The verdict: With more conventional styling and a longer range, the redesigned 2018 Nissan Leaf all-electric hatchback is more mainstream and practical than ever, but Nissan missed an opportunity to fix some of its glaring shortcomings.
Versus the competition: With its more traditional design, the 2018 Leaf follows the lead of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Hyundai Ioniq Electric and keeps the focus on value and affordability — with a lower starting price and longer range than its predecessor. But shoppers who want a driving range of more than 200 miles still need to look elsewhere for now (a more powerful — and more expensive — longer-range version of the Leaf is slated to arrive as a 2019 model).
When it debuted as a 2011 model, the Nissan Leaf brought the possibility of all-electric driving to the masses — including us: Cars.com purchased a 2011 Leaf along with a 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car for our inaugural long-term test fleet. We learned a lot in our time with the Leaf, which proved to be a reliable, easy-to-drive commuter car for the year and a half we owned it.
The redesigned 2018 new Leaf starts at $30,875 ($885 destination charge included). That’s $690 less than the outgoing Leaf, but its EPA-estimated driving range has increased from 107 to 151 miles on a full charge. For this test, we drove the top SL trim with a $38,260 as-tested price. Our test car had... Read More