Nissan LEAF 2016 30kWh - Review and long-distance drive, UK

It should do 124 miles fully charged, but how far can Nissan's 2016 Nissan LEAF actually travel on one charge? I decided to find out.
In my second trip, I very nearly ran out of charge, but that was my own stupid fault! Contains more waffle than most of my videos, because my in-car mount is rubbish and I made the mistake of trying to use an actual camera rather than my phone. As usual, no script, budget or production values.
The route for this test involved driving from west Wales to Liverpool, then to Bradford and then back to Wales via Staffordshire. The second test involved driving from west Wales to Cannock, then Stow on the Wold, before heading back along the A44. In total, I covered over 720 miles this electric car in just a week - and it didn't move for several days of that time!
Car used is a Nissan LEAF Acenta 30kWh, with an on-the-road price of around £26,000 including plug-in grant. It remains one of my favourite EV motors out there. www.nissan.co.uk
Hubnut blog at www.hubnut.org

[@davidviner4932]

Wow, matching driver and passenger

[@stevel9914]

These look good at the moment because you're not paying any duty on the "fuel". Once it reaches a reasonable take up point duty will be added. I cannot say how they're going to factor it in when you can charge from your home. However I can also see the full 20% VAT added to all our electricity bills (for everything). However currently they could make good economic sense

[@robredz]

They will probably insist on a separate meter for the home charger, and levy£1 per Kwh possibly.

[@boo-boo511]

Road pricing. Smart Meters and Smart Charging at home will be able to "sense" charging allowing for premium rate charges to be applied, either to control demand, increase profit for electric companies or apply a "duty" rate.

[@cpcnw]

@@boo-boo511 Check out Octopus. Timed charging at low demand and it's free! Even either side of that you are looking at 5p-7pKw-h between 1am and 4am

[@lancpudn]

I would really like one of these Leaf EV's as they would suit my driving needs perfectly. the thing that amazed me with them is the silence, the peace & quiet about them would be heaven for me. alas I couldn't get an affordable deal on one at the time so maybe next time around! nice honest review.

[@johnnorth9355]

It's fascinating to see how the technology is advancing even in this short period of time with some regular small/medium EV's now capable of 250-300 miles on a single charge . That is starting to make them eminently viable in our small and crowded island and as the charging infrastructure grows I am seriously considering an EV as my next day to day car. My new garage is having a charging point as part of the build spec in anticipation. It will have to live next to my TR6 rebuild project though :-) .

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

Britain isn't a small island. It's the 9th largest island in the world. It's a HUGE island.

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

My uncle bought an old Nissan leaf and it only has a range of 150 miles, as the battery can only do that on a full charge! But it's cheap motoring and zero emissions as well!

[@dlittlester]

Another entertaining episode. Thanks for doing these. On a non-related note, I see you have the same watch as me. I had one many, many years ago, so a couple of years ago on a visit to a town in North Yorkshire, and seeing one at the weekly market, I had to buy another.

[@NB_NB_NB]

that's an eerie silence when you set off! I think i'd be making broom broom noises to counter that!

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Watching this video to prepare for my own review of the mark 2 Leaf at the weekend, cracking video as usual.

[@BobM925]

Ah good old range anxiety. Been there many a time over the years, albeit with limited petrol rather than electricity. Usually. How about "coolant anxiety?" Or "coolant and low oil pressure anxiety?" Many moons ago me and then girlfriend (now wife, somehow) were on a little seaside break, we'd gone in my old Mk1 Golf that had a radiator with more holes in it than your average pair of Sunday socks. After one longish day out, in the evening it was peeing down with rain and thunder storms. With around 50 miles to get back to the guest house the car was telling me the engine was too hot, and the oil pressure was too low (the car was very very old, and very very knackered) Well, the girlfriend fell asleep in the passenger seat on the way back (probably a good idea), leaving me to "enjoy" all 50 miles of that "anxiety." The car made it, and a few days later (with a few spare gallons of water in the boot) that car made it the 200 miles home too. The low oil pressure, well that was because it'd done about 2000 light-years in its life. It never got its well deserved radiator, it ended up at the scrappers :( A quick question though - why do these "eco" cars electric or whatever, have to be so bloody ugly? Honda and Toyota started all this with the Insight and Prius, all other manufacturers must follow I guess. Just make them look like cars!

[@dlittlester]

I guess they just want to market the fact that they're electric, and one way to do that is to make them look different. I once had an Austin 1300, or America as it was known in Canada. The oil pressure light used to glow a lot. It was knackered when I bought it, but didn't know it. A friend of mine leaned on the front fender, just behind the headlight, and went right through the bondo. For some reason I loved that car though. I think it had to do with the ingenious hydrolastic suspension. (that I was fortunate enough not to have any problems with).

