Words by Donal Byrne, video by Leah Carroll.
If you've never owned a Nissan Micra, then there’s a good chance you know someone who did and a possibility you might have even learned to drive in one, such was the ubiquity of the car in Ireland over the past 40 years.
Beloved of driving school instructors and young first car buyers in their second-hand market hunt, the Micra made its mark for ease of driving, price and practicality.
It is ironic that another car that had the same kind of appeal during much of that period - the Renault 5 - has, at the same time as the Micra, come full circle because both the new Micra and the new Renault 5 are essentially the same car from the same company - the Nissan Renault partnership.
Both are fully electric and share most of their underpinnings with each other - the same batteries and much technology. Both cars are even coming in at the same price, starting at €25,995.
So, how to choose?
The Renault 5 wins out because of its adventurous retro styling, which has oodles of chic and pretty much instant appeal. It’s an ambitious blend of the old and the new, and it looks very sporty, despite having a fairly standard small battery for its entry-level version. It has also benefitted from a strong lead-in time, having been around for quite a while before the new Micra’s arrival.
The Micra may be a little late to the party, but perhaps its ambitions are a little different to those of the Renault. It too has retro Micra styling cues, such as the headlights that look like eyes, but it’s not as decidedly retro as the Renault.
You could even argue that the Micra might have conservative - and possibly wider - appeal.
The entry-level Engage version has a 40kWh battery with a claimed range of 317 kilometres, making it strictly a city car and a car for those who have home charging. The grade above that is the Advance, with a choice of either the 40 kWh battery or a bigger 52 kWh battery, giving a claimed range of 416 kilometres. It comes in at €30,995.
The usual caveat about claimed ranges applies here, as they often don’t match up to real-world conditions, especially in colder weather.
The smaller battery can be fast-charged at up to 80kWh, and the bigger battery up to 110 kW on fast chargers.
The Micra comes in with a length of 3.9 metres, a width of 1.7 metres and a height of 1.4 metres. Despite its compact dimensions, it feels spacious, at least up front. The rear is really only suited for two, rather than three, and rear legroom can become a little cramped.
Like the Renault 5, the Micra has a very smart interior, with two 10.1" screens for driver information and infotainment. The Google map system and the voice control are particularly impressive, and my recent experience with the system has proven it to be user-friendly, effective and having a good and crisp display.
It all feels very well thought out and well finished in terms of fabrics and materials.
An introductory drive suggested the car was well balanced, with responsive braking and steering. The front seats are comfortable and supportive.
On country roads, it behaved like a car whose footprint is bigger than it is, and the initial energy consumption seemed like it would not fall all that short of its claimed range.
The car has a full five star EuroNcap crash test result and has quite a few safety features, such as automatic emergency braking and lane-keep assist.
If a little understated, the Micra is a welcome arrival in the currently expanding budget EV market and still has enough features to make it chime with those who remember the versions of the past.
Read more: Kia introduces its smallest electric model - the EV2
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
