Nissan sought to make the Leaf appealing to mainstream drivers by giving it a familiar five-door hatchback design.
The body has a sharp V-shape design with large, up slanting headlights that split and redirect airflow away from the door mirrors, and the bottom of the car has aerodynamic panelling.
The battery, the heaviest part of most electric vehicles, is situated below the seats and rear foot space, keeping the center of gravity as low as possible and giving the car better structural rigidity than a conventional five-door hatchback.

The Leaf is powered by an electric synchronous motor with 80 kW (107 hp) and 280 N⋅m (207 ft⋅lb) driving the front wheels.
The Leaf was initially equipped with a 24 kWh lithium ion battery, later increased to 30 kWh.
The battery is manufactured by Automotive Energy Supply Corporation.
It's guaranteed for eight years or 100,000 miles.

There is no active cooling of the battery pack, only passive cooling by radiation.

There is a battery refurbishment program in Japan, but not in the US.

According to a 2015 report by Warranty Direct, of 35,000 Leafs sold in Europe, three had had a battery failure, compared to a failure rate 25 times higher for internal combustion engined cars.

Nissan reports the 2011 Leaf has a drag coefficient of Cd=0.29 and the 2013 model Cd=0.28.
The Leaf is generally cheaper to operate than gasoline and hybrid cars.
However, since the Leaf costs significantly more than similar gasoline-powered vehicles, it may take a long time for the fuel savings to cancel out the increased initial cost, even after government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles.

The body features bulging headlamp enclosures which direct wind away from the side mirrors, reducing drag and noise.

Some trims initially came equipped with the telematics system CarWings.
From 2011 to 2015 this used the 2G cellular network.
2G has been decommissioned in many areas, requiring an upgrade of the telematic control unit to use newer networks.
Rebranded NissanConnectEV in 2016, it is provided free of charge to owners, if equipped, depending on year and trim.
As of 2017 it offers GPS data for routing, and for locating charging stations.
It may also provide two-way communication with the car which enables remote control of the climate system, and monitoring of charging status,
Nissan sought to make the Leaf appealing to mainstream drivers by giving it a familiar five-door hatchback design. The body has a sharp V-shape design with large, up slanting headlights that split and redirect airflow away from the door mirrors, and the bottom of the car has aerodynamic panelling. The battery, the heaviest part of most electric vehicles, is situated below the seats and rear foot space, keeping the center of gravity as low as possible and giving the car better structural rigidity than a conventional five-door hatchback.
The Leaf is powered by an electric synchronous motor with 80 kW (107 hp) and 280 N⋅m (207 ft⋅lb) driving the front wheels. The Leaf was initially equipped with a 24 kWh lithium ion battery, later increased to 30 kWh. The battery is manufactured by Automotive Energy Supply Corporation. It's guaranteed for eight years or 100,000 miles.
There is no active cooling of the battery pack, only passive cooling by radiation.
There is a battery refurbishment program in Japan, but not in the US.
According to a 2015 report by Warranty Direct, of 35,000 Leafs sold in Europe, three had had a battery failure, compared to a failure rate 25 times higher for internal combustion engined cars.
Nissan reports the 2011 Leaf has a drag coefficient of Cd=0.29 and the 2013 model Cd=0.28. The Leaf is generally cheaper to operate than gasoline and hybrid cars. However, since the Leaf costs significantly more than similar gasoline-powered vehicles, it may take a long time for the fuel savings to cancel out the increased initial cost, even after government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles.
The body features bulging headlamp enclosures which direct wind away from the side mirrors, reducing drag and noise.
Some trims initially came equipped with the telematics system CarWings. From 2011 to 2015 this used the 2G cellular network. 2G has been decommissioned in many areas, requiring an upgrade of the telematic control unit to use newer networks. Rebranded NissanConnectEV in 2016, it is provided free of charge to owners, if equipped, depending on year and trim. As of 2017 it offers GPS data for routing, and for locating charging stations. It may also provide two-way communication with the car which enables remote control of the climate system, and monitoring of charging status,
Nissan Leaf