Compare the2023 Nissan LeafVS 2022 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid

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 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its 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 Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid 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 Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid 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 Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid 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 for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Leaf SV PLUS has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Leaf has standard rear cross-path warning to warn the driver of approaching traffic to help avoid a collision. Hyundai charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid.

Both the Leaf and the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid 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, available daytime running lights and driver alert monitors.

There are over 30 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Leaf’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated below average.

The Leaf’s standard electric motor produces 8 more horsepower (147 vs. 139) and 41 lbs.-ft. more torque (236 vs. 195) than the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor produces 75 more horsepower (214 vs. 139) and 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (250 vs. 195) than the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

The Leaf can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 149 to 212 miles. The Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid has to start its internal combustion engine after only 29 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Leaf higher (10 out of 10) than the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid (7). This means the Leaf produces up to 11.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid every 15,000 miles.

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 Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Leaf SV PLUS’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid (215/50R17 vs. 205/55R16).

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

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Leaf SV PLUS has standard 17-inch wheels. The Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid’s largest wheels are only 16-inches.

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 Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Leaf has a larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid (23.6 vs. 23 cubic feet).

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 Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Leaf has a standard rear wiper. The Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

On extremely cold winter days, the Leaf SV PLUS’ standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Insurance will cost less for the Leaf owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Leaf will cost $815 to $3100 less than the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid over a five-year period.

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Nissan Leaf as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.