BEST USED ELECTRIC CAR NISSAN LEAF
OUR PICK Nissan Leaf 2014 (14) Acenta, 20,718 miles, £5,995
ELECTRIC cars are the next big thing in the car industry. In a few years there will be more choice in showrooms, but for now, there are some great deals to be had on the first mainstream EV success story, the Nissan Leaf.
With prices below £6,000 even for cars as new as 2014 models, it’s very affordable; and because many owners only use their Leafs for short trips around town, lots have very few miles on the clock, meaning the condition of most used examples is good.
Don’t fret about running a second-hand EV, because the original Leaf was ranked the 33rd best car to live with in our Driver Power 2017 survey, and with fewer moving parts to go wrong, reliability should be strong.
We found second-hand cars only a few years old with less than 25,000 miles at some bargain prices. Just be aware that the battery pack might not have been included in the sale, so you’ll still need to pay a monthly lease for the battery to be able to use the car.
Many used examples come without that extra monthly cost, though, because owners bought the battery outright when their Leaf was new. Like all EVS, the Leaf is very quiet at low speed, and there’s lots of torque available instantly, so you can make silent but swift progress. However, the Leaf is set up for comfort rather than engagement, so it’s not much fun to drive. It’s a great commuter car, though, thanks to a singlespeed auto box that makes traffic easy to deal with.
An average commute will be more than covered by the 24kwh Leaf’s 124-mile range, but later models are available with a larger 30kwh battery that increases this to 155 miles. With the cost to charge the Nissan standing at only a few pounds, it’s bound to save you money, and a used model gives access to this technology at an affordable price.
“A Leaf is bound to save you money, and a used model gives access to this tech at an affordable price”