Nissan LEAF 2021 Review || The World's 2nd Best Selling EV

Nissan LEAF 2021 Review by MattBrandCars. The Nissan LEAF recently passed a major milestone of over 500000 sold since its introduction and was the first mass-market 100% electric car. In today's in-depth expert car review, we talk about what makes this EV so popular!
The Nissan LEAF competes with cars like the Hyundai Kona Electric, Hyundai Ionic and Tesla Model 3. Very stiff competition! But which one should you buy? Let's talk about it!
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Timeline:
00:00 - Introduction
01:00 - Exterior
05:23 - Interior
13:58 - How it Drives / On the Road
18:36 - Is it Worth It? / Verdict
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#Nissan #NissanLEAF #LEAF #ElectricVehicle #LEAFEV #NissanLeaf EV #EV ‪@nissanusa‬ ‪@NissanAustralia‬ ‪@nissanuk‬ ‪@Nissan‬
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[@CarSauce]

*VOTE* on whether you prefer the looks of the Nissan LEAF or the Hyundai IONIQ! _COMMENT_ "LEAF" for the Nissan LEAF or Click _LIKE_ for the Hyundai IONIQ

[@f90bird]

LEAF

[@ymcadude123]

LEAF

[@douglasalanthompson]

Leaf

[@Rarias]

LEAF

[@arongatt]

Leaf

[@baronsilverbaron757]

My thought is that the LEAF is the best electric car for the money. I have to admit I've recently purchased the Leaf 62 Kwh Tekna. So obviously I'm not biased. LOL. It's absolutely brilliant.

[@CarSauce]

Congratulations! I think the 62kw will be a whole other car from this one, and now they are bringing it to Australia I'm excited to test that theory out!

[@NameNaameNameeNaamee]

Thanks for this review. 👍 As you said, it's amazing how a lot of reviewers go out of their way to rip this thing to pieces. Considering that it is made out of recycled material by 60% and can be recycled by almost 100%, it's amazing how good the Leaf looks and feels and how reliable it is. The Leaf is an old car now, but still is a fantastic offering and truly sustainable, at least for the price we pay over here. It almost is crazy affordable for what it brings to the table. Side note: Nissans product policy is weird sometimes. Over here in Germany, the Leaf finally got a telescoping steering wheel. It also features LED fog and cornering lights, electric seat adjustment with lumbar support and an electric parking brake, the larger battery option...oh and there also is the fantastic pro Pilot. Then again we only get a pretty low level dome light console, whereas the US get the nice one out if the X-Trail... Why not bring those updates to all markets?

[@yep-that-happened]

Great review. I love my 2018 Leaf. Cheers from Kentucky.

[@CarSauce]

Thank you! Really appreciate it ☺️

[@victoriagilstrap6939]

Great review! I love my 2018 LEAF!

[@pauld6556]

Great review Matt. I was waiting for “don’t play with the knob” that would have been more entertaining haha! I’d definitely pick the leaf over the Ioniq!

[@CarSauce]

Haha I will have to make that a regular then! Thanks Paul 😁

[@shuycg]

I have the leaf+, the 62kwh version, 205hp version. I do have propilot and it's super useful. The autoparking, too. And it works perfectly, all the time. I realized that your version is different in the back. Mine has vents and controls for the rear, behind the arm rest. The seated seats switches are there, too, not on the front seats. Plus usb ports fo charging. I love in Belgium. Great review! Because you mentioned the Kona, I did test drove that, the top version. The gadgets inside are better in that one, but the tech overall, no. The materials are better but not too notch either. The back seats and the boot are very small in the Kona. I still wanted to see how it drives. And I was surprised to see how much wheel spin you get and how vague the streering gets while accelerating hard.

[@DavidWengier]

I'm so glad to finally be able to watch car reviews filmed in the city I live in, so I can finally stare at the background of every frame and hope to see my house.

[@CarSauce]

Haha keep an eye out 👀

[@DavidWengier]

Not to get too stalker-y, but most of this video is within my 5km bubble....

