Compare the2023 Nissan LeafVS 2022 Toyota Mirai

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 Mirai doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Leaf and the Mirai have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

The Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor produces 32 more horsepower (214 vs. 182) than the Mirai’s electric motor.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Leaf is faster than the Toyota Mirai:

On the EPA test cycle the Leaf gets better mileage than the Mirai:

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 Mirai doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better maneuverability, the Leaf S’ turning circle is 3.7 feet tighter than the Mirai’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.5 feet). The Leaf SV PLUS’ turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Mirai’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.5 feet).

The Nissan Leaf may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 750 pounds less than the Toyota Mirai.

The Leaf is 1 foot, 7.4 inches shorter than the Mirai, making the Leaf easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Leaf has 2.8 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more rear headroom and .4 inches more rear legroom than the Mirai.

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

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Leaf to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for tire rotation based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Toyota doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Mirai.

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 Mirai XLE’s standard 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 Mirai 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 Mirai doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

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

The Nissan Leaf outsold the Toyota Mirai by almost six to one during 2022.