New Nissan Leaf First Drive (Video)

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Nissan Leafs have been purring around since 2011, and there are many Leaf owners even today who still say they love or like their old Leafs. Despite the limited range and potential battery thermal issues, the first- and second-generation versions of the Nissan Leaf have been a mainstay of EV driving. As long as 13 years ago, I interviewed a California couple in the Bay Area that had a Nissan Leaf and home solar power who ran their Leaf on their own self-generated electricity — only clean electricity, and they consumed no fossil fuels!

Now, there is a third-generation Nissan Leaf available and it is still available at an affordable price point. All the new Nissan Leaf has to do is be better than the previous versions and it will be a success.

The new Leaf has two battery options: 52 kWh and 75 kWh. The new Leaf does have regen braking, but no one-pedal driving. The S+ with the 75 kWh battery has a range of about 300 miles and a price of $29,990. It’s just an opinion, but I think these are the key stats because they are pivotal: price point and range are key considerations for many buyers, and the S+ with the larger battery pack is affordable. The just under $30,000 price point is before any potential incentives and savings for those who ditch an internal combustion engine vehicle for the fully electric Nissan Leaf. (With the destination charge, the price may be about $31,000.)

Three hundred miles per charge is plenty of range for most drivers. Another point is that some, but not all, drivers drive slower than the speeds driven in the EPA range testing, so they might actually get slighter more than 300 miles per full charge. Some EV drivers only drive in small towns and suburbs at less than 70 mph, or much less, for example.

There are also people who drive primarily in urban settings who also mostly don’t drive at high speeds. There are some seniors who are retired and only drive their EVs to do errands or drive for social visits and don’t even reach 60 mph. For longer-distance trips, the new Leaf can charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 35 minutes. This is plenty of time to have a restroom break, have a bite to eat, take a stroll, relax, and rest or simply take a quick nap.

The new Leaf’s ride and steering are described in positive terms, as is the quietness when driving, even at highway speeds.

Lastly, it should be noted the average price of a new car in the US is about $49,000. A new S+ Leaf with about 300 miles of EPA-estimated range is much less than that, and the new S+ Leaf’s price is before any incentives and/or potential fuel savings, meaning the actual cost could be even lower than the sticker price.

The video selected for this article was deliberately chosen because it is from Kelley Blue Book, which is sort of agnostic in that it doesn’t appear to excessively criticize or promote electric vehicles. The video review also features an African-American reviewer, and I am for diversity, equity and inclusion.