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Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 vs VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric: which engine is more reliable?

According to our risk index, the VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric carries less risk than the Nissan Leaf and e-NV200: 30/100 versus 49/100 (both moderate risk). The Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 has 3 documented serious faults, the main one being «Accelerated degradation of the air-cooled battery»; the VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric has 1 documented serious fault, the main one being «Damaged cells in the high-voltage battery (January 2021 recall)».

Risk index

Nissan Leaf and e-NV200

49

Moderate risk · 3 serious faults

Risk index

VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric

30

Moderate risk · 1 serious fault

Lower risk

The index (0–100) weights the severity and frequency of the three most serious documented faults. How it is calculated

12 sourcesHow we work

Is the Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 reliable?

The weak point of the 24 kWh Leaf and e-NV200 is the battery, which is cooled by air only: it loses capacity faster than average, especially units from 2011-2014. The rest of the drivetrain (motor, charger, reduction gear) has few documented faults.[1][2][3]

See the 6 of the Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 faults

Is the VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric reliable?

The up! electric drivetrain has few documented faults: the only significant one is a January 2021 recall over damaged cells that affected 213 cars worldwide. The data is scarce because few units were sold.[4][5]

See the 2 of the VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric faults

Side-by-side comparison

Comparison of Nissan Leaf and e-NV200 and VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric
Nissan Leaf and e-NV200VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric
Technical data
TypeEngineEngine
FuelElectricalElectrical
Displacement——
Timing——
Power109–217 hp54–83 hp
Production2011–2025[6][7][8]2013–2023[9][10]
Reliability
Risk index (what is it?)49Moderate risk30Moderate risk
Documented faults62
Of high or critical severity31
Worst severityCritical severityCritical severity
Main faults
  1. High severity: Accelerated degradation of the air-cooled battery
  2. Critical severity: Defective solder on the park-lock actuator plate (2019 e-NV200)
  3. High severity: Battery module or electronics fault with prolonged immobilisation
  1. Critical severity: Damaged cells in the high-voltage battery (January 2021 recall)
  2. Low severity: High-voltage battery discharged after a long period parked
Most expensive documented repairNo reliable dataNo reliable data
Which versions to buy
BuyRecommended versions
  • Leaf II 40 kWh, 150 hp (2018-2025)[3]
None
With cautionVersions to be cautious about
  • Leaf I 24 kWh, 109 hp (2011-2015)[1]
  • Leaf I 30 kWh, 109 hp (2015-2017)[1][2]
  • Leaf e+ 62 kWh, 217 hp (2019-2025)[3]
  • e-NV200 24 kWh, 109 hp (2014-2018)[1][8]
  • e-NV200 40 kWh, 109 hp (2018-2022)[11]
  • e-up! 18.7 kWh, up to 82 hp (2013-2019)[4]
  • e-up!, Citigo e iV and Mii electric 36.8 kWh, 83 hp (2019-2023)[5][12]
AvoidVersions to avoidNoneNone

Severity of each fault: green, low; amber, medium; red, high; dark red, critical. How we rate them

Cars that each one is fitted to

Nissan Leaf and e-NV200

VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric

Other comparisons

With the Nissan Leaf and e-NV200

With the VW e-up! / Škoda Citigo e iV / Seat Mii electric

Compare other engines

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Sources

Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.

  1. Estudio comparativo de la degradación de la batería del Nissan Leaf de primera generaciónMovilidad Eléctrica · Motoring press · published 27 March 2018 · consulted 30 October 2026 · in Spanish
  2. Fiabilité Nissan Leaf (2011-2017) : pannes et avis des propriétairesFiches-auto.fr · Reliability study · consulted 30 October 2026 · in French
  3. Fiabilité Nissan Leaf 2 (à partir de 2019) : pannes et avis des propriétairesFiches-auto.fr · Reliability study · consulted 30 October 2026 · in French
  4. Volkswagen e-up!: Probleme und SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater.de · Motoring press · consulted 30 October 2026 · in German
  5. Rückrufaktion bei VW E-Up, Seat Mii und Skoda Citigoauto motor und sport · Motoring press · published January 2021 · consulted 30 October 2026 · in German
  6. Nissan Leaf (Wikipedia, en)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 30 October 2026
  7. Nissan Leaf (Wikipedia, de)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 30 October 2026 · in German
  8. Nissan NV200 (Wikipedia, en)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 30 October 2026
  9. VW e-up! (Wikipedia, alemán)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 30 October 2026 · in German
  10. Volkswagen e-Up! (Wikipedia, inglés)Wikipedia · Other source · consulted 30 October 2026
  11. Nissan e-NV200 (2019): recall actuator, EV/Hybrid (Safety Gate A12/01429/20)car-recalls.eu · Official body · published 30 October 2020 · consulted 30 October 2026
  12. Fiabilité Volkswagen Up (2011-2023) : pannes et avis des propriétairesFiches-auto.fr · Reliability study · consulted 30 October 2026 · in French