Preamble

Regardless of the motor in it, a big consideration with many vehicles is aerodynamics. If a car cuts through the air with very little resistance, fuel economy is going to be better. This is even more crucial for battery-powered cars, like the 2019 Nissan Leaf we were loaned the other weekend. There’s only so much room in a car for batteries, and ‘re-fueling’ the car – i.e., charging it – takes much longer than the few minutes it takes to fill up a tank of gas. So, the less air resistance there is, the further the car will go on a charge.

This is all to say that putting two 16-foot Canadian canoes on a Nissan Leaf, and then driving 250km on an expressway to a lake is about the worst thing you can do, as far as getting the most range possible is concerned. On paper, the 40kwh 2019 Nissan Leaf can do 400km on one full charge*. In reality, how did this high-spec G-class Leaf fare?

After 5 hours to cover 200km, we well and truly found out.

About the reviewers: We’re a 30-something couple with no kids, living permanently in northern Japan. We spend most weekends and holidays in the outdoors (ski touring, hiking, cycling, canoeing). We don’t own a car – this is an eco-conscious as well as convenience decision. We never need to use a car during the week, and we can rent cars for $30 for 24 hours from a place 3 minute walk from our apartment. We also have a friend who we car-share with.

About this review: This Nissan Leaf was loaned to us by the Sapporo Central Nissan dealership, as part of Nissan’s overnight Leaf test-drive campaign (details in Japanese here). Sapporo Central Nissan offered us a slightly longer two-night test drive.

*About range claims: Japan has two accepted car range standards – WLTC and JC08. The 40kWh Leaf range is rated to either 322km (WLTC) or 400km (JC08) (source). The 62kWh version is rated to 458km (WLTC) or 570km (JC08).