Hyundai Ioniq 3 vs Nissan LEAF (2018-2023)

The Nissan LEAF costs £4,245 more than the Hyundai Ioniq 3. For that premium it adds a 0.9s quicker 0-62mph time. The Hyundai Ioniq 3 is not just cheaper - it also offers 45 miles more WLTP range and 69 kW faster peak rapid charging. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai Ioniq 3 comes out ahead overall.

The Hyundai Ioniq 3 is £4,245 cheaper to buy. The Hyundai Ioniq 3 is cheaper to charge, roughly £136 a year versus £184 for the Nissan LEAF, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Hyundai Ioniq 3 comes out roughly £4,485 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 178 miles for the Hyundai Ioniq 3 and 109 miles for the Nissan LEAF - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Hyundai Ioniq 3 goes roughly 69 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 29 minutes in the Hyundai Ioniq 3 and 40 in the Nissan LEAF, so the Hyundai Ioniq 3 loses less time at each stop. That makes the Hyundai Ioniq 3 the stronger long-distance car.

The two are within 12 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 612 mm of total clearance for the Nissan LEAF and about 600 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai Ioniq 3.