Compare the2024 Chevrolet Equinox EVVS 2024 Nissan Leaf

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Equinox EV has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Leaf doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Equinox EV and Leaf have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the Equinox EV has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Leaf’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Equinox EV and the Leaf 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, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available front parking sensors and driver alert monitors.

The Chevrolet Equinox EV weighs 1023 to 1532 pounds more than the Nissan Leaf. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The Equinox EV’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Leaf’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are almost 3 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Nissan dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox EV’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in initial quality. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Nissan is rated below average.

Engine

The Equinox EV’s standard electric motor produces 66 more horsepower (213 vs. 147) than the Leaf’s standard electric motor. The Equinox EV’s optional electric motors produces 74 more horsepower (288 vs. 214) and 83 lbs.-ft. more torque (333 vs. 250) than the Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the Chevrolet Equinox EV electric motors is faster than the Leaf PLUS:

	Equinox EV	Leaf
Zero to 60 MPH	5.8 sec	6.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	15.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	91 MPH
Top Speed	112 MPH	101 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Equinox EV can travel longer on a full charge than the Leaf on a full charge:

			Miles
Equinox EV
	FWD	Electric Motor	319 miles
	AWD	Electric Motors	285 miles
Leaf
	FWD	SV PLUS Electric Motor	212 miles
		Electric Motor	149 miles

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Equinox EV’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Leaf:

	Equinox EV	Leaf
Front Rotors	12.6 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	12.4 inches	11.5 inches

The Equinox EV stops much shorter than the Leaf:

	Equinox EV	Leaf
70 to 0 MPH	178 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Equinox EV has larger standard tires than the Leaf (245/55R19 vs. 205/55R16). The Equinox EV’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Leaf (275/40R21 vs. 215/50R17).

The Equinox EV’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Leaf SV PLUS’ 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Equinox EV has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Leaf S. The Equinox EV’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Leaf SV PLUS.

The Chevrolet Equinox EV’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Nissan Leaf only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Chevrolet Equinox EV has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Nissan Leaf has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Equinox EV’s wheelbase is 10 inches longer than on the Leaf (116.3 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Equinox EV is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 2.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Leaf.

The Equinox EV LT eAWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Leaf pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The Equinox EV has 9.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Leaf (102.2 vs. 92.4).

The Equinox EV has 4.3 inches more front hip room, 4.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 4.5 inches more rear legroom, .7 inches more rear hip room and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Leaf.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Equinox EV’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Equinox EV’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Leaf doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

Towing

The Equinox EV has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Leaf has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Equinox EV uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Leaf doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Equinox EV, the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Leaf doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Equinox EV’s optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Leaf doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Equinox EV offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Leaf doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Equinox EV’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Leaf’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Equinox EV and the Leaf have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Equinox EV is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Leaf prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Equinox EV’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Leaf’s passenger windows don’t open automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Equinox EV the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Leaf can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Equinox EV’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Leaf’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Equinox EV’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Leaf S’ standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Equinox EV’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Leaf SV PLUS.

When the Equinox EV with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Leaf’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Equinox EV has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Leaf SV PLUS. The Equinox EV also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Leaf.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Equinox EV keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Leaf doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Equinox EV has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Leaf SV PLUS.

The Equinox EV has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Leaf doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Equinox EV’s optional dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Leaf doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Chevrolet Equinox EV has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The Leaf doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Equinox EV’s optional Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Leaf doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the Nissan Leaf by almost 30 to one during 2023.