Righto, my first impressions on SWMBO’s new secondhand Nissan Leaf are in. I have to say that I’m quite impressed. It drives very well indeed, it grips well, it rides well and it has a fair bit of instantaneous poke about it. I particularly like the “e pedal” which allows you to effectively drive using only one pedal, it works well. The interior is well made and rattle free and it’s spacious and practical with a surprisingly large boot. The heating controls are simple and not buried under menu’s in a touchscreen. It’s quite easy to live with.

I’m not a fan of the styling, but I quite like the interior. It’s a bit dark and the high dash and small windscreen make it feel a little claustrophobic but it’s well built and the heated front seats are comfortable. The rear bench is I find a little flat for adults and you’ll find your legs sitting proud of the cushion, but there’s decent space back there. I’m surprised more people locally don’t taxi them. I certainly would.

As for costs, well she’s done about 500 miles so far and it’s cost absolutely nowt, not a penny. We use the nearby local authority charging points which cost nothing. It’s a wee 15 min walk there and back, but the dogs (two i**** toy poodles) are enjoying the extra walks. We typically charge it every two days. It has the additional bonus of being funded via personal loan by her indoors by herself as I said I wasn’t partaking in her madness. The HRV she had before was a wee belter of a car.

So, am I fully convinced by electric cars? No, not at the stupid prices people are paying for them new. I see new VW ID3’s sitting at our local dealer at well over £30k and that’s just daft. A new big battery Leaf is closing in on £35k according to the local Nissan dealer who tried unsuccessfully to convince me of its value. I do however see the economic argument of what we have here. A good used Nissan Leaf at under £15,000 can make for an excellent commuter car or taxi. It costs buttons to run, the fuel is (currently) free and there’s hardly any moving parts to go wrong.

The only service item listed by Nissan is the brake fluid which should be changed every 3yrs according to the schedule. What they’re asking £150-£300 for when they “service” it I don’t know and I (I know John will appreciated this) won’t be partaking in this either. I’ll maybe let them see it every 3yrs or maybe not at all. I read a recent story in a related forum written by a guy who has never done anything to his 2014 Nissan Leaf other than tyres, brakes and windscreen wipers, the dealer has never been given the opportunity to empty his wallet and it still drives fine and the battery pack is still at 90%.

It’s not for everyone though, I still love a good petrol or diesel engine, I love a slick manual gearbox. I like to drive, not float. But as an economical means to get SWMBO from place to place and to (hopefully) avoid much of the past motoring cost I’ve incurred in looking after her cars it’s far from unpleasant. I will be keeping the old Toyota however and an eye is out for something a bit retro and fun to occupy the garage. If an EV was our sole car I’d say it was too much of an inconvenience when it comes to longer journeys, but as everyday transport to and from work and school (same place as she’s a teacher) it makes a lot of sense.

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My partner had a full service 2 weeks ago @ In and Out with spark plug check.
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