The new Nissan Micra will have the same starting price as the Renault 5

If your gran didn’t have one there’s a good chance you learned to drive in a Nissan Micra, or perhaps had one as your first car. Enduringly popular for its affordability, reliability and surprisingly good handling, the Micra has now been reborn as fully electric model we hope carries these traditions through to the battery-powered era…
• New Micra is one of four all-electric Nissans coming soon • Two battery options available – pick the smaller one for buzzing around town while the bigger of the two goes over 200 miles if you need the extra flexibility • Adjustable regenerative braking available via paddles on the wheel, with a ‘one pedal driving’ option bringing the car to a full stop when you lift off the gas for easy, efficient city driving • No performance stats yet but the smaller battery version is impressively light, so should feel lively enough • Prices start from £22,995 and orders open from September

Where Micras of old tended towards the soft and cuddly looking this new one has a bit more mini-SUV attitude about it, perhaps reminiscent of the Hyundai Inster it will likely compete with. The rounded lights at the front echo the third generation Micra from the early 2000s, while from the side the electric Micra has a lot in common with the closely related Renault 5. A short overall length and wheels stretched out to the corners are good for interior space as well as handling, all models getting 18-inch wheels while the large range of colour options will include snazzier two-tones if that’s your bag. The new Micra will be available with three trim grades starting with Engage, progressing to Advanced and finishing with range-topping Evolve.

Even small cars get big tech these days, the new Micra using paired 10.1-inch screens with one for the instruments and another in the centre for navigation, calls and entertainment. On models with Advanced trim or above, the infotainment will be powered by Nissan’s Google-based system with Google Maps, Google Play and Google Assistant all built in and usable without the need to connect your phone. These mid-range models will also benefit from a wireless phone charger, front parking sensors, a reversing camera and selectable driving modes. Top of the range cars gain a premium sound system, heated front seats and steering wheel, plus paddles to adjust the regenerative braking settings. Big car safety tech also features, hopefully meaning slightly fewer Micras going backwards through hedges than might have happened back in the day.

Two batteries will be available, the smaller 42kWh one having 122 horsepower and going just under 200 miles on a charge, the bigger 52kWh option getting 149 horsepower and getting up to 260 miles in one hit. On a good day. Numbers aside this should translate to sensible performance for a car of this type, with enough to keep pace with motorway traffic if your journeys take you beyond city limits.

Prices start for £22,995 for the entry-level model with the smaller battery, while cars with the lager battery start at £26,995. Pricing for the Engage and Advanced spec Micra exactly match the Evolution and Techno versions of the Renault 5. Cost diverge slightly as you move to higher trim levels with Nissan is offering a handful of cost options to differentiate the two further. Nissan will be taking orders from the beginning of September.

The new Micra is leading a charge of new and updated Nissans, including fresh versions of the Leaf, Juke and the promise of a new and even smaller electric city car. The popular Qashqai will also be getting an upgraded version of Nissan’s quirky e-Power hybrid tech.

Buyers who felt priced out of electric cars previously will be cheering the return of the Micra, and others like it hitting the market. These include the Hyundai Inster, the Kia EV2 and the Fiat Grande Panda.