Nissan Leaf White

The basic Leaf comes with a 40kWh battery, which is paired to a 150 horsepower motor that gives zippy acceleration. As electric cars don’t need a gearbox, that acceleration is brisk and uninterrupted by gear changes, and is great for quickly nipping past a slow-moving tractor or getting up to speed on the motorway. The E+ has a 60kWh battery that improves range to 239 miles (WLTP) and is paired with a more potent motor – with 217 horsepower, to be precise. That sounds like a lot, but because the new battery is some 130kg heavier, it doesn’t feel a huge amount quicker. That said, it’s still nice and fast to react to the accelerator. The Leaf regenerates electricity and puts it back into the battery when you lift off the accelerator, and you can also control the level of regeneration. At the highest level, this acts like a brake – Nissan calls it the e-Pedal – and means that 90% of the time you can drive the Leaf using one pedal.