Nissan Micra K12 (2007-2010)

Love It. Brilliant for the City – Shame the car is no longer made. But thankfully there are second hand ones around. I brought mine second hand two years ago (at ten years old) and simply cannot fault it for my needs. I do not want a fast super charged turbo car. I need a less powerful slower car that is safe to drive and easy to handle and control. I have never lost control of… Read more

it, whereas I have seen a lot of inexperienced drivers lose control of more powerful cars. The Micra is super easy to park in, especially reverse parking. It squeezes into small spaces, so perfect for city and inner city living. One of the best things about it, is the turning circle. Pretty much turns back on itself, and a three point turn is rarely ever needed. The "attack" alarm is great. Never needed to scare an intruder off, but used it many a time when in a multi storey carpark and forgotten what row I was in. The alarm is highly sensitive and a turbo car revving its engine nearby can easily set it off. Not great at 3am with passing traffic, but at least nobody can break into it without me knowing. The armrest is a bit odd and I cannot use when driving, but if parked it is actually useful for resting. I learnt to drive in this car and with its excellent all round visibility (great for clear view when driving in rain), I always felt comfortable and safe on the road. Now driving it as my first car and love it. I travel around 80kms a day to and from work. Economical on petrol too. People make fun of me for having a slower and less powerful car, but I don't care what those nitwits say. I LOVE this car.

Great first car – Got it for my 16th birthday. Pros: I’m almost 25 and it’s still with me! Really fuel economic, cheap to run and generally cheap to service. People make fun of me for having it but at the end of the day I get the last laugh due to how cheap and reliable it is. Generally quiet car (unless AC on). You would rarely see the steering wheel vibrate.… Read more

It’s like a very quiet hum usually. Surprisingly spacious on the inside. Can fit surfboards/nipper boards in the passenger seat if you put the seat down. Also have fit aquariums/snake tanks in the car with no issues before. Amazing turning circle. Very rarely have to 3 point turn in a small street when doing a u-turn. Large back window, and the side windows are completely horizontal (not slanted upwards towards the back like many cars), thus making it really easy to reverse park and see out the back window.

Cons: The belt squeaks when the AC is running. Takes a long time to hit 100kph. Can get dangerous when trying to merge on freeways etc., or for defensive driving. Sometimes slow to change gears. On many occasions I have had to put the “pedal to the plastic” for about 5 seconds before the next gear kicks in.

Other comments: very sensitive accelerator and brake.

Really good car – I'm driving my Micra 2009 for almost 6 years now bought when it was 44kms and now it is 145kms. No issues at all, very economical in petrol and even used it for long drives like ( 7hrs ). I recommend it. Show details

Good cheap car! – I have owned a Nissan Micra since 2008 and have been nothing but impressed, I have never broken down or had a flat battery is the 10 years I have owned it. The cars turning circle is so great, it can literally turn around on itself. For the price of this car I am blown away  Show details

Still very functional after 9 years – Small car with very valuable price and energy efficiency. Really saves money when you pay for the petrol. Very nice when driving around city as it's easy to park and crawl around the busy roads. Never had any issue after purchased. Off course you go to service every half year.  Show details

Micra future Classic – The Nissan Micra K12 will be a future Classic as the shape goes in my opinion way better shape than K13'S.Black tints mags bigger tyres/wheels. Let down is the 3 star rating the 1400cc engine reminds me of the old mini of the 1959 drivers car nippy gets the parking spots. Tray under passenger seat space saver is a negative. Ours is 10 yrs old still going strong serviced regular only had a battery Show details

Decent car, not perfect – We have the 1.4l Nissan Micra and it is - pretty - good but nothing special. The seats are not too comfortable and the interior is a little cheap feeling. That said we bought the cheapest car we could with the lowest kilometres. I love the up-to-date bluetooth stereo - no cords are necessary. Though this feature works much better with an iPhone… Read more

compared to Android. The car is a little slow to respond when I put the foot on the accelerator but has enough power to make it up hills. The drive is pretty ok, and the turn circle is great, making it so easy to park in small spaces. It has everything we need for a city run around.

