Nissan Micra

Reinvented small hatchback is closely related to the Renault 5, with electric power On sale January 2026 Price from £23,000 (est)

- CLAIRE EVANS [e-mail]

WHAT DOES THE Nissan Micra have in common with Madonna? Well, like that pop icon, it met with instant success when it made its debut in 1982. Indeed, owners loved the Micra because it was compact, easy to drive and affordable to buy and run.

As it enters its sixth generation (after a gap of around three years), this small hatchback has been reinvented with eye-catching looks and electric power, in a bid to recapture the popularity of the first three generations.

As part of a long-standing tie-up with Renault, it shares its underpinnings with the latest Renault 5 (R5).That bodes well for the Micra, because the R5 is so good that it’s our reigning Car of the Year.

Although the Micra isn’t as retro looking as the R5 on the outside, it features some classic touches. For example, its large, round tail-lights and elliptical headlights are nods to the third-generation Micra, on sale from 2002 to 2010. Along each side of the bodywork is a concave line that Nissan calls the ‘ice cream scoop’, because it looks a bit like someone has scooped a thin line out of the bodywork.

RIVALS

At a fraction under four metres long, the Micra is larger than the rival Mini Cooper Electric but shorter than the Peugeot e-208. Like the R5, the Micra will be offered only in five-door form, making it more practical than the three-door Fiat 500e and Cooper Electric.