[@hunchanchoc8418]

The difference with range anxiety in a 2CV is you can have a 1-gallon can of petrol in the boot...

[@lloydtucker]

Head restraint easy fix, remove it then turn it around so the curve faces backwards. Not sure if it works in all cars

[@akr01364]

Here in town I run a little electric runabout by GEM Polaris. Being on a farm I have access to a little dirt track (it's the "off road" model) that brings me right near the center to do our shopping and I have to confess that for short runs like that an electric is perfect. If rather fun given how instant the torque comes on and I'd imagine that a Fiat500e or a Smart electric can be had for relatively little on the second hand market. My GEM only cost about $200 given the last owner somehow blew the motor. Thank you ebay for both the tools and the car.

[@robert5008]

Try turning the head rest around thats what I have to do on my wife`s car.

[@RichieRouge206]

Haha Roadchef Chester is a few minutes from my house lol.

[@ASGification]

Great watch (as a classic and leaf owner!)

[@moulehole7283]

Great video 👍🏼

[@Gunsforfreedom]

He reminds of the roadie from Wayne's world 2.... "So there I am, in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head 'round the door, and mentions there's a little sweets shop on the edge of town. So - we go. And - it's closed. So there's me, and Keith Moon, and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweets shop, eh. Well, instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shop owner and his son... that's a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business, really. But, sure enough, I got the M&Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show...."

[@EdgyNumber1]

Simply now, its the charging infrastructure that needs sorting in 2021. Battery capacity is fine now, prices have come down significantly. However, charging infrastructure hasn't changed very much. There should be less grants for cars now and the money redistributed towards rapid chargers.

[@RWBHere]

This might be a silly question, but can those head restraints be rotated by 180°, to give you a different angle? Not ideal, but it's better than having no restraint at all. It seems to be a hangover from the LEAF (it is an acronym!) seats being designed to fit Japanese drivers, who tend to be shorter than Europeans.

[@davidrumming4734]

Can u do a video on the new leaf - with the big battery fitted. We don’t have any chargers in our town….the next town, 9 miles away has 3 (supermarkets), so small battery range is useless here (will always need home charger box). We have lots of hills too.

[@benfarmer-webb1016]

The 30Kwh battery has a range of around about 120 miles, and a quoted range of 155 miles.

[@Jackthesmilingblack]

kWh

[@MINXC3]

I've had a 24kWh Leaf for about 20 months on a 2 year PCP and my dealer is already trying to sell me a 30kWh one. It would seem that people are waiting for the rumoured 40kWh version and as a result, they're struggling to shift the 30kWh ones. While I do think that the 30kWh version is a useful improvement, unless I can get a really good deal on one, I think its best to wait for the 40kWh.

[@Pining_for_the_fjords]

MINXC3 I'm after a 30kwh model, but I'm gonna wait until I can get a used one for under £10,000

[@ZiemsRyan]

Great video, thank you!!!

[@paultaylor701]

I watched the pace video before this one, so charging can get a lot worse!

[@Dan23_7]

4:20. Rolls sleeves up to do work 💪🏼

[@toyotaprius79]

no other rolling jokes? smh

[@christineayres5339]

Sad end to that Video only seen this after 4 years anyway , RIP Jo Cox.

[@leerobinson8709]

How long do you reckon before the Chinese offer a 'full' conversion kits on Ebay for your classic car? Too early now i know, but you can buy them for you bicycle/small motorbikes. It'll happen, i reckon...

[@belvedere351]

Sure pumping gas is quicker, but how many times have you filled your tank for free?

[@m1aws]

Surely you pump more money in your tank per mile. Around 3~5x more.

[@twocvbloke]

One solution to the lack of chargers on the route, carry a diesel generator in the back... :D

[@funkydunky1671]

twocvbloke, that would be like force feeding meat to a vegetarian.

[@twocvbloke]

Sernioum Deoiumnasderi Bacon works well for that, it's the only cure for vegetarianism... :)

[@dogwalker666]

I do it's called a hybrid lol

[@apassionfortangling3671]

It would have to be a big generator or it will take a week to charge?

[@BarryAllenMagic]

I just can't ever imagine walking around a field in years to come, with older/classic electric cars on display......and getting excited. :-(

[@HubNut]

Nostalgia is what it's all about. These will be collectable one day.