[@CarSauce]

@@DavidWengier haha keep an eye out then! And I make sure not to film where I live just in case haha, so feel glad I chose your bubble 😜 If you see a GoPro driving car on Nepean highway, say hello! 😁

[@mkaye097]

great review, really interested to see how the EV tech is progressing

[@CarSauce]

Thanks Matthew! Super interesting tech, but will very soon become the mainstream! ⚡

[@ianberry5263]

Great review I have owned my top spec 2018 model for 2 weeks and totally love it. I am planning on customising mine within an inch of its life 19” alloys going on next week and plenty of body modifications. I love the look of the Nismo Leaf and with a little vision mine will be looking equally as good. Not sure why the model you drove had the foot brake UK model has the electronic handbrake. I totally agree about the issue with the interior trim near your leg on longer journeys its bloody annoying. I am going to add a soft piece of trip over the hard plastic to give some padding as we often do 3hr drives in ours. Apart from that its a flying machine its very quick I have a 220 Bhp diesel Seat Leon as well and this is much more responsive and handles like its on rails. If you want a fun, practical well built car that has years of experience in the electric car market it’s got to be the Nissan Leaf.

[@CarSauce]

Thanks Ian, glad you love yours! 🙂

[@lifewithjohnny9724]

Good review! Very detailed, and love your opinions. What shoes are they? They look like socks

[@michaelh4484]

Love your channel and the vibe of the presentation. Yep Leaf over Ioniq.

[@CarSauce]

I swear everytime your comments are about my poor choice of wording 🤣 Thanks as always Michael, always appreciate a long time viewer 😊

[@alanfurlong-drummer4419]

Great review mate cheers

[@northpointproductionsltd1592]

LEAF. 👍🏼 It’s very interesting to hear how your (Japanese built?) version of the LEAF compares with the UK manufactured one. Ours have an electric handbrake, telescopic steering wheel adjustment AND rear USB points for ‘phone/tablet charging which you say were lacking in the one you drove? PLUS Pro Pilot. Our SatNav looks rather better, too. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Anyhow, a 62kWh LEAF will definitely be my next car. I have owned a 24kWh and currently a 30kWh original shape LEAF, which have both been faultless. 👌🏼

[@CarSauce]

Yeah I'm very excited to drive the 62kwh that's now coming to Australia hopefully soon, should make all the difference!

[@ymcadude123]

I bought a barely used 2019 Leaf SV for 19,000 USD. With the technology package, I did get the power seat adjust with lumbar adjust too. I still am not completely comfortable with it. Also, while I do have pro-pilot, I'm missing the complete surround view that the newer models have. Bummer, but I've figured that over the life of the car I would have at least 7,000 USD in gas and maintenance savings which makes it extremely affordable and is still a ton of fun to drive.

[@CarSauce]

Hey mate, it sounds like in cost savings alone it was a great buy 😉

[@mikecarter2737]

Hey, I've got the same car in CA and can routinely turtle it after 100 miles - loses all ability to accelerate going up hill.

[@brycem0]

Fun fact, aluminium castings are made in Dandenong Victoria. Have a Kangaroo stamped in the casting. There is also a Nismo version of this car. Good review 👍

[@dbradley8805]

Just got a new 2020 Leaf and I’m loving it. I like the looks and it drives great. Wish it had a sunroof is all. The passenger seat doesn’t go back far enough for a taller passenger.

[@Alexriga]

Yes, acceleration is great and smooth, orgasmic ride :) Competitors are great but Leaf has 160 kW engine while most of same level cars have 100 kW.

[@dustycarrier4413]

Middle hump is likely so that they can have regenerative breaking from the rear wheels as well, in addition to necessary wiring and such for the batteries, backup cam, etc. Could also be structural.

[@TheNWPerry]

Great review on the Nissan Leaf. I own the 2020 model and have found it a great car so far. It does exactly what I need it to do for me in and around Town . As a town car it is superb and as a EV it does better in stop/start traffic than any ICE car. Simple to charge at home and holds it's charge for long periods of inactivity. I also dislike the foot hand brake. Would never go back to a ICE car ever again after the Leaf. Neil W

[@CarSauce]

Hey Neil, very happy to hear you like your LEAF. Overall, it is a great car and I'm sad to give it back!

[@pierzing.glint1sh76]

Same here, I just find the range an issue as I do a lot of highway driving and I live away from the home charger. I therefore am a bit worried about battery degradation because I drive at 70-80mph most of the time and the majority of my charges are from ecotrixity's 50kw chargers

[@nishantbhandari3864]

what range yo are getting

[@nclflyer8197]

Got my Leaf yesterday. Here in the U.K. we do get ProPilot on the Tekna variant. Really impressed with it. Range for me around 120 miles, but it hasn’t yet ‘learned’ my driving habits, so that range may go up in the coming weeks. Now all we need is for energy prices to come down 😮

[@bobbyblue1953]

I have had my Tekna for a week, It's a great car so far, comfortable and well screwed together, in Sunderland, I'm glad I bought it, I wish I could afford the 62Kw battery one though

[@bdeithrick]

Good video n research.

