Compare the2022 Nissan LeafVS 2022 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

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 Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 Crosstrek Hybrid only offers a rear monitor.

Both the Leaf and the Crosstrek Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available daytime running lights and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Leaf is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid:

	Leaf	Crosstrek Hybrid
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	36%
Neck Stress	250 lbs.	304 lbs.
Neck Compression	11 lbs.	42 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Leaf is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid:

	Leaf	Crosstrek Hybrid
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	131	138
Abdominal Force	137 lbs.	196 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	257	303
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	58 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
HIC	158	201
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	665 lbs.	824 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are over 69 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Leaf’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 24th, below the industry average.

Engine

The Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor produces 66 more horsepower (214 vs. 148) than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Nissan Leaf is faster than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid:

	Leaf	Leaf PLUS	Crosstrek Hybrid
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.2 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	7 sec	9 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.5 sec	3.6 sec	5.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.3 sec	15.7 sec	17.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87 MPH	92 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Leaf gets better mileage than the Crosstrek Hybrid running on electricity:

		MPGe
Leaf
	Electric Motor	123 city/99 hwy
	PLUS S Electric Motor	118 city/97 hwy
	PLUS SV/SL Electric Motor	114 city/94 hwy
Crosstrek Hybrid
	Electric Motor	99 city/80 hwy

The Leaf’s maximum EPA estimated driving range is 149 to 226 miles on a full charge. The Crosstrek Hybrid can only travel about 17 miles before it has to start its internal combustion engine.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Leaf higher (10 out of 10) than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid (6 to 7). This means the Leaf produces up to 12.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Crosstrek Hybrid every 15,000 miles.

Tires and Wheels

The Leaf SV/SL’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s 55 series tires.

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 Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

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 Crosstrek Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Leaf’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the Crosstrek Hybrid (106.3 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Leaf S’ turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Crosstrek Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Leaf may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 200 pounds less than the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid.

Cargo Capacity

The Leaf has a much larger cargo volume than the Crosstrek Hybrid with its rear seat up (23.6 vs. 15.9 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Leaf’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Crosstrek Hybrid’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Leaf and the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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