Electric car comparison test: EV specifications

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Oblong headlights that protrude from a short, severely sloped hood make it resemble an insect from the Planet Green. And its bulging lower body, tapered toward the roofline, give the Leaf a pear-shaped profile from the rear, as if it has love handles. (Wieck)

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4. The best-selling Nissan Leaf gets 115 mpge combined and starts at under $22,000 including the federal tax credit. (Wieck)

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Inside, even with the leather package on our test car, the Leaf had a downmarket feel. (Wieck)

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The dashboard is a large slab of hard plastic, embedded with red-white-and-blue electronic readouts that are simple and functional, but garish. The dash makes funny noises, too, when you turn the car or or put in reverse, for instance. The beeps and burps had a video-game quality, as if you’re cruising in the Super Mario-mobile chasing energy mushrooms. (Wieck)

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With the addition of a new, larger 6.6 kilowatt on-board charger, the new Leaf charges in about half the time as the previous model - 4 hours compared to 7.5 hours, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. (Wieck)

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From the moment you mash the accelerator, it’s clear that electricity is a great match for the 500’s tiny frame and sporting character. (Fiat)

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There’s no garish “ZERO EMISSIONS” or “EV” sticker on the side. Compared with other gas-powered 500s, the electric cousin looks more mean than green, with the only styling tweak being an aggressive lower front grill. That’s hardly surprising, since the Fiat designed the 500 as a stylish and sporty subcompact first - something to compete with the likes of the Mini Cooper - and was simply fitted the electric drivetrain to please California regulators. (Fiat)

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The 500e is a less practical car than either the Honda or the Nissan. (Fiat)

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The 500e also excels, too, on fit and finish. Its retro cabin is fitted with the same hard plastic as the Leaf, but the textures look and feel more expensive. (Fiat)

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You get no choices in the matter of the Honda Fit EV. Honda has made all the decisions for you. It comes in one color - electric blue, fittingly. (Wieck)

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The Fit essentially blends the best attributes of the Fiat 500e and the Nissan Leaf into one extremely versatile, fun-to-drive package. (Wieck)

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The 2013 Honda Fit EV comes one trim level: loaded, with navigation, three driving modes, heated seats and alloy wheels. You can’t even buy the car. Honda will only lease it to you. (Wieck)

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The Fit turns zero to 60 mph in a respectable 8.7 seconds, according to Car and Driver. But like the Fiat, the bulk of that power is concentrated in the zero to 30 mph range, where its appreciated most in an urban driving environment like Los Angeles. In sport mode, the Fit displays decent power in the upper ranges as well, up to a governor-limited top speed of 90 mph. (Wieck)

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Charging port on the 2013 Honda Fit EV. (Wieck)

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Engine of the 2013 Honda Fit EV. (Wieck)

By Brian Thevenot

June 1, 2013

8:33 AM

How they stack up: Specifications for the electric cars in our comparison test, the Honda Fit EV, Fiat 500e and Nissan Leaf.

Honda Fit EV

Times’ take: The right blend of performance, utility and efficiency

Highs: Sport driving mode hauls more than groceries; cavernous interior room

Lows: No choice of options or color; no purchase option

Vehicle type: Five-door, five-passenger hatchback

Powertrain: 92-kilowatt electric motor

Battery: 20 kilowatt-hour lithium ion

Horsepower: 123

Torque: 189 pound-feet

Zero to 60 mph: 8.7 seconds, according to Car and Driver

MPG equivalent rating: 132 mpge city, 105 highway, 118 combined

Fiat 500e

Times’ take: The fun-to-drive EV champ

Highs: Explosive torque; sharp handling; stout build quality

Lows: Small interior

Vehicle type: Three-door, four-seat hatchback

Powertrain: 83-kilowatt electric motor

Battery: 24 kilowatt-hour lithium ion

Horsepower: 111

Torque: 147 pound-feet

Zero to 60 mph: 9.1 seconds, according to Fiat

MPG equivalent rating: 122 mpge city, 108 highway, 116 combined

Nissan Leaf

Times’ take: The original almost-affordable electric trails new competitors

Highs: Smooth ride, interior room

Lows: Ugly eco-chic styling; cheapish interior; boring to drive

Vehicle type: Five-door, five-passenger hatchback

Powertrain: 80-kilowatt electric motor

Battery: 24 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion

Horsepower: 107

Torque: 187 pound-feet

Zero to 60 mph: 10 seconds, according to Car and Driver

MPG equivalent rating: 129 mpge city, 102 highway, 115 combined

Autos

Brian Thevenot

Brian Thevenot is the former deputy Business editor of the Los Angeles Times. He previously worked for a dozen years at the Times-Picayune of New Orleans, where he and his colleagues won two Pulitzer Prizes in 2006 for coverage of Hurricane Katrina and he edited a Pulitzer finalist in 2009. Thevenot later worked as a writer and editor at the Texas Tribune in Austin and as the business editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He left The Times in 2015.