Cupra Raval vs Nissan LEAF (2011-2017)

The Cupra Raval costs £1,005 more than the Nissan LEAF. For that premium it adds 86 miles more WLTP range, 38 kW faster peak rapid charging and 71 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Cupra Raval comes out ahead overall.

The Nissan LEAF is £1,005 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £152 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Nissan LEAF comes out roughly £925 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 139 miles for the Cupra Raval and 76 miles for the Nissan LEAF - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Cupra Raval goes roughly 63 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 23-30 minutes.

The two are within 14 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 630 mm of total clearance for the Nissan LEAF and about 616 mm of total clearance for the Cupra Raval. 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 Cupra Raval and 65% for the Nissan LEAF. That gives the Cupra Raval a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Cupra Raval'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.