Compare the2022 Nissan LeafVS 2021 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Leaf have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Leaf are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Leaf has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Leaf has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Leaf has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Leaf (except S) offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Clarity Fuel Cell only offers a rear monitor.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Leaf’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Leaf (except S)’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Leaf and the Clarity Fuel Cell have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available daytime running lights.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan 21st in reliability. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

The Leaf’s standard electric motor produces 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (236 vs. 221) than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s electric motor. The Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor produces 40 more horsepower (214 vs. 174) and 29 lbs.-ft. more torque (250 vs. 221) than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Leaf is faster than the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell:

The Leaf’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Clarity Fuel Cell are solid, not vented.

The Leaf stops much shorter than the Clarity Fuel Cell:

The Leaf has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Leaf has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better maneuverability, the Leaf S’ turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.4 feet). The Leaf SV/SL’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Nissan Leaf may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 600 pounds less than the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.

The Leaf is 1 foot, 4.3 inches shorter than the Clarity Fuel Cell, making the Leaf easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Leaf SV is quieter than the Clarity Fuel Cell:

The Leaf has 2.1 inches more front headroom and .2 inches more rear headroom than the Clarity Fuel Cell.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Leaf’s hatch uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Clarity Fuel Cell’s useful trunk space.

The Leaf’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Leaf has a standard rear wiper. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Leaf detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

On extremely cold winter days, the Leaf SV/SL’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Leaf and the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Nissan Leaf outsold the Honda Clarity by almost four to one during the 2021 model year.