Nissan Leaf review: reliability & safety rating

Theoretically, all electric cars should be more reliable than their petrol or diesel-engined counterparts, if only because of the relative lack of moving parts: an electric motor has one, engines have hundreds. Further to this, the Leaf has been around for years, so any early issues that owners might have had would’ve hopefully been ironed out by now.

Nissan Leaf reliability & problems

The Leaf is one of the biggest-selling names in the world of electric cars, and for good reason. The second-generation version was all-new at launch, and has performed reasonably well in the Driver Power ownership satisfaction survey. In 2022, it placed 63rd in the top 75 cars rundown – not a bad result considering it's been around for a little while now, and newer, more hi-tech rivals have stolen much of the limelight. The Tesla Model 3 finished much higher – as it should, being considerably more expensive – impressing owners with its efficiency and fast charging speeds.

Owners love the Leaf’s electric drivetrain for its smoothness and running costs and rate the car's handling highly, too. Nissan as a brand also did quite well, finishing 15th out of 29 manufacturers to beat key rivals like SEAT, Renault and MG. Owners gave good marks for ride quality, connectivity, and acceleration – for all its positives, not areas we were particularly impressed by when testing the Leaf – but were less complimentary when it came to outward visibility and design.

In October 2020, aftermarket warranty provider WarrantyWise released data that showed the Leaf as the most reliable electric car on its books, with just two examples of claims from all of its active policies.

Safety

When the Nissan Leaf was crash-tested by Euro NCAP, it scored impressive ratings across the board: 93% and 86% for adult and child occupant protection respectively. Much of that is down to the structural integrity of the car, and should provide huge peace of mind. What’s more tangible is its 71% score in the Safety Assist category, which assesses technology and features to help you avoid a crash in the first place. As well as the features such as anti-lock brakes, skid-reducing ESP and autonomous emergency braking (which can apply the brakes automatically if a potential collision is detected), the Leaf offers a full roster of smart technology.

Lane-departure warning and 'Intelligent Lane Intervention' will alert you and intervene if you drift out of lane, while 'Intelligent Trace Control' automatically applies the brakes individually to help the car stay on the desired cornering line. 'Intelligent Ride Control' uses imperceptible acceleration and braking to iron out bumps in the road, maximising grip and ride comfort in the process.

But the Nissan Leaf's most lauded feature is the ProPilot system. Standard on Tekna trim and optional elsewhere, it controls the accelerator, brakes and steering for a safer and more relaxing drive. It can even stop the car if required, keep you centred in your lane, and offers a self-parking function. On the basis that machines can’t lose concentration like a driver can, it should prevent collisions from happening in the first place.