Nissan Micra review: Price, range and boot space

Everything you need to know about the Nissan Micra

The Nissan Micra is back! Well, sort of. We've had a few years of no Micra at all after the fifth-generation 'K14' Micra bowed out, and its replacement isn't exactly all Nissan's work. As you might have clocked from its proportions, it's a badge-engineered version of the Renault 5 E-Tech, which exists thanks to something called the Renault-Nissan Alliance. 

We should give Nissan some credit for trying its best to make the Micra look distinct (see below for more detail about what separates the two, badges aside), and if you're going to borrow someone else's homework, Renault is a good shout. It's certainly better than Toyota copying from Suzuki's notebook to create the sub-par Urban Cruiser, for example.

Just like in the R5 (you'll be sick of hearing this comparison soon), there's a choice of two batteries, which also dictates the power output. The electric range from the bigger battery model is decent enough, but nothing outstanding. Then again, the Micra doesn't strike us as something many buyers will do a great deal of miles in, so this shouldn't be a massive issue. 

Aside from the R5, the Micra has no shortage of rivals, including the Peugeot E-208, Vauxhall Corsa Electric, Mini Cooper Electric, Hyundai Inster, BYD Dolphin and soon the Geely EX2. 

How we tested the Nissan Micra

We spent a week with a Micra with the larger Extended Range battery and in top-spec Evolve trim, testing it on a variety of roads in the UK, ranging from urban routes to motorways and twisting B-roads. This being a test in the UK, road surfaces could be quite...challenging at times. 

During that time, we found the Micra to be an incredibly easy car to get on with. The electric powertrain is smooth and more than pokey enough for most, and its compact dimensions make it a doddle to get around town and park, even if the reversing camera is poor. 

Average efficiency proved to be decent, but it helped the Micra's cause that motorway miles were fairly limited during our time with the car. 

We did find space in the rear to be a little tight, and the boot space was nothing outstanding. It's better than some rivals, including the Peugeot E-208, but a long way behind the MG 4 Urban, which absolutely trounces it for both luggage capacity and rear legroom. The latter is a much bigger car, but it's similarly priced.

What’s the difference between a Renault 5 and a Nissan Micra?

Although they’re proportionally very similar, the only common body panels between the two are the windscreen and roof. A windscreen which, by the way, still has a little motif depicting the Gallic rooster, the national symbol of France. Which feels a bit incongruous on a car from a Japanese brand, but never mind. 

The Micra features rounded lights front and rear, mimicking the look of previous versions like the iconic K11. Does it work on the more boxy, R5-like proportions of the current one? We’re unsure, but if you’re keen and have some Nissan brand loyalty, it’s not like you’re paying any more for it - the two cars are priced the same.
Inside, there’s much less to tell the two apart other than some slight trim colour changes. Even the infotainment is pretty much the same.

They’re mechanically identical, too, so you won’t tell them apart by driving them, save for the Nissan getting a proper one-pedal mode that the Renault initially didn't. Oh, and you still get that same, very dated-looking card-shaped key fob as the R5.

Is the Nissan Micra a good car?

The Micra isn’t just a good car, it’s a great one, because the Renault 5 is a great car too. It’s arguably lost some of its visual appeal in its Nissan makeover, but it’s still a good-looking car, and some might prefer its styling.

Otherwise, it has all the same attributes of the Renault, offering a satisfying driving experience and excellent value for money, especially in the versions available for the full band 1 government grant.

Nissan Micra: Electric range

The Micra's range is actually marginally better than a Renault 5's despite using the same batteries and motors, because it's a slightly more slippery shape. The figures are also very similar to those of the Standard Range and Long Range versions of the MG 4 Urban, while the Extended Range number is very comparable to what you get from a Peugeot E-208. The Micra does exactly what it needs to do to be competitive, in other words.

Nissan Micra: Charging times

Expect it to take about five and a half hours to fully charge the Standard Range car from empty, and more like seven hours for the Extended Range version. You can times those numbers by at least three if you're plugging into a three-pin socket, which isn't something we'd recommend. 

The Standard Range Micra has a DC rapid charging rate of 80kW, which makes a 15-80% charge possible in 31 minutes, assuming conditions are optimal and you're plugged into a potent enough charger. The Extended Range is a minute quicker despite its larger battery, because it can accept a 100kW charge, around the same as a Peugeot E-208. 

Around town and negotiating potholes and speed bumps, the Micra does feel a touch firm, but it doesn’t crash around excessively. It settles well at speed, and the suspension does a good job of keeping the body level when you’re cornering quickly.

We’d even describe it as fun, which isn’t a given for a cheap EV. Well-weighted steering helps the Micra in this regard, as does a general feeling of lightness to the car.

There's a decent amount of grip, and although you will occasionally get a scrabble from the front wheels if briskly pulling out a side turning, traction is generally good. 

Refinement at cruising speeds could be better. When you’re at 70mph, wind noise is particularly vocal, and while road noise isn’t quite so prevalent, there’s still too much of it for our liking. 

Nissan Micra: Batteries and motors

There are two batteries available in the Micra, and your choice also affects the power output. The 40kWh unit is paired with a front-mounted, 122PS motor, making for a 0-62mph time of nine seconds. The 52kWh Extended Range version switches to a 150PS motor, dropping the 0-62mph time to eight seconds.

Sounds reasonable enough, and the Micra does seem brisk, although it’s worth engaging the sport mode if you want to get anywhere in a hurry. There’s a lethargic response from the motor in the normal mode, and even more so in Eco mode, which also restricts the performance to eke out more range.

The Micra has four levels of brake regeneration, which can be selected using the steering wheel-mounted paddles. The strongest of these gets Nissan's 'e-Pedal' branding, and it allows for one-pedal driving, with the car eventually pulling to a complete stop after you lift off the accelerator pedal. This originally gave the Micra one of its few mechanical differentiations from the Renault 5, although one pedal driving was added to that car one year into its life. 

