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Here are three reasons why you should consider the Nissan Kicks e-POWER as your next daily driver

The Nissan Kicks is a car that will make living with an EV not feel out of the ordinary.

Jerome Tresvalles on Mar 31, 2023

The prospect of having an electric vehicle (EV) as your daily driver is terrifying when you consider where the Philippines is at concerning EV infrastructure. The biggest advantage that conventional, internal combustion engines have over EVs is the convenience and security of having fuel stations readily available. Driving an EV means that you will have to take extra care when going out since the safety net that a fuel station provides is not available to you anymore. Once your battery reaches zero and you’re still on the road, that’s it, you’re walking home.

That’s not the case with the Nissan Kicks e-POWER. Unlike battery-electric vehicles, the Kicks e-POWER is a series hybrid that feeds its electric drivetrain through a 1.3-liter gasoline engine. Giving it the benefit of near-instantaneous power and impressive torque with the convenience that gasoline engines provide. With that said, here are three reasons why the Kicks e-POWER is a great choice for a daily driver.

EVIDA Law

The Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act or EVIDA Law outlines the regulatory framework and provides a roadmap for electric vehicle operation in the Philippines. As an added incentive for car buyers in the Philippines to swap to an EV or hybrid, full exemption from the coding scheme is granted to owners of EVs and hybrid vehicles, this includes the Nissan Kicks.

The Electric Vehicle Development Act Law also mandates the issuance of a specialized EV license plate for all-electric and hybrid vehicles, which will entitle them to tax exemptions. Battery-operated vehicles will be fully exempted from the 100 percent excise tax, while hybrid vehicles operating on both fuel and battery will receive a 50 percent excise tax exemption under the TRAIN Law, also known as the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law.

Before you get excited about these perks though, we advise you to get a hybrid vehicle certificate at your nearest LTO office so that you can certify your vehicle is exempted from the coding scheme if you’re ever pulled over in Metro Manila.

An electric vehicle without the range anxiety

As mentioned earlier, the Nissan Kicks e-POWER gets its electricity from a 1.3-liter gasoline engine. The Kicks uses the same electric powertrain as the battery-electric LEAF, but, you don’t have to plug the car up to get electricity, instead, you just fill up with gas and you’re on your way. This makes the Kicks e-POWER no more different to operate than gasoline-fueled cars, as such, there is no steep learning curve when it comes to driving it and you won’t have the fear of running out of juice during long journeys. Most importantly, with the engine only acting as a generator for the powertrain, you have the benefit of lower carbon emissions and remarkable fuel economy.

The Kicks e-POWER is just like a normal car

Unlike most EVs and hybrids that go out of their way to look futuristic, the Nissan Kicks look relatively normal. Its styling is modern and new but, compared to newer EVs, the Kicks is more in tune with its time, and that is good. Step inside the car and it’s the same story, it has easy-to-recognize controls and a comfortable, relaxing interior.

For a daily driver to be good, it has to be comfortable and easy to live with, and the Nissan Kicks ticks both of those requirements. It functions the same as a normal car, and recharging it is simple and convenient. On top of that, the interior is not crazy and confusing and we bet that the exterior will still look good after a few years have gone by, that’s why the Nissan Kicks is a good choice for a daily driver.