Nissan Leaf Hatchback (2018 -) Review

The Nissan Leaf enters its second generation just as many rival manufacturers are readying themselves to launch their first electric cars. It’s not a new car, but a very heavily revised version of the old one. That puts Nissan in a very strong position to do well in the Electric Vehicle (EV) market, just as sales are expected to explode following the government announcement concerning the banning of sales of non-electrified vehicles in 2040.

Even though electrification is a hot topic the Leaf finds itself with very few direct rivals. The smaller Renault Zoe might find itself on a number of shared shopping lists, but beyond that, there’s the Hyundai Ioniq and the Volkswagen e-Golf to contend with. The BMW i3 is another option, but it’s more expensive. Consider this the calm before the storm, and by 2020, we’ll probably not be able to move for EVs.

The Leaf has steadily been building sales since its launch in 2011 – and the company had produced almost 300,000 of them globally by the time of the launch of the second-generation model. So, it’s important that the Nissan’s second effort is very good, and that it appeals to newcomers to electric motoring, as well as existing Leaf owners.