The Nissan LEAF

The recent extreme weather conditions in the USA and the United Kingdom give credence to the concept of global warming and climate change.

Many experts point to the internal combustion engine as a significant factor in these changes and vehicle manufacturers all over the world have been looking at alternative propulsion methods, not least Nissan.

While some manufacturers have taken the hybrid route, a mix of petrol/diesel and electric motors, the Nissan LEAF is an all-electric powered vehicle. As such, it has the excellent attribute of zero exhaust emissions but suffers from the bug-bear of all electric vehicles, reduced driving range.

If you're looking for a small car for city driving or short trips, and are concerned about pollution, then the Nissan LEAF, with its claimed range of 195 kilometres per charge is ideal, if you can live with the 7-hour recharge time.

Recharging can be done at home of course, but recharging on the road is not as simple as pulling in to a normal service station and driving away after a few minutes. There are some nine Nissan free recharging stations in Johannesburg and Pretoria, so you'll need to plan your trips very carefully.

But this major drawback aside, the Nissan LEAF is a fine city car. From the outside it presents a sleek, aerodynamic body shape designed to minimise wind resistance. Four doors, five if you include the rear hatchback, allow easy access to a comfortable and well fitted interior with up to 720 litres of luggage space if you fold down the 60/40 rear seats.