This score is awarded by our team of expert reviewers after extensive testing of the car
What's good
Looks great
Quiet and comfortable
Upmarket interior
What's not so good
Expensive for a small car
Alternatives are more spacious in the back
Modest performance
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Find out more about the Nissan Micra
Is the Nissan Micra a good car?
罢丑别听Nissan聽Micra is a bit of a looker in the world of small cars, and better still it鈥檚 even slightly less expensive than the likes of the big-selling Vauxhall Corsa.
The catwalk style continues in the cabin, which is truly eye-catching. But is it just all about the looks and 鈥淚 want world peace,鈥 or is there real substance behind the style?
All but basic Visia and Visia+ cars come with a slick 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.
Thankfully, the Nissan Micra鈥檚 cabin doesn鈥檛 just look good 鈥 all the switches feel solid and both the driver鈥檚 seat and sporty steering wheel come with loads of adjustment so you鈥檒l have no trouble getting comfortable.
Unfortunately, you can鈥檛 have lumbar support (to help reduce backache on long drives) on any model and the Nissan Micra鈥檚 back seats are more cramped than those in most alternatives. There鈥檚 a reasonable amount of knee room but passengers over six-foot tall will struggle for headroom and the narrow central seat makes carrying three abreast very cosy indeed.
The Nissan Micra鈥檚 300-litre boot is pretty practical, though. It鈥檚 a little bigger than the ones in a Corsa, Polo or Fiesta but its tall boot lip can make loading heavy items difficult. You don鈥檛 get any handy shopping hooks but you can fold the back seats down in a two-way (60:40) split if you need to carry long luggage and a back-seat passenger at once.
Two petrol engines are on offer, with either a five or six-speed manual, or CVT automatic gearbox. Pick the turbocharged 100hp 1.0-litre petrol if you mainly potter around town 鈥 it isn鈥檛 exactly quick, but it鈥檚 strong enough to feel nippy in town and is always smooth and quiet. In fact, it makes the more powerful 117hp 1.0-litre look a little unnecessary.
With a plush interior and modern looks, the new Micra is genuinely worth a look
Whichever model you pick, the Nissan Micra鈥檚 one of the more comfortable聽small cars around. Most models tackle bumps and potholes with impressive composure 鈥 only the stiffer, sportier N-Sport model is a touch too firm. Still, all cars keep unpleasant wind noise to a minimum even on the motorway.
The Nissan Micra received a four-star safety rating in the strict 2017 Euro NCAP crash tests. This score is comparable to older five-star ratings and means the Nissan Micra鈥檚 one of the safest small cars on sale 鈥 although he SEAT Ibiza got the full five-star rating in the same year.
So, although the Nissan Micra鈥檚 not quite as practical or fun to drive as other small family cars聽it鈥檚 well worth considering if you鈥檙e looking for something comfortable and you don鈥檛 mind paying a little more for some desirable extras.
If you want to see what sort of offers are available, click through to our聽Nissan Micra deals听辫补驳别.
How much is the Nissan Micra?
The Nissan Micra has a RRP range of 拢12,995 to 拢23,345. However, on 莲花直播 prices for a new Nissan Micra start at 拢13,810 if paying cash. The price of a used Nissan Micra on 莲花直播 starts at 拢6,849.
How practical is it?
Even tall drivers can get comfortable in the Nissan Micra, and it has lots of storage inside, but some alternatives are better for rear-seat passengers and the boot is awkward to load
Boot (seats up)
300 - 360 litres
Boot (seats down)
1,004 litres
Every Nissan Micra comes with plenty of steering-wheel adjustment and a height-adjustable driver鈥檚 seat as standard so even tall drivers can get comfy. The front seats are nicely cushioned but not particularly supportive so you can find yourself sliding about a bit on twisty roads.
Annoyingly, you can鈥檛 get the Nissan Micra鈥檚 seats with adjustable lumbar support so you might suffer from some back ache on long motorway journeys.
Things don鈥檛 really improve if you jump in the back seats. There鈥檚 a reasonable amount of knee room and plenty of space for your feet under the seats in front but anyone over six-foot tall will really struggle for headroom.
Need to carry three abreast? The Nissan Micra might not be for you. The central back seat is rather hard and narrow and there鈥檚 significantly less shoulder room than you get in a Vauxhall Corsa.
You get Isofix anchor points on both outer rear seats but you can fit a child seat to the front passenger seat, too. The slightly narrow back doors and hidden Isofix anchor points can make securing a seat base in the back rather tricky, however.
