Citroën ë-C3 Aircross vs Nissan LEAF (2011-2017)

The Citroën ë-C3 Aircross is £875 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £160 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross comes out roughly £915 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 158 miles for the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross and 76 miles for the Nissan LEAF - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Citroën ë-C3 Aircross goes roughly 83 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 26-30 minutes.

The Nissan LEAF is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 80 mm narrower than the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 630 mm of total clearance for the Nissan LEAF and about 550 mm of total clearance for the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross. The Nissan LEAF also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross and 65% for the Nissan LEAF. That gives the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Citroën ë-C3 Aircross's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Nissan LEAF's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.