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ELECTRIC CARS
Buy from £27,995 (with PiCG) Lease from £349/month / nissan.co.uk
NISSAN LEAF
t’s not surprising the Nissan
Leaf is officially the best-selling
electric car in history (shifting
400,000 worldwide since 2010), simply
because the Japanese manufacturer was
one of the first mass producers to bet
its chips on battery tech. The gamble
has paid off, as after years of honing and
perfecting the EV recipe we’re now left
with an extremely accomplished family
car that packs some serious range and
performance – and acts as a flagship
model for the company’s most advanced
driver assistance gizmos.
Nissan ProPilot is essentially the
highest autonomous driving level that’s
legally permitted on UK roads at the
moment, and sees the car take charge
of business even in stop/start traffic.
The intelligent Around View Monitor
paints a live 3D picture of the car and its
surroundings (say goodbye to car parkprangs... at least, ones that are your
fault) and ProPilot Park will even park
the thing for you.THE GREAT BARRIER LEAF
Those requiring monster range can look
towards the new E+ model, which delivers
a punchy 217hp and up to 239 miles on a
single charge, while a neat e-Pedal feature
allows the car to be driven with one foot.
Activate this function, ease off the gas and
the regenerative braking will bring the car
to a complete stop if it needs to. It’s not
only an exceptionally easy way to drive,
it’s also bizarrely fun – and the eager,
nippy nature of this little EV is proof that
going electric can be a hoot as well as
easy on the wallet.
Inside, the Nissan feels well built and
there’s easily enough space for five
folks plus some luggage in the rear.
This generation is also arguably theKEY SPECS
ORange Up to 239 miles
OPower 110-160kW (150-217bhp)
O0-62mph 7.1 seconds
OTop speed 98mph
OInfotainment 8in touchscreenbest-looking yet, shunning those odd,
bulbous lines of yore for a sharper, more
purposeful silhouette. Enjoying the silence
on remote open roads, it’s an undeniable
pleasure with a silky-smooth ride; and if
you’re concerned about the UK’s charging
infrastructure, Stuff online editor Natalya
Paul managed to charge her Leaf in the
Outer Hebrides.
With prices starting from £27,995,
this is a car that’s aimed at everyone,
not just those profligate early adopters.
If anyone is to be applauded for opening
up electric motoring to the masses, it
should be Nissan.HYUNDAI KONA ELECTRIC
Buy from £25,995 / Lease from £469/m
/ hyundai.co.uk
Hats off to Hyundai: they took their sweet
time to release an EV, but their second
attempt (the first-gen Ioniq was nothing
special) took everyone by surprise. Not
only is the Kona Electric a neat, compact
and comfortable city SUV, but it also offers
a battery range that puts more expensive
models to shame. Expect to enjoy up to
279 miles on a single charge. Trust us, we
spent weeks with this little chap and it
barely touched a charging point.
Alas, the Kona Electric loses a star here
purely because it’s so hard to get hold of.
Yep, there’s a lengthy waiting list for a
Hyundai. We can’t quite believe it either.
KEY SPECS O 279 miles O 150kW
(201bhp) O 0-62mph in 7.6s O 104mph
O 8in touchscreen
Stuff says ++++,
BMW i3
Buy from £31,850 / Lease from £349/m
/ bmw.co.ukCompared to some of these new kids on
the block the BMW i3 is starting to look
a little wrinkly now, but it remains one of
the most innovative pieces of automotive
design of recent times. The i3 pioneered
the use of plant-based materials for its
interiors, with an overall construction
that’s 85% recyclable and radical coach
doors that offer a massive aperture to
climb in and out of its svelte frame.
The i3 still feels rapid, but its maximum
range falls some way short of rival models
that are now on sale for a fraction of the
price. Still, very little looks as radical on the
road as BMW’s pioneering EV.KEY SPECS O 193 miles O 125kW
(168bhp) O 0-62mph in 7.3s O 93mph
O 10.2in touchscreenStuff says ++++,STUFF SAYS Nissan has played a long game with the Leaf, and the 2019
model is a strong candidate for your eco-conscious cash +++++