Is the Nissan Leaf still good value? 2022 pricing and features revealed for Hyundai Ioniq, Kia Niro rivalling electric car

Nissan Australia’s updated Leaf electric hatchback will touch down in August with only modest price increases.

The Japanese carmaker revealed its mildly updated electric car earlier this year, adding styling flourishes, but leaving the mechanicals as is.

The two-variant Leaf range continues, with the regular Leaf kicking things off from $50,900 before on-road costs, which is just $1000 more than the outgoing model.

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Opting for the Leaf e+ ups the price to $61,490 - a $1000 increase over the old version.

This pricing is a little more than the Leaf’s closest rival, Hyundai’s ageing Ioniq liftback that starts from $49,970 and rises to $54,010 for the Premium.

Other small EV offerings with an SUV body style include the Mazda MX-30 ($65,490), Hyundai Kona Electric ($54,500) and Kia Niro (from $62,590).

The changes to the Leaf for 2023 include new-look 17-inch alloy wheels, new badges using Nissan’s latest branding, a darker front grille, new rear diffuser, rear spoiler and side sills.

In terms of equipment upgrades, it gains dusk-sensing LED headlights with auto-levelling, LED daytime running and tail-lights, heated door mirrors and front and rear fog lights.

As with the outgoing model, the Leaf is offered in original grade with a 110kW/320Nm electric powertrain that is good for a WLTP driving range of 270km and a 0-100km/h dash time of 7.9 seconds.

The pricier Leaf e+ pumps out 160kW/340Nm and has a more generous range of 385km, as well as a faster 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds.

Leaf sales have increased so far in 2022 on the back of a surge in interest for EVs in Australia. The hatch has found 119 homes to the end of March, which is a 100 per cent increase on the same period last year.

As CarsGuide has reported, there are whispers that the Leaf could be replaced by a crossover model when the current version comes to the end of its life in a couple of years.

Nissan Australia is expected to bolster its electric offering with the Ariya SUV in the next year or so, but the company is yet to officially announce its arrival.

2022 Nissan Leaf pricing before on-road costs