You won鈥檛 have too much trouble keeping your Nissan Micra鈥檚 cabin nice and tidy. There are a few handy cubby holes dotted around and the front door bins are big enough to hold both a large and small bottle each. The glovebox is about average for a supermini (it can hold a small water bottle and the owner鈥檚 manual) and there鈥檚 a small tray for your smartphone under the dashboard.
Unfortunately, things aren鈥檛 so good in the back seats 鈥 sense a theme developing yet? The back doors don鈥檛 come with any storage bins and your passengers will have to share a single cupholder between them.
The Nissan Micra鈥檚 300-litre boot is big enough to carry a baby stroller and some soft bags or a set of golf clubs 鈥 at a push. It鈥檚 between 10 and 20 litres larger than the boots you鈥檒l find in a Fiesta, Corsa or Polo but its tall boot lip makes loading large or heavy items a bit of a pain.
Annoyingly, you can鈥檛 adjust the boot floor height (an option that is available in the Polo and Fiesta) and there aren鈥檛 any handy shopping hooks to stop things rolling around in the back. You can fold the seats down in a two-way (60:40) split if you need to carry long luggage and up to two passengers in the back at once, however.
Flip both back seats down (using buttons beside the headrests) and you can carry 1,004 litres in the Nissan Micra鈥檚 boot. That鈥檚 more than the 952-litre Polo but less than the 1,093-litre Fiesta and 1,120-litre Corsa 鈥 in other words, a bike will fit but you鈥檒l have to remove a wheel first.
You鈥檒l also need to lift the headrests up a notch before the back seats will lie flat. Even then there鈥檚 still a very large step in the boot floor that makes it difficult to slide heavy boxes right up behind the front seats.
What's it like to drive?
The Nissan Micra is one of the most relaxing small cars to drive and it鈥檚 impressively quiet on the move too, but it鈥檚 no ball of fire.
You can get the聽Nissan Micra聽with one diesel and three different petrol engines, and with either a five or six-speed manual or a CVT automatic gearbox.
Pick the 100hp 1.0-litre petrol if you mainly potter around town 鈥 it isn鈥檛 exactly quick, but it鈥檚 strong enough to feel nippy in town and is always smooth and quiet. In fact, it makes the more powerful 117hp 1.0-litre look a little unnecessary.
You can get a petrol聽Nissan Micra聽with a CVT automatic gearbox to help take some of the stress out of long journeys and heavy traffic and it鈥檚 one of the better CVTs on sale, but the standard-fit five-speed manual is easy to use and cheaper to buy. The faster 117hp 1.0-litre petrol gets six gears rather than five.
罢丑别听Nissan Micra鈥檚 light steering helps make it fairly easy to thread through tight city streets but the pillar between the front door and the windscreen creates a fairly sizeable blindspot 鈥 especially when you鈥檙e pulling out of junctions.
The small rear windscreen can make parking a little nerve-wracking but N-Sport and Tekna models come with rear parking sensors and a reversing camera to help you avoid any bumps and scrapes. These are also optional on lesser trims.
To really show off to your friends, you鈥檒l want to add optional Vision+ pack because it comes with a 360-degree camera system that displays a bird鈥檚-eye view of the car and its surroundings on the infotainment display. It鈥檚 the kind of feature you鈥檇 expect to find in a posh SUV 鈥 not a聽Nissan Micra.
Whichever model you pick, the Nissan Micra鈥檚 one of the more comfortable聽small cars around. It鈥檒l tackle bumps and potholes with impressive composure, although the stiffer, sportier N-Sport model is a touch too firm. Still, all cars keep unpleasant wind noise to a minimum 鈥 even on the motorway.
The Micra doesn鈥檛 lean much on twisty country roads either, although you鈥檒l have more fun driving the more agile Ford Fiesta. All but Visia and Visia+ models come with cruise control as standard. As a result, the Micra鈥檚 one of the most relaxing small cars to drive on long journeys.
The N-Sport model comes with stiffer lowered suspension, different steering and the most potent 117hp 1.0-litre petrol as standard. In truth, it feels a little too firm over bumps, its steering is artificially heavy and there isn鈥檛 enough performance to call it a true warm hatchback.
Euro NCAP awarded the聽Nissan Micra聽a four-star safety rating in 2017. All models come with traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking (a system that鈥檒l apply the brakes for you to help prevent a collision) and lane-departure warning as standard but you can get blind-spot warning and obstacle detection as part of the Vision+ pack making it one of the safest small cars on sale.
What's it like inside?
The Nissan Micra鈥檚 eye-catching cabin feels impressively well built for such a small car but you鈥檒l have to pay extra for some key tech and colourful soft-touch trims
