Nissan Micra

Famous small hatchback makes its return as a pure electric car that shares its underpinnings with the Renault 5 On sale January 2026

- CLAIRE EVANS

Price from £22,995

IF THE LATEST Nissan Micra were a person, it would be the performer who had to go on after rock 'n' roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis had just set fire to his piano. Such is the tough act the Micra has to follow, its close relative, the Renault 5 (R5) having well and truly stolen the limelight.

Indeed, the Micra shares its underpinnings, batteries and motors with the R5, a car that quite rightly-has received a lot of plaudits, including being named What Car? Car of the Year in 2025. Other rivals include the Fiat 500e and Mini Cooper Electric. And like those models (and indeed the R5), the Micra looks to the past for its design inspiration; its elliptical headlights and round tail-lights are a nod to the third-generation Micra from 2002.

This might help it to pull at the heart strings of all those people who either had a Micra as their first car or were driven around by their granny in one when they were a child, but that nostalgic appeal needs to be backed up with real substance, and the Micra starts well by offering a choice of two punchy electric motors.

The cheapest version (badged Engage) has 121bhp; that's enough for 0-62mph in a nonetoo-shabby 9.0sec. This motor is also available with mid-spec Advance trim, alongside a more powerful 148bhp alternative. The latter is standard in the range-topping Evolve, and it trims the 0-62mph time to 8.0sec. It's not as swift as the Mini Cooper SE, then, but it matches the equivalent R5 and is far nippier than any Citroën e-C3 or Fiat 500e.

We prefer the more powerful version, not only because its extra oomph is useful out of town, but also because it brings a bigger battery that increases the range between charges.