Nice little car – I have my little Nissan micra for 5 years now. Still love it and enjoy every single time I drive it. Just so much saving on fuels and so easy to maintain. It was a great value too. With this size of the car... just super easy to park too. I do not have kids so it's just perfect space for myself.  Show details

Good car for a first time driver – Quiet little car which lacks power but gets the job done. Very, very easy to drive, however going up steep hills (especially when stopped at a red light) requires a lot more effort than a typical car. Obviously has less legroom due to it being a smaller car, although it hasn't been too much of an issue. Car lacks aux port and bluetooth which can… Read more

be an issue if you are wanting to play your own music.

The car has been very reliable. Have only needed to take it in for regular servicing.

Good little run-around – We bought this little "city collection" K12 micra when it was a run-out, before the next (K13) model was released. Loaded to the gills with features: - 6 airbags, 6 CD player (stacker), electric windows, electric mirrors, A/C, alloy wheels etc. Discounted due to run-out as well as being the previous year's stock. We got a "Tokyo silver" model (it… Read more

was either that or pink), which is actually more of a bronze than silver. This colour is attractive, and hide the dirt very well. It is a normally aspirated 1.4L EFI transversely mounted 4 cylinder petrol, hooked up to a 4 speed automatic gearbox and FWD. It has been with us for 7 years now and clocked 30,000km this month (!). Fuel consumption is reasonable. By this I mean its OK, but could certainly be better for such a small light car with a 1.4L EFI motor. The cause is probably the lack of an extra cog in the gearbox. Average fuel consumption is ~8.5L/100km in predominantly stop start driving, but we have seen 9-10L/100km on more than one occasion. Some freeway use sees it come down to about 6.5-7L/100km. The motor is willing, but a little gruff. Smooth enough if you are gentle with the throttle, but vocal when you accelerate hard and the auto kicks down a cog. Freeway use is entirely possible, but road-noise can be a little intrusive, and the roof mounted aerial whistles a bit at freeway speeds. The road noise improved when we replaced the original Dunlop tires with Bridgestones. Fit and finish, and the quality of materials is decent for an entry level car. Little hidey-holes and cup-holders all over including drawers under the front seats come in handy. The seating is firm but fairly comfortable, Larger people like me (188cm) have enough leg room if the seat is pushed back, but I tend to place all my weight on my ischial tuberosities (boney bits of your bum), unless you have a little more padding ;) , rather than distribute the weight onto your thighs due to the slightly knees-up driving position. The steering wheel is adjustable for height, but not reach, but falls easily to hand. My wife at 165cm has no complaints. The cloth seats are quite hard wearing, stain resistant, and easy to clean. There is a reasonably comfortable driver's arm-rest that can fold down.

The good: 1. Never left us stranded on the side of the road. 2. Starts first time (almost) every time (unless the battery is flat :) - more on that later). 3. Tiny turning circle is great for city and cramped car parks. Its ridiculously easy to drive. 4. A/C works well in the heat (but there are no rear air outlets). 5. It's cute. I mean it looks at you with those round "eyes" and makes you want to bring it indoors to let it sleep in the kitchen like a pet. You might get emotionally attached to this car, which is probably why we still have ours.

