Nissan Leaf 40kWh ZE1 vs Honda Civic: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the Leaf 40kWh ZE1 hits 100 km/h in 8.05 s versus 10.59 s for the Civic. The instant torque of 320 Nm from the electric motor makes the difference. At this point, the Leaf 40kWh ZE1 leads by 2.54 s and sits roughly 34 m ahead.

At 200 metres, the Leaf 40kWh ZE1 is doing 116 km/h against 109 km/h for the Civic. The gap is 1.56 s. The challenger starts to claw back ground.

At 400 metres standing start, the Leaf 40kWh ZE1 crosses the line in 16.03 s versus 17.88 s. The 1.85 s gap represents roughly 67 m of track - a gap visible to the naked eye.

Past 400 metres, the gap narrows. The Leaf 40kWh ZE1 maxes out at 144 km/h while the Civic keeps accelerating towards 178 km/h. At 600 metres, the gap is down to 1.93 s from 1.85 s at 400 metres.

At 1,000 metres, the Leaf 40kWh ZE1 finishes in 31.05 s versus 32.04 s, with just 1.00 s to spare. The Civic fails to fully close the launch gap.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the Leaf 40kWh ZE1 is capped at 144 km/h, the Civic at 185 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

Instant electric torque gives an advantage off the line. The higher top speed of the combustion engine gives an advantage over longer distances. The distance at which one catches the other depends on the top speed differential.

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 16.94 seconds. The 2.54 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.