The 2019 Nissan Leaf EV is a fully electric five-seater and I'm going to admit it wasn't love at first sight with the Leaf for me, however, by the end of my week driving it, our relationship had blossomed and I became rather fond of the cheeky little fella!
Used to the excellent battery range of the Hyundai Kona EV I was shocked straight away to only get 250km of battery in the Leaf. By the time I'd driven the 100km home from picking it up, it felt like it was time to plug it in again!
I found over the week I did have to charge it more often than with the Kona EV, Tesla Model S or Jaguar i-Pace for example but because it has a smaller battery range it is quite a lot cheaper than those cars, even the Hyundai, and was much quicker to fully charge as well. There's a handy visual on the driver screen so you know how long it will take and the distance you have left.
Charging it wasn't a problem and I found I just did it as part of my every day, at the shops, zoo and at home.
It comes with different charging leads in the boot. The leads do take up quite a bit of space at either side of the boot though and there is a big BOSEÂ box in the boot floor that has something to do with the stereo taking up more space.
Good news, though. The boot is nice and deep so you can still get all sizes of pram and stroller in and a good weekly shop. From empty it would hold nine shopping bags which is the same as the Hyundai Kona EV, one less than the Mazda3 and two less than the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid and Kia Cerato Hatch.
The Leaf felt like a small car but it didn't have a small turning circle and it didn't feel as nimble to drive as I'd expected, until… I used the e-Pedal which I found made a huge difference. With e-Pedal you drive just using the accelerator, a bit like a dodgem at the fairground, so taking your foot off the accelerator allows you to slow down and brake all the way to a stop. It was fun learning to judge how to get the car stop perfectly at the line of a traffic light and made the Leaf feel nippier and more exciting to drive, in other words, more like I had hoped it would be!
There is a round gear knob that has a diagram to tell you how to manoeuvre it into gear. To me the diagram proves someone at Nissan realised this design would confuse people but I at least found I got used to this very quickly, more so than the rotary or push-button systems in some electric cars. The Leaf's gear selector relied more on the muscle memory of using a geared car.
In the back of the Nissn Leaf I could fit two child seats, where they are nice and easy to install with ISOfix in the two outer seats and top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear seats. The Leaf is more spacious back there than I first thought and with rear-facing child seats installed we could just squeeze a 180cm passenger in front of it.
Storage throughout the Nissan Leaf is minimal, with cup holders only in the front, a very small central console box and no glasses case in the front and only map and door pockets in the back.
The Nissan Leaf EV is a rather beepy car! It has a VERY loud and annoying beep when you open the driver's door, it seemed to do it with and without the ‘engine' being turned on and would definitely disturb a sleeping baby and drove me a little demented!
The lane departure warning is shocking, the steering wheel vibrates and I found the sound too violent and startling.
The media system in the Nissan Leaf does have Apple CarPlay which is great. The screen is very glary unless you are in the shade though which makes it hard to use while driving.
It also makes it harder to see the reversing camera and sat-nav map.
You can mute the parking sensors with a button by your left knee which is good.
A thoughtful feature is the rear heated seat controls are not on the back of the central console box where little toes will interfere with them! They are on the side of the front passenger seat where the driver can reach to control them.
Being an all-electric car it was great to be able to drive my daughter to sleep and use no fuel andI could sit with the aircon running and not pollute the environment or waste my money.
The 2019 Nissan Leaf EV scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2018 and has six airbags as standard. There are seat belt removal reminders in all rear seats with a great visual on the driver display screen.
BabyDrive Indepth
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the Nissan Leaf EV?
The 2019 Nissan Leaf EV is surprisingly deep, so it is a shame so much space is used up with the big BOSE box and the box of charging cables at the sides. They do interfere with the usable space a little and make lifting strollers and prams in and out harder because they get caught on them.
The Mountain Buggy duet twin stroller fits and you could put a couple of shopping bags on top of it.
The tandem stroller fits with two shopping bags beside it.
The single stroller fits with one shopping bag beside it.
The compact stroller fits with six shopping bags beside it.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
Or you could fit a medium size dog in the boot with the parcel shelf removed!
You could use the boot floor for an emergency nappy change but you do have to really bend down to it.
How good is storage inside the 2019 Nissan Leaf EV?
Storage inside the cabin of the Nissan Leaf EV is minimal throughout; the central console storage box is tiny.
In front of this is are two cup holders that I found fitted my reusable Luxey Cup and a disposable coffee cup, and a large refillable water bottle fitted in them too. Beside them is another little storage nook.
There is a small rubber-lined phone well and there is a USB and 12V socket above it.
The glove box would hold my wallet and iPad with the manual.
There is no glasses case in the ceiling, but there are lit vanity mirrors in both front visors.
The front door bins are big enough to hold a large refillable water bottle and the doors have handle wells too, great for kids' little trinkets!
In the back storage is limited, the door bins will also hold a large refillable water bottle and have little wells in the handles.
There are map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold but not conceal an iPad. There are no cup holders for the rear passengers.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the Nissan Leaf EV?
The 2019 Nissan Leaf EV is far too noisy for an electric car! The usual EV peace and quiet is shattered by a VERY annoying alarm that sounds when you open the driver's door with the ‘engine' on and most times when it is turned off too?
