Citroën ë-C4 (2021-2024) vs Nissan LEAF (2018-2023)

The Citroën ë-C4 costs £5,690 more than the Nissan LEAF. For that premium it adds 49 miles more WLTP range, 50 kW faster peak rapid charging and lower energy use, 153 versus 171 Wh/km. The Nissan LEAF is not just cheaper - it also offers 55 litres more boot space and a 2.1s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Citroën ë-C4 comes out ahead overall.

The Nissan LEAF is £5,690 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £168 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 £5,610 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 156 miles for the Citroën ë-C4 and 109 miles for the Nissan LEAF - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Citroën ë-C4 goes roughly 47 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 30 minutes in the Citroën ë-C4 and 40 in the Nissan LEAF, so the Citroën ë-C4 loses less time at each stop. That makes the Citroën ë-C4 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 Citroën ë-C4. The Nissan LEAF also turns in a 0.3 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Citroën ë-C4 and 76% for the Nissan LEAF. That gives the Citroën ë-C4 a modest edge in retained real-world range. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.