Nissan LEAF gets 5 Star Euro NCAP

Nissan LEAF - first electric car to get5 a 5 Star NCAP rating

We moan about the Nissan LEAF. But only because it’s an inferior product to the cars we already enjoy, and at an inflated price.

But we’ve never said it was a bad car. In fact, it’s a really very good electric car. It offers a lot of what a conventional ICE car in its sector does, and is probably the most convincing electric car on the market.

Not only is it well-made – Nissan cut no corners in its development – it is also very safe. A fact underlined by the news that the Nissan LEAF is the first electric car to gain a five star Euro NCAP rating in recent tests.

In fact the all-round performance of the LEAF in the crash test was impressive. It scored a massive 89 per cent for adult safety, 83 per cent for child protection and 84 per cent for on-board safety systems. Impressive figures.

As was the 65 per cent figure for pedestrian safety – better than average – which Nissan say is thanks to the low nose on the LEAF and a lack of hard points under the bonnet.

Nissan are also at pains to point out that the batteries – which live under the back seats in the LEAF - withstood the impacts and that the automatic cut-off isolation worked perfectly. Which we’re pleased to hear.

So you may not be able to go far in a LEAF, but at least you’ll be safe.

By Cars UK