The lane departure warning is also a very loud and violent sound and vibration in the steering wheel, which we all found quite startling.
There is also a constant very high pitched whining noise, almost like the sound that bats make. I didn't notice it on every journey but found once I heard it I couldn't shake it.
The media system in the Nissan Leaf EV is easy to navigate and use, it does have Apple CarPlay (the first Nissan to do to, keep it up people) and is easy to connect my phone, which is great.
The screen is very glary unless you are in complete shade, which does make it hard to see and use while driving. Especially the reversing camera images.
You can easily mute the sound of the parking sensors with a button by your left knee.
The indicators are quiet in the Nissan Leaf EV and didn’t disturb my sleeping toddler.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The driver's display screen tells you your ‘distance to empty' on the battery range and how long it will take to charge which is a really good feature. So you know if you need to stop to charge it exactly how long your stop will need to be for.
I found the Nissan Leaf EV surprisingly quick to charge. We plugged it in for a few hours at the zoo and had an almost full battery, which was great as we were close to empty when we arrived!
The doors and windows can both be locked from the driver's door. Both the doors and windows are quiet and would not disturb small sleeping passengers when opening and closing them.
The Nissan Leaf has an e-Pedal which is a little switch in the central console that swaps to driving mainly with just the accelerator rather than using the accelerator and brake pedals, a bit like a fairground dodgem ride. Surprisingly driving with e-Pedal makes the Leaf a much nicer car to drive. Whether it is the challenge of seeing if you take your foot off at the right moment each time you approach lights for the Leaf to come to a stop at the right point, I don't know but it felt nippy and nimble when using e-Pedal and was much more fun.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the Nissan Leaf EV?
The second row has ISOFix points in the two outer seats, which are not within plastic guides, though I found them nice and easy to connect to.
There are three top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear backrests; they are nice and easy to connect to through the boot. The outer two are within plastic guides and easy to connect to and the central one is clearly labelled.
I could fit two child seats in the back of the Nissan Leaf, with a good amount of room around them. We had felt that legroom and interior space was a little tight during our week using the Leaf with our family however when I installed the rear-facing child seat in testing we did find a 180cm passenger could JUST sit in front of it but I would suggest you test it with you and your child seat.
The doorways feel low in the Nissan Leaf and I found mum bun would knock on the doorway so really had to duck getting in and out. So when posting bub into their child seat from outside and leaning in to do up their child seat was a bit tricky. Once inside the ceiling is a bit higher and so posting bub into their seat once inside the Leaf is easier.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
There is plenty of room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the Nissan Leaf EV? And how good is the Nissan Leaf EV to drive?
In the front of the Nissan Leaf EV, the seats are quite comfortable and are manually adjusted with levers at the sides. They have a fair bit of panel detailing in the seat upholstery and contrast blue stitching. The central seat panels are perforated for the heated seats controlled on the dashboard.
The headrests are not adjustable and I found I could not wear a ponytail while driving.
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
The rear seats are also heated with a button located on the side of the front passenger seat, which I think is a great position because it makes it easier for the driver to control and keeps it away from rear passengers wandering toes!!
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are comfortable at the sides. In the central seat there is not a lot of foot room as there is a large hump in the central floor.
For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
Very surprisingly the steering wheel is not fully adjustable in the Leaf! It will go up and down but not in and out.
The cruise controls are on the right-hand-side on the steering wheel and easy to use.
There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two central ones and one at either end.
There are no rear air vents. The controls for the air-conditioning are situated below the media screen and are nice and easy to use while driving.
The rear interior lights are located centrally in the ceiling, and can be reached from the driver's seat while driving!
I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
There are handles above the rear doors to hang a child's toy on.
For such a small EV the Nissan Leaf does not have a small turning circle and visibility is tricky out of the rear side windows when reversing.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, the Nissan Leaf EV took a few more manoeuvers than expected but wasn't too tricky to park.
Aesthetically the interior of the Nissan Leaf has some nice futuristic EV styling like the gear knob
But teamed with some old skool buttons and switches that I would have expected to have been a bit more considered like the heated seat switches.
Scoring a total of 93% or 35.4Â out of 38 for adult occupancy. Broken down into 6.64Â out of 8Â for the full-width frontal crash test, 7.18Â out of 8Â for the frontal offset test. Full marks for the side impact test and the pole test.
For Child Occupancy protection the Nissan Leaf EV scored 41.9 out of 49 which is 85%. Broken down into 14.26 out of 16 for the dynamic front, 8/8 for dynamic side. Child restraint installation scored 11.61 out of 12 and onboard features score 8 out of 13.
ANCAP said of the testing:
In the frontal offset test, dummy readings indicated WEAK protection for the neck of the 10 year dummy. Protection was GOOD for all other critical body regions of both dummies.
In the side impact test, protection of both dummies was GOOD and maximum points were scored.
The Nissan Leaf is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages onthe rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions. Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed that most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, however the Type A capsule could not be correctly installed in the rear outboard seating positions.
Six airbags come as standard; there are dual frontal airbags and side chest-protecting for the front passengers and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard for the front and rear side passengers.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!
The Mazda3 is a very popular car so I was very keen to give it a test for BabyDrive! I drove the hatch, a compact little car which for its price is actually very good. Read More
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