before Government subsidies, and would likely cost a few thousand pounds more in the UK after the import costs and higher tax rates are accounted for. However, it would still be so affordable that you could buy one to use during the week and still have enough cash left over to get a luxury car, performance car or sports car to use in your downtime. 

What Car? rating: 4 stars out of 5

Price £11,472 (est) Engine Electric motor Power 63bhp Torque 144lb-ft Gearbox 1-spd automatic, front-wheel drive Battery size 20kWh (total) 0-62mph 9.8sec Top speed 81mph Official range 112 miles

Rivals: Honda Super-N / Fiat 500e

Read more: The best small electric cars

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