Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2020-25 models
Tested vehicle: 2020 Nissan Leaf SV 4-door
The Nissan Leaf was redesigned for the 2018 model year. The car is a plug-in battery-electric vehicle with no gasoline or diesel engine to help power the car. Beginning with 2020 models, knee airbags for the driver and front passenger were added as well as newly designed driver and passenger side curtain and passenger frontal airbags. Modifications to the front driver and rear passenger safety belts were implemented and rear seat-mounted torso airbags were added. Additional reinforcements were also made to the front and side structure to improve occupant protection.
Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Nissan. Ratings apply to both the Leaf (tested) and the structurally similar Leaf Plus, which was introduced in the 2019 model year.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTF2004 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 5 |
| Left (cm) | 9 |
| Center (cm) | 6 |
| Right (cm) | 4 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 9 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 1 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 4 |
| Rearward (cm) | -1 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF2004 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 156 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 24 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.23 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 24 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 1.1 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 1.3 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 2 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 1 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.32 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.34 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.1 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 1.9 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 55 |
| Right | 63 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2020-25 models
Tested vehicle: 2020 Nissan Leaf SV 4-door
The Nissan Leaf was redesigned for the 2018 model year. The car is a plug-in battery-electric vehicle with no gasoline or diesel engine to help power the car. Beginning with 2020 models, knee airbags for the driver and front passenger were added as well as newly designed driver and passenger side curtain and passenger frontal airbags. Modifications to the front driver and rear passenger safety belts were implemented and rear seat-mounted torso airbags were added. Additional reinforcements were also made to the front and side structure to improve occupant protection.
Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Nissan. Ratings apply to both the Leaf (tested) and the structurally similar Leaf Plus, which was introduced in the 2019 model year.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTS2003 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -14.0 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTS2003 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 238 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.7 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.1 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 29 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.5 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 27 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 26 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.46 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.37 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 1.2 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.5 |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.5 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 1.1 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 135 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 42 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | VTS2003 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 84 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.2 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.4 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 14 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 0.8 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 21 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 15 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 2.57 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.17 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.4 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.3 |
| Combined force (kN) | 2.4 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.5 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 98 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | -24 |
Side: updated test
Rating applies to 2020-25 models
Tested vehicle: 2022 Nissan Leaf SV 4-door
The Nissan Leaf was redesigned for the 2018 model year. The car is a plug-in battery-electric vehicle with no gasoline or diesel engine to help power the car. Beginning with 2020 models, knee airbags for the driver and front passenger were added as well as newly designed driver and passenger side curtain and passenger frontal airbags. Modifications to the front driver and rear passenger safety belts were implemented and rear seat-mounted torso airbags were added. Additional reinforcements were also made to the front and side structure to improve occupant protection.
Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2022 Leaf conducted by Nissan. Ratings apply to both the Leaf (tested) and the structurally similar Leaf Plus, which was introduced in the 2019 model year.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTS2214 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -13.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTS2214 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 211 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.9 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.3 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 29 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.1 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 28 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 26 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 2.65 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.32 |
| Pelvis | |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.9 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | VTS2214 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 158 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.3 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.3 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 39 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.5 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 35 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 25 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 2.62 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.43 |
| Pelvis | |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.2 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Manual cloth seat
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Manual cloth seat |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 36 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 38 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 10.7 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 58 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 0 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 313 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Child seat anchors
Rating applies to 2019-25 models
| Overall evaluation | |
| Vehicle trim | SV (Leaf); SV Plus (Leaf Plus) |
| Seat type | cloth |
This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.
It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.
| Overall evaluation | |
| Vehicle trim | SV (Leaf); SV Plus (Leaf Plus) |
| Seat type | cloth |
| G | Good |
| A | Acceptable |
| M | Marginal |
| P | Poor |
| Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated. | |
thether anchor symbol | Tether anchor |
lower anchor symbol | Lower anchors |
| Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s) | |
| No hardware available |
Details by seating position
| 1 | |
|---|---|
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| too deep in seat | |
| not too much force needed to attach | |
| difficult to maneuver around anchors | |
| 2 | |
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| none available | |
| 3 | |
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| too deep in seat | |
| not too much force needed to attach | |
| difficult to maneuver around anchors |
Seat position 21
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 29 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 50 |
| Lower anchor B | |
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 28 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 55 |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Middle seatback |
| Confusing hardware present | Yes |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
Yes |
| Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH |
Not measured |
Seat position 22
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| No lower latch for this seat position | |
| Lower anchor B | |
| No lower latch for this seat position | |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Middle seatback |
| Confusing hardware present | Yes |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
Yes |
| Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH |
Not measured |
Seat position 23
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 27 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 56 |
| Lower anchor B | |
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 33 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 48 |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Middle seatback |
| Confusing hardware present | Yes |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
Yes |
| Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH |
Not measured |