One you’ve familiarised yourself with the fact that the Nissan Leaf (or, more correctly, LEAF, standing for “Leading Environmentally-friendly Affordable Family car”) is an EV with plenty of technology onboard, what else is there that attracts people to a car like this?  For a start, the new LEAF is a stylish and practical hatchback.  It is also an EV that has been around for a while now (2014 was when the first model came out).  These are great cars for emission-free city travel, and 2024 sees some extra technology inside the LEAF, with stuff it didn’t have when it first came out.  Let’s take a closer look at the rather snazzy 2024 Nissan LEAF EV Hatch.

For around $54k (base model) or $64k (e+ model) (at the time of writing), you can have yourself one of these new LEAF hatchbacks.  The rather nice-looking 2024 Nissan LEAF has all the latest safety technology, with things like dual front airbags, side chest-protecting airbags, and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags being standard.  An autonomous emergency braking system, a lane support system with lane keeping assistance (LKA), a lane departure warning (LDW), and blind spot monitoring (BSM) systems are also standard features, which all enabled the latest Nissan Leaf Hatch to gain a 5-star safety rating from the crash testers at ANCAP (The Australasian New Car Assessment Program).  A rear-view camera comes as standard on both models, so parking and manoeuvring about town is pretty easy in a LEAF.

The base model Nissan LEAF ZE1 Auto has up to 110 kW of power and 320 Nm of torque available for the driver of this front-wheel-drive hatchback.  The car’s top speed is 145 km/h, and you can zip from a standstill through to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds.  WLTP has given the standard ZE1 EV Hatch a travelling range of 270 km on a full charge.  A full charge-up from empty to full takes around 21 hours on a standard home wall charger; however, this time can be sped up if you have access to a 200V DC charging station, where it takes around an hour to complete.

If you need your LEAF to travel a bit more on the open road, then the e+ would be the model to go for because of its greater range.  To buy the Nissan LEAF e+ ZE1 Auto Hatch, it will cost you an extra $10k or thereabouts.  The e+ has a bit more performance to burn, and it definitely feels a tad quicker, though even the base mode accelerates well.  With the e+, you have 160 kW of power and 340 Nm of torque for the same front-wheel-drive LEAF package.  The e+ has a top speed of 158 km/h, and you can zip from a standstill through to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds.  WLTP has given the e+ a travelling range of 385 km on a full charge.  A full charge from empty to full takes around 32 hours on a standard home wall charger; while this can be sped up at a 400V DC charging station, taking around 45 minutes to complete.

One of the things I like about the Nissan LEAF is that it is not as big as an SUV.  The car is an EV Hatchback (base model = 1594 kg), so has a few less kilograms to lug about than, say, a Kia Niro EV SUV (base model = 1727 kg).  There are many SUV EVs well in excess of 2000 kg. The 2024 five-seat LEAF is also practical, with 405 litres of luggage space behind the rear seats.  The split-folding rear seats can be folded fully forwards to provide up to 1176 litres for the cargo. 

Comfort-wise, the Nissan LEAF offers some decent seats and a nicely laid out cabin.  There is good space for four beefy adults to sit comfortably.  Two adults or three teenagers will comfortably sit in the rear of the new Nissan LEAF, and the leg and knee room are excellent.  The entry-level model is pleasant and offers cloth seats, whereas the higher-spec LEAF e+ comes with some partial leather seats with blue stitching.  The Nissan LEAF has ISOFIX mountings which are easy to access, and ports for charging phones or powering electronic devices, and there are door bins for carrying odds and ends.

Towing isn’t a part of the new LEAF’s forte, so you’d need to look at another EV if this is something you think you’ll be needing to do.  The 215/50R17 91V tyres do a great job of maintaining good levels of grip on the road, and there are plenty of manufacturers for replacing this particular tyre size.  The instant access to 320–340 Nm of torque via the front wheels implies the instant requirement for the tyre to find the grip on the road, so, while the EV’s acceleration can be fun, it can also come at a cost to the tyre’s life.  The 2024 Nissan LEAF weighs in at around the same as an old BA Falcon XT, which was considered to be a large car back in the day, so when you loaded it up with passengers and luggage and then started to enjoy the performance these cars had (similar to a new LEAF), then the tyres/rubber had to work hard to meet the acceleration’s demands and keep everything within the road markings.  If you pootled around and drove at a relaxed speed for most of the time, then the tyres lasted a whole lot longer.  The same, of course, goes for the 2024 Nissan LEAF.

The 2024 Nissan Leaf does ride nicely, and it copes with rough road surfaces very well.  The 2024 LEAF is quick and responsive, though it comes with a comfort-biased ride quality – as it should, really.  That said, the LEAF still feels solid and capable on a twisty road, with a satisfying surge of acceleration available at low to medium speeds.  You’ll find the electric motor is almost silent when cruising along, and you won’t hear a great deal of wind or tyre noise. 

If you drive an EV, will there be any servicing required?  Yes, things like tyres, brakes and the chassis components are just some of the things that will still need to be checked over from time to time.  Nissan has said that the service interval for the 2024 Nissan LEAF EV Hatch is 20,000km/12 months.  Buy a new LEAF and you are also set up with a 5 year/unlimited km warranty and 5 years of roadside assistance. 

Smartphone mirroring and a digital driver’s display all come as standard on both the LEAF models.  These EVs also boast an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen system with DAB radio, satellite navigation, voice control, and an EV telematics system that shows you where the charging stations are along your planned route (very handy!).  Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also part of the deal, though you can use your own navigation and music streaming apps on your phone, thanks to the mirroring capacity that the LEAF comes with.  A 6-speaker audio system is standard, though you can upgrade this to a Bose unit on the Tekna trim.  A rather likable feature for the LEAF is that you can download an app that lets you control various features on the car remotely; cooling, heating, and charging can be tweaked from outside the car.

For me, as it has been for many others, the Nissan LEAF is a reasonably affordable way of getting into the EV lifestyle.  Its angular front end, smooth bumper design, and optional contrasting roof are rather attractive.

The new Nissan LEAF models include the:

• Nissan LEAF
• Nissan LEAF e+

For any more information on the new Nissan LEAF EV hatchback, for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Nissan dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!