At a glance

An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the leather accented seats are heated front and rear, as is the steering wheel.

But one of the Leaf’s most interesting selling points is the fact it is one of the only EVs in New Zealand to offer bi-directional charging – you have the ability to put electricity back into the grid or, more specifically, your home.

Nissan is playing up the biggest plus of this – the ability to charge your Leaf at night using cheaper electricity, then power your house during the day.

Or, you know, drive your car. That’s not even touching on the remarkable smugness of having a fully-powered house during a power cut...

A different type of home charger is required for bi-directional charging, and the hardware is currently going through the required local testing and certifying, but it shouldn’t be long before it is available.

Where did you drive it?

A burst through the suburbs and around the outskirts of Melbourne was a fittingly appropriate way to experience the Leaf. And managing to get lost and spend even more time in the leafy suburban nightmare was probably remarkably close to your average Leaf’s natural habitat.

In terms of actual driving, the Leaf is very much a conventional EV – while there is brisk acceleration, there is no Tesla-style Ludicrous mode acceleration – and one-pedal driving is available via the ‘‘e-Pedal’’ switch that ups the regenerative braking and really completes the EV driving experience.

Excellent ride quality, an