[@CarSauce]

Thanks Byron! Really appreciate it 🙂

[@garrettwhite8943]

I love your review ^.^ I recently got a LEAF SV Plus here in the States & I absolutely love it. I have the same reaction 😃 that you had when driving the LEAF 🌿 it's a great EV for a small family, which my wife and I are expecting our first this October.

[@arongatt]

Hi from Malta 🇲🇹 ... love my leaf with all its short comings. For our tiny island is very good.

[@CarSauce]

Hello! Thanks for the insight 😀

[@69muscat]

Hi wow they have the leaf in Malta ? very good , that would be great for Malta ,

[@striker3]

Battery Degradation is serious problem in the Nissan Leaf, The Tesla and Chevy Bolt are very much superior. This is something people don't think about especially when considering a used electric car.

[@karora]

It's interesting that you don't get the 62kWh in Australia. I've just bought one in Ireland and there are a number of differences, like USB ports for the rear passengers. I'm expecting to export this to NZ after I've had it in NZ for a year, but my main reason for upgrading to the 62kWh leaf was because I've loved the 2015 Leaf for so long, but if the battery degrades per charge, then I expect I shall charge this *a lot* less frequently - I was charging the 24kWh daily until lockdown, and maybe weekly since, but now I don't see any reason to recharge unless (a) I have planned long distance travel, or (b) it's below 50km range. Pretty infrequent, basically, but if I plan ahead I have no problems driving anywhere in Ireland and then charge at destination.

[@dre4759]

Leaf over Ioniq given the recent price drops for the leafs 2022 models. Leased a leaf back 2011-2014 was a great eco commuter. Used 2021s for sale around me with under 3k miles for 21-23k asking at dealers (makes sense given 2022 prices and usa 7500 tax credit)

[@GiovanniBausC]

Which model year was that? Here in Germany they introduced a telescopic steering wheel with „MY20“.

[@declanrooney1385]

Totally agree with the handling … 👌

[@wayneheyes904]

I was tempted to buy this as my first EV but with the old fashioned charge port and now everyone going over to the standard rapid charge port it’ll be very difficult to charge this on the move

[@brucekennedy5274]

Great review, I’ve had one for nearly 3 yrs - and love everything you love about it. Only the range is a pain. Yes it’s only 5% of trips but they exist, and 9 time out of 10 I’ll just take our little petrol car instead, which is a great shame but I really can’t be arsed with the hassle of public charging just on a150 mile motorway round trip. 200 real motorway miles is what I’d like in my next ev.

[@schwarzenemes.]

About the gear selector - you pull it back to go ahead, while push if forward to go back? o.O

[@MiguelRodriguez-nt5eq]

I'll stick with the power and looks of my Model 3 although I did enjoy this review from one EV enthusiast to another well done. 😎

[@wallyheindl3270]

People who buy a leaf ($53,000AUD).. simply can't afford a Tesla SR+ ($73,000AUD)

[@rylans.5365]

@@wallyheindl3270 Yes! The person is assuming we can just choose between the two! Most people get the Nissan because they can't afford the Tesla.

[@wallyheindl3270]

@Jordan Will why? Because car dealers are soooo honest??

[@Griffindeleon004]

Sadly cant afford it, but they get devalued soo fast wthin 2 to 3 years that I ben thinking about getting the 2018 model and upgrading the battery package to the latest one.

[@TheHayabusa09]

Dandenong Road...I used to collect clients Jag's from around that area...27yrs ago..now living in the Middle East for 23..

[@mikesmith666]

LEAF Here in the UK battery temp isn't really an issue due to our climate unless you're doing multiple rapid charges a day which most people don't

[@CarSauce]

Good point Mike! Opposite for you, I was speaking to a Malaysian viewer who said after they DC charge the battery always give them overheating warnings (likely common because of the warm, muggy climate!). As I said in the video, for 99% of buyers this wont be an issue because the main demographic are inner-city drivers who charge at home :)

[@douglasalanthompson]

Same here in Chicago. Battery temp is kind of a non issue.

[@mikrozoo8521]

@@CarSauce I bet they have a 2017 or 2018 model, the 2019 model you're driving won't have that issue as Nissan has altered the software.

[@charlesbelanger1940]

I don't know if Nissan will add a software setting to configure max State of Charge level to 80% or 90% (like many others do) when you don't need the full range on daily driving because without this setting, this car would always charge up to 100% (unless always extra caring using charging timer setting) and this might contribute to battery degradation over many years

[@TheAlien1974]

I really like the leaf but because of lack of battery cooling I will have to get the ioniq

[@heartattack7230]

I would be thinking about the Nissan leaf

[@Hogtown1986]

I have the same color, a 2018. Don’t know how to break this to you, but they put your steering wheel on the wrong side mate.

