The new Nissan Leaf might make you cancel your Tesla Model 3 order

We've said before that your next car will be electric, and this very well might be the one you buy: the new Nissan Leaf is a capable, fast, affordable all-electric car with a decent range that costs less than £30,000. And it's available on forecourts two weeks from today, no reservation required.

Twenty years ago Malcolm Gladwell coined the idea of a "tipping point", how social changes can bubble along quietly and invisibly until they explode into reality and nothing is the same again. That's what's happened with the Nissan Leaf, which used to stand for a slow, underpowered and range-limited car with a guppy face.

[blockquote]Read more: Behind the wheel of the Tesla Model 3: a first-drive[/blockquote]

Thanks to the inexorable march of technology and slow but steady improvements in battery technology - plus the not inconsiderable efforts of Nissan's engineers - the new Nissan Leaf is an incredibly capable car. For as little as £22,000 you can get a zero emissions car with a 150bhp electric engine that does 0-60mph in slightly less than eight seconds.

Even better, the 40kWh battery on every model will take you as far as 258 miles in city conditions, or 168 miles on road trips mixed with city driving. Add Nissan's national charging network (which is no match for Tesla's superchargers, but might come close sooner than you think), a free 7kW government wall charger supplied by Nissan and you've got an electric car that can handle the majority of commutes plus errands on the weekend, and maybe even a road trip down to France with a few scenic stops on the way.

[blockquote]Read more: What we learned driving a Tesla Model S to the south of France[/blockquote]

On a road test up to the top of Teide volcano in Tenerife we had a chance to comprehensively check it out. First impressions are that while it's not exactly a sports car, it looks a whole lot better than the last model. The sweeping lines with sharp edges hint at the work Nissan have done in the air tunnel to improve the aerodynamics, and the two-tone design, touches of chrome and sculpted LED headlights are well thought out. If you squint you might even think the mini air splitters at the back of the car were inspired by a McLaren.

We drove a model that sells for £28,000 so it was fully equipped, inside and out. Inside, you get some perfectly good leather and alcantara seats and a touchscreen that will get out of date within seconds (although at least it has Apple CarPlay). The new Leaf's got level two autonomous capabilities thanks to 12 sonar sensors and a couple of cameras, so it's aware of surrounding cars and will do things like keep you in lane, while being clever enough not to lurch around when you want to overtake. There's also a slow, self-parking button which you'll never use.

Our favourite new feature which actually works was the e-Pedal, which is better than anything that Tesla's been able to come up with. Like a lot of electric vehicles, the accelerator will also slow the car when you lift off, engaging a regenerator. Unlike every other EV, an "eAcuator" allows a smooth transition to a complete stop because it's linked up to the physical brakes in the last five per cent of driving. It'll even hold the car automatically on inclines up to 30 degrees.

There are all sorts of other neat little touches which make the experience more pleasant. For instance, handling is improved by the use of technologies that slightly engage the brakes on the wheels going around the inside of a corner, reducing understeer; there are three little lights on the dashboard which shows you from the outside how much charge your car has; and the Nissan Connect EV app allows you to turn on the heated windows, heated seats (front and back) or cool your car down in summer, all from your sofa.

Finally on the interior, and we don't want to get too Top Gear circa 1995 on you, but the steering wheel doesn't move up, so maybe look for another car if you're on the taller or larger side.

With the new Leaf, Nissan's done something even more exciting than create a good electric car. They've made a car that will give people who might normally buy a hatchback with a petrol engine a completely different option, almost without compromise. Doesn't it say something that our only complaint about a fully electric vehicle is the adjustability of the steering wheel?

The new Nissan Leaf is available on 2 February from £21,990 after the government grant. The model we drove cost £27,490.