[@davidchandler8881]

In terms of being caught short of fuel, with a petrol/diesel car, you can always carry a can of two of fuel to get you out of trouble, whereas with electric you're stumped.

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

No shit?

[@curtisj2165]

Mrs Hubnut may no like the head restraint , but she would hate whiplash a lot less

[@James28R]

you mean a lot more?

[@johnnypsycho9628]

If you run out of battery on the motorway is it a nick ? running out of fuel used to be a warning and a fine . Can't you re-insert head rests backwards

[@HubNut]

If you run out of fuel on the motorway, you're an idiot. EVs give you PLENTY of warning. I've not yet managed to actually run one out of juice, despite getting very, very close a couple of times.

[@voodoobean1973]

What do you think of ecotricity starting charging £6 for 30 mins ? If your a ecotricity gas & electric customer you can use them for free for 52 times a year and then it will cost you £6 per 30 mins

[@HubNut]

Free fuel was always going to end at some point. The price seems about right, but I'd prefer a charge per kwh. Basing it on time punishes those who need a full 100% charge, as the last 10% takes a long time to go in.

[@funkydunky1671]

HubNut, time based fare is here for the slow charging cars to not hog the charging stall, only the minimum to get to the next charger

[@SirHackaL0t.]

Forget claiming for whiplash if your glamorous assistant is rear ended.

[@HubNut]

What I get up to with my assistant is my own business. 😉

[@SirHackaL0t.]

+HubNut lol.

[@dazza4345]

why not charge upto a 100 percent on first stop ?maybe won't need to charge a second time?

[@HubNut]

+dazza schmidt Time mostly, and battery management. After 90%, the charge rate drops dramatically.

[@christineayres7094]

Starbucks i hate too, main reason id they have replaced every tesco cafe!!! you used to be able to get a full english breakfast in Tesco and a tea for £3.50 now all you get is a cup of coffee lol not good

[@CarlJones14]

So 4 people and luggage in the car & you are screwed. I'd like to see the charging routine when it's chucking it down with rain.

[@HubNut]

Having driven an e-NV200 with half a ton in the back, weight isn't the issue you assume. Don't know why they can't put canopies over the chargers. They do for petrol.

[@CarlJones14]

@@HubNut Maybe, but I can't stand OFFICIAL fuel test by manufactures & fake news media. I understand its very difficult for people like you. Testing fully loaded fuel use...good KZbin opportunity.😁

[@reerbaadia1896]

I could see range anxiety in your face the whole time. But still I'm getting a leaf or tesla model 3. whichever comes first in 2017.

[@MarkAtkin]

Which came first in 2017? New Leaf or Tesla model 3? Turns out that neither is available yet, in December 2017. :(

[@stevek3036]

How much does it cost on the Motorway Services to re-charge?

[@HubNut]

When I recorded this video, it was entirely free. From 3 Jan, Ecotricity will charge 30p per kwh. I generally bet on 4-5 miles per kwh, probably four at motorway speeds. So, £6 to travel 80 miles. I reckon it's £14 to do similar in the Lexus.

[@christineayres5339]

@@HubNut My housemate has same car but she is very lucky , theres a free charging point here at the local Library

[@TheLeylander]

How cost effective are these charging points ?

[@banpowel9784]

We had problems in a company nissan leaf, out of order chargers, or all in use chargers, and then there is the waiting for it to charge up, i would rather wait until they can extend the range to around the 250 mile bracket as that is enough for most journeys

[@HubNut]

The new LEAF is claimed to be getting on for 200 miles. In all the driving we did, I only got blocked on a charger once. By a sodding hybrid! Mind you, a few times this year, I've found myself queuing for petrol...

[@banpowel9784]

HubNut 200 miles is a mind changer, so will strongly consider the newer model

[@MarkAtkin]

I'd almost forgotten that jingle (1:10). I turned mine off within a week of buying the car.

[@micheals1992]

is the thermal management better on the 2016 leaf? I've seen a few of the older leafs on the used market for just under £8,000, not sure what the range would be in those though! I reckon even a bad battery would be enough for 95% of my driving (I mainly use my car for work which is a 10 mile round trip). the I-miev is pretty cheap now too and their batteries seem to age better then the old leafs

[@HubNut]

No. There's still no thermal management. In fact, the battery got quite hot doing over 300 miles in a day with several rapid charges (not in the red, Nissan said this was normal). The battery is actually a higher capacity. On an early LEAF, a realistic range is 60-80 miles on a 100% charge. The main difference here is that you can do 80 miles on an 80% charge, so it's quicker to fuel up (the last 20% takes ages). I personally wouldn't choose anything less than a 24kWk LEAF, introduced in late 2013.

