2012 Nissan Leaf Electricity · VE62 AEC

The 2012 Nissan Leaf presents a broadly stable and well-maintained roadworthiness profile through its MOT history, with the most recent test on 20 November 2025 at 23,352 miles resulting in a pass. However, the current advisory status is not clean. The tester flagged the offside front and nearside rear tyres for slight damage, cracking, or perishing under item 5.2.3 (d) (ii). This marks a shift from the completely defect-free passes recorded in 2021, 2022, and 2023. While the trend is not one of serious mechanical decline, it does indicate a lapse in basic consumable oversight during the most recent ownership period. The mileage accumulation tells a consistent story of very low usage. Covering just 1,668 miles per year on average, the car has travelled only 7,141 miles over the five-year span from the November 2021 test at 16,211 miles to the November 2025 test at 23,352 miles. Annual increments hover between roughly 1,100 and 1,600 miles, showing no sudden spikes or suspicious gaps in the record. Such low mileage is a double-edged sword for an electric vehicle. It limits wear on the drivetrain and braking components, but prolonged standing periods can accelerate tyre perishing, seize brake calipers, and stress suspension bushes through lack of use. A buyer should treat the flagged tyre advisories as a prompt for a thorough visual inspection of all four tyres, including sidewalls and inner edges, since perishing can be unevenly distributed. Given the car's age and low annual mileage, the tyre rubber may be approaching its functional life through age degradation rather than tread wear, even if tread depths remain legal. Check the date stamps on each tyre against the advisories to confirm whether replacements have been fitted since the November 2025 test. Beyond the tyres, the clean structural and mechanical record is encouraging, but the low-mileage pattern warrants a close look at the braking system for binding calipers or corroded discs, and at the suspension bushes and dampers for deterioration from standing. A short test drive under light regenerative braking and over uneven surfaces will quickly reveal any stickiness or clunks that the MOT, focused primarily on safety-critical failure, may not fully capture.