[@CarSauce]

My god... Have I been doing it wrong THIS WHOLE TIME?!

[@jordanleo]

I was thinking it seems like an amazing car, until I heard the price. Bloody hell, what's the point. Might as well fork out an extra 10 grand and get a Tesla model 3 🤷

[@nathaniel8422]

proper use of camera would be better. Basically you dont see in video cocpit and drivers view on panels, just big zoom and short view. I am not interested in drivers selfies, just show me the car

[@rkgsd]

You talked about the back seat legroom, but not the front.

[@khmerbraveheart]

Leaf. I want one, one day.

[@reynoldpeterson4346]

I cannot dance to that music

[@alpacino9226]

my head is hurting by watching right side wheel

[@ShirazChanawala]

Not sure why it requires a foot handbrake when my ID3 does not need one.

[@dan.m.e6259]

E+ update coming to Australia in 2021... more power, more torque and longer range 👍 (385KM's). Much more suitable for West Australian's where everything is so far apart. No active cooling for the batteries is a deal breaker for me unfortunately 👎

[@CarSauce]

Yeah just saw that announcement!

[@dunbustin]

2:35 length is 4.5m, quite a bit longer than a Micra (3.7m).

[@nancyjacobs3383]

And it’s fun to drive!

[@buixote]

I think when the new eSoul gets here (US; fingers crossed), it will *dominate* the Leaf...

[@CarSauce]

Haha well the LEAF is getting on!

[@andrewcostel4821]

Nissan dealer near me is having sweepstakes to win a 2 year lease on a 2021 Nissan Leaf. Hope I win.

[@myriammikhael8922]

That’s amazing! Where is that?

[@douglasalanthompson]

See if you can get a Leaf Plus S to test. No auto reviewer has range tested it yet.

[@CarSauce]

Would love to! Unfortunately not in Australia as of yet 😔

[@charlesbelanger1940]

The SV Model usually worth it for the heat pump, telemetrics for over-the-air software updates, built-in navigation to find nearest charging station on the road and with Nissan Connect Mobile App to have a quick look on State of Charge and available range while charging and to activate pre-heating remotely on the go. But I don't know if Nissan will add a software setting to configure max State of Charge level to 80% or 90% (like many others do) when you don't need the full range on daily driving because without this setting, this car would always charge up to 100% (unless always extra caring using charging timer setting) and this might contribute to battery degradation over many years

[@charlesbelanger1940]

Not sure you are really reviewing a 2021 Nissan LEAF ? Must be a Model year 2020 because the steering wheel of 2021 is supposed to be telescopic now ...

[@CarSauce]

Exactly right Charles! It is an MY21, not a build date 2021. These year designation conventions are stupid!

[@seanjohn83]

We have a 2020 that we purchased this week; it has a telescopic steering wheel.

[@ryanlaffan7064]

The CHAdeMO charging puts me off hugely

[@CarSauce]

There is an adaptor in the car, but totally get that! Infrastructure isn't amazing yet

[@Prodigious1One]

There's some chademo chargers that do more than 50kwh. Some companies should be installing more like NRG Evgo.

[@letsseeif]

Matt. It's kind of ironic that the Ionic has top IT compared the Leaf borderline crap IT given what you've said re Japan as an original & still IT specialist. On that issue, Nissan could take a leaf out of Hyundai/Kia's book.

[@CarSauce]

I know the new Nissan Ariya is getting an awesome looking screen, really hope it comes to the LEAF too :D

[@charlesbelanger1940]

I hope Nissan will add a software setting to configure max State of Charge level to 80% or 90% (like many others do) when you don't need the full range on daily driving because without this setting, this car would always charge up to 100% (unless always extra caring using charging timer setting) and this might contribute to battery degradation over many years

[@sigitpermadi6037]

I hope i can afford this Nissan

[@yep-that-happened]

Foot pedal parking brake is odd. We get an electric parking brake in the US.

[@CarSauce]

Yeah I really don't like them, they just eat info footwell space which is far from ideal

[@RadioactiveSaddam]

That's like the most american thing ever. I own one american made car and it's the ONLY car i ever owned with a foot hand brake.

[@jonathandunn4155]

@@CarSauce The higher spec LEAF models (i.e. in Tekna trim) get an electronic parking brake

[@daniel-eg2oq]

that is the craziest way to say Hyundai I've ever heard

[@freedom20206]

We see you more than the car it self please

[@hnoelmerchavarria565]

Sorry I couldn’t watch review with driver on the passenger site.