[@micheals1992]

I think i'm going to take your advice from a previous video (Ecocon?) and keep my car until it needs allot of expensive work doing, EVs will probably be cheaper and have longer range by then too (like the Chevy Bolt that claims it will have a 200 mile range and a $30,000 price tag, i'd be happy if I could get one for £8,000 with a battery that has 50% of the capacity remaining for a 100 mile range)

[@micheals1992]

there's an I-miev for £5,000 with 10,000 miles on the clock! :O www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201607015437784?onesearchad=new%2Cnearlynew%2Cused&model=i-miev&radius=1500&search-target=usedcars&sort=default&make=mitsubishi&quicksearch=true&postcode=hu47ds&page=1&logcode=p&adPos=1

[@jaa2772]

Great thing about the Tesla Model 3 is that it DOES count for geography alterations

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

So it should given the stupid purchase price.

[@asensibleyoungman2978]

1:15 Can I have a 99 & a cider lolly please?

[@TheWacoKid1963]

Don't turn on the headlights :)

[@HubNut]

It's ok. They're LEDs. ;-)

[@rochellegarrity1030]

Does your Nissan have full 12 bar battery life

[@HubNut]

This one did. It was brand new at the time of the test.

[@derekhallows9479]

What's your opinion on the price of the leaf Ian? Does it justify the savings?

[@HubNut]

Can't really comment. The irony is that I drive old bangers, and motoring gets no cheaper than that. Will be a while before the LEAF comes within range!

[@derekhallows9479]

Indeed, the future is bright, furthermore, once the range is improved, say 500 miles plus? Imagine how the sales will go up then, perhaps then you will only need to charge up at home, so no need to use roadside chargers, which as you have found out, have their issues.

[@HubNut]

Do we need a 500 mile range? My 2CV has a range of 200 miles. Even my Rover 45 V6 only has a range of 320 miles. Charging infrastructure is improving all the time, yet it's still way behind petrol. That's the key really. 200 miles is a good chunk of range, and I think the latest LEAF is knocking on the door of that.

[@wakeup2theNWO]

There are never any savings wait untill everyone goes electric and watch how they suck your wallet, same with diesel cars years ago all about the savings skip forward and your paying more, savings lol people never learn

[@matthewcallaway9228]

No chargers in welshpool or newtown shrewsbury nothing in ludlow, these,s cars good in London manchester Brimingham thats about it i would rather have elle or TWC would get me home lol

[@HubNut]

Chargers in Oswestry and Telford are easily in range of a LEAF from my house. We drove from our house to Chester very comfortably on this trip.

[@simonstafrace1985]

how Come you removed the head rest it's their to save your life and you should not let a passenger do that she is your responsibility. belive me accidents do happen that is how I lost my mum due to a car crash.

[@Wiganpilot]

Not that i could ever afford one of these cars, they remain a Rich Man's Toy, my work hours are long and charging on a plug at home between shifts wouldn't work out.

[@granskare]

moving to Wilts ?

[@apassionfortangling3671]

I would love a leaf but I have no way of charging from home and that puts me off a bit. I have a Mazda 6 Diesel at the moment which is not a sooty polluting beast as one might expect it is less polluting than a Fiat Panda, but when the tank is full I have a 600 mile range. I cannot imagine what range anxiety feels like?

[@HubNut]

My 2CV can only do 200 miles on a full tank, so I guess I'm fairly used to it!

[@2487mpobor]

how much will it be the cost for the fast charge? of all the 30kwh

[@HubNut]

At the time, charging was free. I'm not sure what the deal is at the moment.

[@James28R]

@@HubNut still free

[@blackterminal]

Rapid charge shortens the battery life. Users choice

[@Wiganpilot]

True if not done to manufacturer recommendations. These modern batteries are a lot tougher than old, and it is recommended that you rapid charge between say 15% no less, and 85% maximum to optimise the life of the battery.

[@MrSonicAdvance]

Where's your assistant's headrest?

[@HubNut]

She removed it as it was horribly uncomfortable.

[@kjm-ch7jc]

Cost compared to Petrol ?

[@HubNut]

At the time, the chargers were free, so much better than petrol. Things have changed since this was recorded.

