NISSAN’S electric Leaf is the car for all reasons.
Most of us in this country never drive more than 30 miles a day so although it’s electric, the 100 mile range would be fine.
And the government will pay £5,000 towards the price under its scheme to encourage electric car ownership, which actually makes it quite affordable at £21,000.
It feels just like any other automatic car to drive except that there is no noise – and that is weird to start with.
Push your foot down on the accelerator and it simply pulls swiftly and silently away.
Electric motors have power right through their rev range so it doesn’t need a gearbox.
Comfort is good, with excellent seats and a good driving position and it handles well, with little roll and excellent grip even on damp roads.
It comes with lots of electronic help including an on-board computer with loads if information – even including the nearest charging station and the distance to get there anywhere in the country. An 80 per cent charge takes just 30 minutes.
The leaf is hugely impressive and with Nissan’s reliability to back it up, it should last.
Interior
It’s a five door hatch so is practical as well as costing peanuts to run and although the price you pay seems a bit high, it comes with a very high level of standard kit including sat nav, electric everything, air con and more.
You can even use a laptop or phone to warm it up before you get in on a cold morning. Wonderful.
FAST FACTS
Nissan Leaf
Price: £20,990
Mechanical: 107bhp, electric engine driving front wheels
Max speed: 90 mph
0-62mph: 11.9 seconds
Combined mpg: 0
Insurance group: 24
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
BIK rating: 0%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles
Marks: 10/10
Main rival: Toyota Prius plug-in