[@kingreef2160]

Wait till you pay almost more than car cost for the battery, they're known to have shitty battery on their cars

[@evdave6693]

LEAF definitely looks better. Just wish it had liquid cooled battery. 😒 No brainer! 🤷‍♂️

[@CarSauce]

You're not alone! Probably its biggest issue, sadly :(

[@LostInIce4]

The liquid cooling was not needed for 99.9% of users. The reason other manufacturers are using liquid cooling is due to warranty issues by the battery manufacturers. Since Nissan owns it's own production they were not bound by this contractually. Since the Nissan Ariya will use CATL cells and not in-house cells they Ariya will have liguid cooling due to warranty purposes.

[@CarSauce]

@@LostInIce4 interesting, good to know! But I will say, I think it fits further than just warranty issues. There's no denying that an overheating battery will degrade faster. I agree for 99.9% of people, this won't be an issue. Most people are inner city drivers who charge at home. But I've had, for example, a Malaysian viewer reach out and told me their battery overheats a lot when they DC charge especially as they are in a warm and muggy climate. So again interesting, but I don't think that's the only reason 😊 - just my 2c

[@cheez1012]

If you're wondering why tesla's are so cheap, heres why... The cheaper tesla's batteries are made in china... (tesla model 3 for example) cheap labour = cheap cost of each battery. I'd rather much buy a reliable electric car than a car made in Korea or China.... Can't trust their quality 😬 So, for that reason, Nissan Leaf takes a win for me.

[@douglasalanthompson]

Leaf

[@malingehring165]

What the hell is this review. What has he been smoking? It is a good car, that has never taken off, and is a discontinued orphan. Don't buy one. I have one for 7 years, but will never buy another because the dealers never have one for sale..

[@skepticalmechanic]

Out dated car... no battery temperature management... Out dated charge port... much better options out there now

[@kentwilliams4152]

LEAF, LEAF, LEAF. 😀

[@Michael-it6gb]

I wanna like elecric cars. But its just takes so damn long to charge, and I don't have any charging stations close to home. They need to solve this infrastructure problem.

[@CarSauce]

Yeah most people will install a level 2 charger at home, but if you don't have good infrastructure where you live it can be a turnoff!

[@chiscou]

Can you charge at home?

[@chiscou]

I got a Leaf in Mexico, and charge at home during the night.

[@RadioactiveSaddam]

You can install a own charging station... 🙂

[@Michael-it6gb]

@@RadioactiveSaddam where? In my toilet?

[@hybern8ta]

Looks exactly the same as 2018...

[@CarSauce]

Externally, nothing has changed. I'm sure there will be some sort of facelift soon!

[@hybern8ta]

@@CarSauce They have been talking about a whole line of EVs for years now. Instead we get a "face lift"

[@danielroden9424]

i got a kona. i couldnt deal with the shitty battery cooling on these. total garbage. a guy on youtube driving in frigid norway drove 200 miles and the pack climbed up to 150 degrees fahrenheit with outside temps 15 degrees fahrenheit. is there even any active cooling? useless to drive around and fast charge because the heat will drop the recharge rate down to 10kwh or less and its going to murder the pack life. no thanks!

[@n1ss4ngt-r52]

LEAF

[@charithaattanayake7260]

Wooow

[@AshmewStudios]

I still feel like an SR+ Tesla Model 3 is more worth it with better range

[@alanfurlong-drummer4419]

NiSSan lEAf wOW

[@MaplEV_Leaf]

Thanks for the great review! I drive a Nissan Leaf Plus and love it though I'd originally ordered the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Here's the story of me getting my EV:​ kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZDYiGp8eMeDrtk

[@FMHammyJ]

LEAF.......ps come home to something warm.....buy a Hyundai.....:)

[@CarSauce]

The Kona EV is a great car! But I'm excited to drive the latest LEAF

[@andreyalex5639]

🇷🇺👍👍

[@martingilligan]

Slow down and stop gabbling...

[@hackerman7835]

as much as I understand your desire to let everyone's eyes feast on your beautiful visage, I wish this video consisted of more footage of the car and less of yourself. Dislike - sorry

[@CarSauce]

Well at least your honest, but I have to totally disagree with you there. I show the car more than a lot of other reviewers, with the majority of footage actually being B roll (well over 50%). The A-roll is also me seated and driving the car, so there's that 😉

[@mco6968]

Leaf