[@andrewbaans7400]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aH6yiqF5iKeKfdU

[@gevmage]

You show the public charging stations that you use for interim stops. But since you *barely* limped it home, it would be interesting to know how you charge it at home. Presumably not 360V 100+amps. Does it charge off of a standard UK 250V/13A plug, or something heftier? If I do the math right, if you filled the batteries pulling the full 13A, that would deliver a full 30KWh in just over 9 hours. So you can charge it over night, but not any less than that. And you'd probably want to have a dedicated receptacle in/near your garage not on the circuit with the other stuff in the house so that you weren't pushing the limit of the panel. I haven't really thought about recharging electric cars before. Is this perhaps why the battery packs for some cars are smaller (~120 miles or so) rather than, say, 200 or 300 miles? Because at that same charging rate, it would take a day or more or fully charge, which would really severely lower their utility.

[@HubNut]

+gevmage Yes, I'd bet on 9-10 hours for charging at home. You can get a 32amp charger installed, which should speed things up to 3-4 hours. A Tesla via 13amp would take a long time to charge!

[@oddarneroll]

You really really should testdrive a Tesla Model S. It will blow your mind. My advice, reserve a Tesla Model 3, its compairable to Nissan Leaf in price, but a mouch better EV. You will thank me, dont trust me, testdrive and judge for yourself.

[@HubNut]

I have test driven a Model S. Check through my videos. Was a while ago mind.

[@woody1380]

Anyone wants a really good deal on a 30Kwh Leaf should get in touch with Chorley Nissan for a 2 yr PCP £199/month with just a £500 deposit for the top of the range model. You wont get a better deal. I've just ordered mine after a 4 day test drive www.chorleynissan.co.uk/new-cars/new-nissan-leaf.asp

[@markharvey3007]

you dont AC to clear a windscreen

[@HubNut]

Yes you do. AC also dries the air, so speeds up demisting.

[@itstheterranaut]

10 people really liked Starbucks.

[@darrenwilson8042]

sorry but a 20+ minute rigmarole to half fill a car is frankly unacceptable when compared with a "proper" car. Charge time and range will remain the Achilles heel of these vehicles.

[@HubNut]

Are EVs perfect? No. Are they viable? Yes. But not ideal if you're doing 300 miles in a day on a regular basis.

[@m1aws]

+Darren Wison I think anything below 65mpg(UK) is unacceptable. My Leaf on its last long run returned 172mpg(UK) equivalent. (213 miles/44KWH &£1.10/litre)

[@TriviaChallenge]

A "proper" car that burns composted prehistoric organic matter in a cast iron lump, with water and oil sloshing around? No ICE cars are just a stop gap toward electric cars as they so vastly superior in so mnay ways. Test drive a Tesla Model S and come back and tell me it's not a "proper" car.

[@darrenwilson8042]

Can I fully refuel a Tesla Model S with enough range for 500 miles in less than 10 minutes?

[@m1aws]

Darren Wison I've never, ever owned any vehicle that could be refuelled in 10 minutes. Never mind have a range of 500 miles. If you can afford such a vehicle it would be in one of two classes. Shit to drive or too damned expensive. Either way, you'll want more than 10 minutes rest. Oh, you get no rest refilling a car. Don't forget to wash the dirt and carcinogens off after. The Tesla is free - pays for your coffee & cake.

[@philabrahams383]

Does Mrs hubs n nuts have a sister 😉

[@HubNut]

She does have a happily married sister.

[@philabrahams383]

HubNut Damn what will he take in tread😉

[@bcfairlie1]

Leafs are just horrid. I am not against electric cars. But these things are awful. Miss matched buttons all over the place. Poor Internal ergonomics. Ugly cars.

[@terence2678]

Horrible car. OK for one city use and that's it.

[@55nonni]

I have been looking to buy an electric car - that is reasonably priced - like the LEAF. But, I can not buy a car that looks this UGLY !!! - There is something really wrong with the NISSAN styling department. Maybe it is just a computer-styling-program.???? No humans involved....??

[@HubNut]

I quite like the looks myself, but we're all different. I've got a Qashqai on test this week. I don't think you'll like it...

[@crashbox7130]

Designed for slipstreaming. Even the headlamps have been designed in order to direct the airflow to reduce the drag of the door mirrors. I do agree that the result isn't great to look at. A classic case of function over form, just like a 2CV as mentioned in the film.

[@MarkAtkin]

When you are driving it you don't notice how it looks.

[@dogwalker666]

55nonni all Nissan are ugly the "PUKE" is the ugliest the Micra looks like it was designed by a 5 year old

[@dogwalker666]

HubNut known locally as a Cash Cow

[@360nastybusiness]

Ugly car . And let's face it electric cars are awful things

[@HubNut]

I think you're entirely wrong on both points.

[@zenbudhism]

You've oviously never driven one. Silent speed :)