Nissan LEAF vs Volvo EX30

The Nissan LEAF costs £2,939 more than the Volvo EX30. For that premium it adds 166 miles more WLTP range and a 1.5s quicker 0-62mph time. The Volvo EX30 is not just cheaper - it also offers 40 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Nissan LEAF comes out ahead overall.

The Volvo EX30 is £2,939 cheaper to buy. The Nissan LEAF is cheaper to charge, roughly £136 a year versus £184 for the Volvo EX30, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Volvo EX30 comes out roughly £2,699 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 313 miles for the Nissan LEAF and 149 miles for the Volvo EX30 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Nissan LEAF goes roughly 164 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 26-30 minutes.

The two are within 28 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 590 mm of total clearance for the Nissan LEAF and about 562 mm of total clearance for the Volvo EX30.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Nissan LEAF and 90% for the Volvo EX30. That gives the Volvo EX30 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Volvo EX30'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.