10 Things You Need to Know About the Nissan LEAF

As climate change issues like pollution, extreme weather & congestion charges become increasingly prevalent, many people are beginning to think about buying an electric car. But that’s the point many people can’t get beyond – just thinking about it.

So, if you need some inspiration or encouragement to try electric motoring, we have put together 10 interesting facts about the 100% electric Nissan LEAF. 

1. New – but not that new

Despite the seemingly recent popularity in electric cars, the Nissan LEAF has been around since December 2010 when it was first introduced and then hit UK roads in 2011. 9 years after the LEAF was introduced, it became the first electric vehicle to pass 400,000 sales.

2. Re-cycled and recyclable

The Nissan LEAF isn’t just green because it’s electric, it also takes the 'greenest car' prize in the production category as it’s made almost entirely of easily re-usable and recyclable materials – with 60% of its interior being made out of recycled plastic bottles. Even the textiles used for the interior of the LEAF are gathered from recycled clothes. 99% of the vehicle is recyclable meaning that after it has served its purpose, it will be ready to be made into something else. 

3. World’s favourite

The LEAF is the planet’s top-selling 100% electric vehicle with over 400,000 models sold worldwide and over 25,000 in the UK.

4. Nissan Intelligent Mobility

The Intelligent Driver Alertness feature of the LEAF monitors the driver's steering and if the system feels like your pattern deviates from your usual style of driving, it will alert you. The LEAF also has an Intelligent Around View Monitor which is a great help when parking. The monitor gives you a 360 degree birds-eye view of your vehicle, allowing the driver to see every side of their car. Stop and go traffic is one of the most frustrating driving experiences but ProPILOT assist can help with this as it keeps a set distance from the cars ahead of you based solely on the traffic. This smart technology can even bring the car to a complete stop and then bring it back up to speed when traffic starts moving again. Find out more about Nissan Intelligent Mobility here. 

5. Increased mileage range

The range on the LEAF is now officially up to 235 miles, although in real driving conditions, it will normally cover between 170 and 200 miles depending on driving style and road conditions – enough to get you from West Way Altrincham to West Way Mill Hill in west London.

6. British built

The LEAF has been manufactured in the UK at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland since 2013, along with the Juke and Qashqai models.

7. Charging points

For those worried about running out of charge, there are now over 9,000 locations with nearly 25,000 individual charging points in the UK. You can find out where those points are by clicking Zap Maps. It’s usually the most cost-effective to charge at home, so you’ll need to have a home EV charge point installed – if you need a fast charge, or if you can put up with a slow charge, you can use a cable that plugs into a normal domestic socket.

8. One Pedal 

The new LEAF models have just one pedal – the e-Pedal. Using this unique pedal can greatly increase driving efficiency. All you need to do is start the car and press or release the e-Pedal from time to time in order to accelerate or stop.

9. Charging time

Charge-times have reduced considerably over the last 5 years and now rapid chargers can give you an 80% charge in only 40 minutes. You can constantly receive updates about the charging status directly to your phone via the Nissan Connect app. There are 3 types of charger:

• Rapid – ideal for mid-journey top-ups – typically takes up to 1 hour
• Fast – good for visits and commutes – typically takes 3 to 4 hours
• Slow – best for overnight charging – typically takes 8 to 10 hours but plugs into a normal electric socket at home.

10. Save the planet and your pocket

With fuel prices steadily increasing, an electric car is becoming ever-more financially attractive, so you can save the planet and your pocket. Costs for charging LEAF will depend on your home electricity tariff, but typically they start from around 3p per mile, with fuel costs for similar-sized petrol engine vehicles around 12p per mile, so you can expect to slash your fuel costs by around 60% to 70%. You can find out exactly how much you can save by using Zap Map Journey Cost Calculator

Offers
We have fantastic offers on both new and used LEAF. You can get a £1,000 deposit contribution towards a New LEAF and a £400 deposit contribution towards a Used LEAF.

View the offers here.