Overview

When you’re asked to picture a used electric car, the first-generation Nissan Leaf is likely to be one that comes to mind. It’s one of the original successful EVs that didn’t demand as many compromises as earlier efforts have over the years.

It was a true EV pioneer, racking up more than 500,000 sales globally, as well as becoming the default choice for buyers who wanted to go electric. Built in Tyne and Wear, the Leaf has gone on to become a huge success, and beyond that, a dependable used car that has earned a good reputation within the trade for being reliable, easy to sell and fairly nice to drive.

The only blot in the copybook is its driving range. Even the later versions with larger battery packs only just make mileages into three figures. This is an inevitable side-effect of a fading battery pack, which starts to falter and wane after around eight years.

But it’s not all bad news. They drive really well and some models are well equipped inside. However, as we so often say, don’t buy the cheapest one you can find as there are a great deal of abused and worn-out examples out there just waiting to trip you up…

Nissan Leaf Mk1 known faults and common problems

As with any used electric car, find someone who owns one and get their opinion. On the whole, Leaf drivers are a happy bunch, taking advantage of cheap home charging and low servicing costs. As is always the case with any secondhand EV, try and find out the charging habits of the previous owner – the more fast charging they’ve done, the more worn out the battery will be.

Buying guide

Common issues, and what to look for if you’re looking at getting one

1. RANGE DEPLETION

The question of how long does an EV battery last comes into focus at this age. When on a test drive, note how quickly the LED bars on the dial drop down. A brief five-mile drive should see no, or at the most, one bar to drop. Any more than that, and the battery pack’s life has expired – but companies do exist that refurbish them. So, rather than spending a fortune on a brand new one, you can get it renewed, saving you a small fortune.

2. IDENTIFYING THE MODEL

There are two versions of the Leaf when it comes to battery size: 24kWh or 30kWh. However, identifying can be tricky as there’s no obvious visible badging and even the owners sometimes don’t know. The way to tell is on the plate at the bottom of the driver’s door pillar. The GVW (gross weight) is 1,945 or 1,970kg – the higher number denotes the bigger, heavier and longer-range battery pack fitted. This is also on the V5C document.

3. WET CARPETS

Some reports have come through regarding a poor quality batch of replacement windscreens used by one major glass fitting company. This can cause the bottom of the screen to not fully butt up to the aperture in parts, causing a water leak into the footwell area.

4. BROKEN CHARGER FLAP

The charge flap is prone to being brittle. Check for cracking on the flap hinge assembly and if damaged haggle accordingly, as fitting and painting a new one will cost a few hundred pounds to put right.

5. IN-CAR ENTERTAINMENT

Top-spec models feature a cracking Bose sound system. Check for sound distortion or a non working boot mounted bass speaker/subwoofer. The latter is prone to damage from loose objects in the boot and may need replacing. Used parts are available so you can save costs, though.

6. NOISY BRAKES

Owing to the electric motor regenerating energy into charge when slowing down, the discs can suffer from excessive surface corrosion as they are used significantly less than on a conventional ICE car. Listen for rumbling noises when pressing hard on the brake pedal. Any serious corrosion will fail an MoT test when presented for test.

7. START/STOP BUTTON

A small batch of cars had a faulty power button that wouldn’t power the car up unless you jabbed hard at it. Worse still, the faulty item could switch the power off without warning, or when after hitting an obstacle, such as a pothole. The service history should reveal whether a dealer has replaced the switch unit and housing under a service recall programme.

8. AIRBAG SENSORS

Make a note to see how long it takes the airbag warning light to extinguish when powering up (it should be about five seconds). Another more obvious tell-tale of failure is the airbag light staying on. Some cars can suffer from faulty or non-working airbag sensor units. This is more likely to affect cars that aren’t used much. It needs to work properly for safety, MoT and insurance reasons.

9. REAR-WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Check for heavy wear on the shoulders of rear tyres. This issue points towards incorrect rear wheel alignment from the factory rather than anything more sinister. Check the tyre wear at point of sale and if buying from a trader, insist on a proper four wheel alignment if there is evidence of uneven wear.

10. CLATTERING FRONT SUSPENSION

Keep an ear open for tapping and/or clunking noises coming from the front suspension. Broken roads can cause havoc on both the front shock absorbers and track rod ends. This ends up causing rapid wear. Usually this is confirmed with heavy tyre wear on the inner or outer shoulders of the tread area.

Main Dealer Coverage: Good

Click through the next few pages to find out how practical, economical and safe the Nissan Leaf Mk1 is – and what it’s like to drive, then read on for our verdict on whether a used example is a good place to put your money.