Euro NCAP hasn't crash-tested the Micra specifically, because it's so similar to the Renault 5. Instead, the French car's four-star rating has been carried over as-is. That might seem underwhelming when five-star results are so common nowadays, but many of the Micra's rivals are also four-star cars, so it's not unusual. Breaking down into the individual categories, the Micra managed 80% for both adult and child occupants, 77% for vulnerable road users and 68% for its safety assistance systems. 

Those safety assistance systems include a driver attention monitor, lane departure warning and automatic emergency braking.

The Micra has a 326-litre boot, which is about what we'd expect for a car of this size. It's better than a Vauxhall Corsa Electric's 309-litre cargo capacity, and although the MG 4 Urban offers a whopping 577 litres for a similar price to the Micra, it is a much bigger car, which might not be what you're after. The Micra doesn't have a 'frunk' storage area under the bonnet.

The Micra has a very high boot lip, which could be annoying when loading bulkier items. The load area is also nowhere near level when you drop the rear seats (which opens up 1106 litres of volume), which is worth bearing in mind before you head to Ikea to fill the boot with flatpack furniture. 

Rear seat space isn't amazing, so you might get complaints from rear-seat passengers about legroom. Going back to the front, there's a good assortment of cubbies, but we have to dock some points for the cupholders, which feel like an afterthought. Rather than something actually round that'll snuggly grip your beverage, there's simply a divider in one of the storage trays, which will leave a lot of bottles and cups quite loose. 

The Micra is a cheap car, but you wouldn't know it when first stepping inside. The neat-looking fabric-covered dashboard dominates your view, and the twin 10-inch screen setup in Advance and Evolve models looks like it belongs in a much more expensive car. These elements offer good distractions from the cheaper plastics found a little lower. We can't really grumble about their presence, though – this is, after all, an inexpensive car, and they all seem like they'd wear the miles well.

All versions of the Micra have a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It very much has the look and feel of the same system in the Renault 5, save for some light changes, including a Nissan logo coming up when the system starts up, and, of course, switching any imagery of the 5 for the Micra where it appears.

The system runs on Google software, so you can directly install your favourite (compatible) apps rather than having to connect your phone. You can do that should you wish, of course, using wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both of which feature as standard. 

It responds well to touch and is easy enough to navigate your way around. We also like that you don't use it for the climate controls – there are physical buttons underneath. It seems an odd choice, then, to have the climate information permanently displayed along the bottom. It limits the screen real estate used for everything else. 

Another thing we're not so keen on is the quality of the reversing camera shown in the display. It's one of the poorest we've seen for some time.

The infotainment system is contained in a single panel, which also houses a digital instrument cluster. In Advance and Evolve models, the size matches the infotainment system. It clearly displays all the information you might need, and it's easy to switch between different pieces of information using a rocker switch on the steering wheel. Engage models make do with a seven-inch display. 

These are the latest On The Road (OTR) prices for the new Nissan Micra as of May 2026 – prices can change, so please use these as a guide before checking Nissan's latest price lists.

Is the Nissan Micra good value compared to rivals?

The government's electric car grant (ECG) gives the Micra a big leg up when it comes to value, but it also makes the price structure a bit wonky. It's only the Extended Range models which benefit from the full £3750 Band 1 saving rather than the £1500 Band 2 discount, meaning you'll actually pay slightly more for an Advance with a smaller battery than you will for the bigger one.

It's also not a massive gap between an Advance Extended Range and the entry-level Engage Standard Range (which can't be specced with the bigger battery). Given that the Engage grade is quite basic in terms of its standard equipment, it doesn't seem worth bothering with. The Advance Extended Range looks like the best bet as a value proposition, and it compares well to alternatives. 

Even with the bump in price compared to the Engage, the Advance Extended Range significantly undercuts the BYD Dolphin, which starts from £30,230, and is a good chunk less than the Vauxhall Corsa Electric's £26,005 starting point.

Crucially, the Micra is priced identically to its Renault 5 sibling, so you aren't penalised for wanting a version of the car with a Nissan badge. 

We averaged an impressive 4.2 miles per kWh in the Micra during our time with it, despite not trying very hard and doing quite a few motorway miles, which isn't where an EV is at its best in terms of efficiency. That figure would give you about 220 miles of running on a full charge, which isn't too far off the official WLTP number. 

That charge would cost about £13 if you're on a standard electricity tariff, and it'll be about £10 if you have a Standard Range car with the smaller battery. It pays to get yourself on a special EV tariff with cheaper off-peak periods and time your charging sessions to suit, which results in you only paying a fraction of those prices for super cheap running costs. 

VED car tax for EVs is now charged at the same £200 annual rate as other fuel types.

The Nissan Micra is available in three trim levels called Engage, Advance and Evolve. 

The entry-level Nissan Micra Engage comes with the following fitted as standard:

• 18-inch alloy wheels 
• Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto 
• Climate control
• Heat pump
• Rear parking sensors
• Seven-inch digital instrument cluster
• 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system

Upgrading to the mid-spec Nissan Micra Advance introduces the following:

• 18-inch alloy wheels (different design)
• Electrically adjustable and heated mirrors
• Interior ambient lighting
• Adaptive cruise control
• Rear parking camera
• 10.1-inch digital instrument cluster 

The top-spec Nissan Micra Evolve adds:

• 18-inch wheels (different design)
• Two-tone finish
• Synthetic leather upholstery 
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Eight-speaker (plus subwoofer) Harman Kardon sound system
• Electrically-adjustable driver lumbar support
• Heated steering wheel
• Heated front seats