Why Leaf is an icon for our times

Previous generations had the Mini and the Volkswagen Beetle. Near-iconic cars which were the stand-out stars of the era. Now we have the Nissan Leaf.

No car has done more than this one to popularise the electric vehicle market. It is far from the only choice, but it was the first to make a mark. And despite a massive surge in alternative EVs, the Leaf remains the benchmark.

It is, above, all a simple car in a complex world. Driving it is easy – almost too easy. Turn it on, press the ‘gas’ and steer. There really isn’t too much more to it than that. In many cases, you don’t even need to brake. Ease off the throttle and the car slows in much the same way a fairground dodgem slows.

And charging is easy too. There is a bonnet concealing what looks to an untrained eye like an engine, but which is in fact a motor. In front of the bonnet is a smaller mini bonnet which conceals the charging points,

Find a charger and plug it in. Ninety minutes later your car could have gone from 20 per cent charge to 80 per cent.

Zoom off – ever so quietly – and you will find you have almost sports car-like performance. You could touch 60mph in under seven seconds. So much for EVs being boring.

New Leaf is not a bad looking car, which is a breakthrough considering early Leafs and rivals such as Honda Insight and Toyota Prius were unappealing. Quite why an EV has to be dull is beyond me but new Leaf is a neat looker.

It is a five-seater. The price of the well-equipped test model is £30,445, which is notional seeing as though no-one ever went in and bought one with cash. Well, it may have happened once or twice, but most EVs are hire-purchased in the same way you might get an iPhone. So it’s the monthly deal which is crucial rather than the list price.

This is a well-equipped version. Anti-lock brakes, intelligent lane intervention to prevent wandering, pedestrian recognition, heated seats front and rear and a heated steering wheel, plus a terrific 360 degree camera system to help with manoeuvres and an 8in touchscreen are all standard.

It has traffic jam pilot, which enables the car to keep a safe distance from other vehicles in moving traffic.

The Nissan ProPilot is a semi-autonomous, advanced driver assistance system. It enhances the driver’s control of the vehicle by assisting with steering, acceleration and braking. Nissan says ProPilot makes motorway and traffic driving “easier, less stressful and more relaxing”.