2022 Nissan LEAF Pros vs Cons. Should You Buy?

The LEAF was one of the first electric vehicles to become widely known in the automotive industry. Of course, the main reason why it's so intriguing is that it doesn't require any gas. It also has many other benefits, so it does make sense for many drivers.

The 2022 Nissan LEAF will certainly be able to attract attention from potential buyers because of its efficiency, but will people ultimately decide to pick it over competitors? This guide should be helpful in outlining what the LEAF offers.

What's New for 2022?

There's good news for customers who are interested in the LEAF. Its price has been dropped for this model year, and the difference is a little more than $4,000. This makes the LEAF one of the cheapest all-electric vehicles currently available in the market.

In addition, Nissan has made a tweak to how the vehicle charges. A type of fast-charging connector called CHAdeMO is now standard across the lineup. One other thing is that the SV Plus trim gets to have a ProPilot Assist system, which is a type of semi-autonomous driving mode.

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Top 10 Reasons to Buy a 2022 Nissan LEAF – The Pros

1. No More Visits to the Gas Station

The biggest advantage of driving a Nissan LEAF is that it's 100% electric. This means that there are no tailpipe emissions and there isn't a loud engine under the hood. Instead, there's an electric motor that provides the power that the vehicle needs. It gets its energy from a battery pack which can be recharged. When driving the LEAF, there doesn't need to be any guilt about contributing to air pollution or noise pollution; this may be the way of the future.

2. Requires Less Maintenance

An added benefit of driving an electric vehicle is that it doesn't require as much maintenance as traditional vehicles do. No motor oil is needed to lubricate the engine, so the regular oil changes that many people have gotten used to can become a thing of the past. Spark plugs and timing belts are other components that aren't needed in electric vehicles. As a result, there are fewer reasons to visit the service station.

3. The e-Pedal Is Fun to Use

Driving a Nissan LEAF is almost like driving a car in a video game. The gas pedal, which is called an e-Pedal on this model, is responsive, and acceleration is pretty quick. To slow down, someone simply needs to ease off the e-Pedal, and this will result in a more significant deceleration than people might expect. In many situations, using the e-Pedal might be sufficient to control the vehicle's speed. If it's not, the brake pedal is always there.

4. Two Battery Choices

Customers get to choose from a standard battery or a larger one. The standard 40 kWh battery provides a range of 149 miles. Considering that most people use their vehicles for regular commuting to work or school, as well as for running errands in town, this is probably going to be enough for many drivers.

For those who want a greater range, there's an available 62 kWh battery. This battery provides an estimated range of 226 miles. This may be more practical for those who travel out of town on occasion or are always on the go.

5. Larger Battery Packs a Punch

With the 62 kWh battery, there's plenty of kick. This larger battery allows the vehicle to have 214 horsepower. This is a solid amount of power, especially given the fact that the LEAF is a compact car. With this battery, the Nissan should quickly get up to speed after being at a stop sign or a stop light.

6. The Charging Process Is Easy

The idea of driving an electric vehicle might be intimidating to some. The good news is that charging a car like the Nissan LEAF is simple and easy. The charge port is located in the hood, and it opens in a similar fashion to how a gas cap might open. The charge connector just has to be plugged into the charging port in order for energy to be transferred to the battery. The car beeps quickly to confirm that this has been done correctly.

Once the battery has a full charge, the car stops the charging process. Of course, the connector can be unplugged at any point to stop charging manually.

7. Many Places to Charge

Most people, if they're able, charge their electric vehicles at home. Overnight charging is usually very convenient and doesn't interfere with daily routines. People can choose to use regular 120-volt outlets, or they can upgrade to 240-volt systems. With a 240-volt system, it can take eight hours to fully charge the 40 kWh battery and 11.5 hours to fully charge the larger battery.

There are more public quick-charging stations popping up each year. These stations use 480-volt systems, allowing the LEAF to get almost a full charge in about an hour.

8. A Versatile Cabin

This car is on the compact side, which can come in handy when parking. At the same time, it has a nice amount of space in its cabin, especially when its rear seats have been folded down. It only takes a second or two to lower those seats, and this can increase cargo space from 23.6 cubic feet to about 30 cubic feet. Since the rear seat has a 60/40 configuration, people can also just lower one side if that's all the extra space that's needed.

9. High-Tech Equipment

As one would expect from an electric vehicle, there are many advanced components inside the cabin. The Nissan LEAF can come with an eight-inch touchscreen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, SiriusXM, and navigation. A digital display can be found behind the steering wheel, and this can provide key information about the vehicle.

Making things even better is that the car can connect with smartphones and certain smartwatches. Through these mobile devices, people can adjust their preferred cabin temperature, get charging updates, figure out how much range they have left, lock their doors, flash their headlights, and more. It can be very helpful to have access to this kind of information when there is a lot to keep track of.

10. Keeping Passengers Safe

There are many driver-assist technologies that are standard on the Nissan LEAF. With these systems, which include automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, blind spot monitoring, and lane departure warning, the car is able to look out for potential problems and help people take appropriate measures. It can be great to have an extra pair of eyes watching out for potential issues, which could arise at any time.

Reasons Not to Buy a 2022 Nissan LEAF – The Cons

1. Standard Battery Is Limited

With the standard 40 kWh battery, power and range are limited. Horsepower is 147, which is decent but not impressive by any means. Range is 149 miles. While this is sufficient for local trips, it may cause some concern among those who plan on taking their cars for long road trips. It can be pretty inconvenient to have to stop to charge a battery every two or three hours, and people would have to locate so many charging stops along their route.

2. Small Second Row

The back seat in the Nissan LEAF is quite small, offering only 33.5 inches of leg room. Adults might not be that comfortable sitting in the back of this model, so this may be a problem for certain buyers.

3. Not Extremely Sophisticated

The highest trim of the Nissan LEAF is the SL Plus. While it does have leather seats and heated front seats, it's missing some components that can be found in top-of-the-line trims on other models. For example, it doesn't have ventilated front seats, nor does it have a power-adjustable front-passenger's seat or a memory system for the driver's seat.

How It Stacks Up to the Competition:

There are now more electric vehicles that customers can choose from. There are several that fall in the same general category as the Nissan LEAF, so how do they compare to each other?

2022 Nissan LEAF vs 2022 Chevy Bolt

First of all, the Chevy Bolt is more expensive than the Nissan LEAF is. Also, its rear cargo area is smaller than that of the LEAF. It's likely that customers are going to be looking for practical cars, and price and interior space are going to be two important factors.

2022 Nissan LEAF vs 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric

Hyundai makes an all-electric version of the Kona. While this vehicle does have a greater range than the LEAF, the difference is fairly minimal when the LEAF has the larger battery. What will be noticeable to many prospective buyers is that the Kona Electric is more expensive than the LEAF is. Additionally, it doesn't have quite as much power as the LEAF has.

Conclusion

Because of its relatively affordable price, the 2022 Nissan LEAF would be a smart purchase for anyone who wants to score a deal on a compact, all-electric car. Standard driver-assist systems and a comprehensive infotainment package make the LEAF more attractive to those who want to take advantage of high-tech equipment. It's also nice that the LEAF has two available engines, giving customers choices regarding how much power and range they'd like.