Ground for your pound

We take a close look, literally from the ground up, at how much ground the innovative Nissan LEAF can cover for the cost of just £1 compared to other cars.

The zero-emissions** Nissan LEAF is literally miles ahead of the pack when it comes to energy efficiency.

On just £1 worth of electricity, LEAF can travel up to 39.0 miles – that’s roughly the distance from central London to Reading, from Coventry to Wolverhampton or from Sunderland to Newcastle and back.

If it sounds impressive, it’s because it is. And that is based on a standard electricity rate – an economy (night time) rate could almost double the distance travelled on £1. A look at how much ground other vehicles can travel for the same price shows just how cost effective the LEAF will be.

At 13.3 miles, the petrol-electric hybrid Prius T Spirit can only travel a third of the distance the LEAF can on £1 of fuel, while the diesel-powered Golf SE TDI 105 will only manage 12.4 miles.

At the opposite end of the scale to the LEAF, a Mercedes ML 450 can cover 5.0 miles on £1 of diesel, while a petrol-driven Hummer H3 will manage just 3.8 miles.

*Note: These figures are based upon manufacturers claimed fuel consumption and AA’s August average fuel costs. Electricity rate used is EDF London Standard Rate, Band B as at September 2010: 0.1143/kwh. LEAF figure based on US Environmental Protection Agency LA4 Mode urban driving test which is without heating or air conditioning. Actual driving range is influenced by topography, speed, driving style, heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

**Relates to CO2 emissions of LEAF whilst being driven.