The bad: 1. Services are every 6 months/10,000km. And they are not cheap either. Nissan dealerships are particularly expensive, so after the warranty period was over we took it elsewhere. The car was used predominantly as a school shuttle for Mum and our 2 kids, and never accumulated more than 5,000km/y so having to service it every 6 months or 2,500km to avoid voiding the warranty was painful. The cabin air filter (in particular) and other genuine Nissan parts are unreasonably expensive. 2. It's tiny (this is a pro and a con depending on your needs). There is enough room for 4 adults, but the boot is very small. If you have kids, you can fit 2 in the back comfortably, but wont get 3 child seats in the back no matter how hard you try. (I guess if you have 3 kids you would be looking elsewhere for transport, but kids have friends that need a ride every once in a while...). On that subject, the anchorage points for the child seats are on the rear boot lip, so the straps come over the backrest, down to the rearmost lip of the boot, making it difficult to get stuff in there. Forget about trying to get a normal pram in there if you have 2 child seats anchored. 3. There is no clock...actually there is a digital one in the audio unit (that took us a while to figure out), but you have to press a button to see the time. I guess this is no big deal, but a little annoying, and the paint on the button is now worn off. 4. Rain water accumulates on top of the front shock absorber mounts in the engine compartment, causing the nuts and bolts to rust. Check this if you have one yourself, or are buying a pre-loved one. Easy to paint with some rust converter and spray with tectoyl (wax) to prevent it from progressing, but goes unnoticed unless looked for. 5. Batteries seem to last a maximum of 3 years before requiring replacement. We have replaced the battery twice now, and on the last service have been told that the current one is on its way out. It's not that we bought the cheapest battery, the first one was a Panasonic, the next a Bosch etc. On reflection, this may be due to the short distances driven. 6. The dreaded "amber-light-of-doom" (Check engine light) lit up prompting an unscheduled visit to the workshop, but no fault could be found. Fortunately it never left me stranded despite the light coming on, and drove normally allowing me to drive it to the mechanic rather than hitching a ride on a flat-bed truck.

UPDATE (Jan 2018): the check engine light lit up again a few times since. The car would not accelerate / go into "limp mode" until I pulled over, turned it off and restarted. Would then drive normally, but engine light would remain on. The problem was subsequently traced to a fault in the accelerator pedal position sensor (fault code P2138). Replacing the throttle pedals assembly (sensor not available individually) for $209 + 1.5h labour has fixed the problem.

So, in summary: It's a good little car, easy to drive, reliable, safe and comfortable. Fuel efficiency is acceptable, but service costs are a little on the high side if serviced at the dealership . Would make an excellent first car, and is a practical city run-around, not incapable of making a longer journey if required. My wife has "outgrown" the little micra as we have added a few kids to the brood, but it has remained in the family rather than being traded in on a bigger car, and I still drive it to work infrequently.

UPDATE (Nov 2021): We still have the car. Wow! I never thought it would stay in our family this long. I had considered selling it last year, but my daughter has her eye on it now and wants to learn how to drive in it. 12y later it has only 55,000km on the odometer. The paint on the roof is a little sunburned but no major issues since the last update, just the usual servicing, tyres, battery etc. The last service was a little more costly as the automatic gearbox oil required replacing.

UPDATE (June 2022): Yup, still going. Just over 60,000 km now. Thermostat decided not to open anymore causing the Micra to overheat and gifting me with a flat bed ride to the workshop by the friendly RACQ. Inexpensive to fix ($150), but the fan also wouldn't activate which meant replacing the radiator and fan (apparently only comes as a unit) too (another $750).

Little Winner! – I got the Nissan Micra as an 18th birthday present (yes I got the pink one) it is a great little car, very economical, cute and has one of the best turning circles imaginable. For such a small car it is very fuel efficient and surprisingly has a load of room when the seats are pushed forward in the car. I love this little car, I haven't had any issues since the day I bought it. Perfect First Car!  Show details

Love my Betsy Bug – I have the 2009 bug eye version. Absolutely love it . It has heaps of personality. I looked for 6 months to find something that ticked every box and the micra did. Had mine now nearly 5 years and still love it. The only problem it didn't come with a footrest and the carpet is worn. Other than that love it.

Quality car – I bought the frog-eyed version 4 years ago and have used it regularly. One thing that strikes me in this car is it's quality. For a car that size, it punches far above its class in the build quality and overall engineering. I had driven it in difficult weather several times and it had no hiccups. From the day of delivery until now it had not had a… Read more

single issue - fires up every time regardless of weather and runs. Comfortably fits four and no feeling of lack of space. The chassis handles very very well - shows off the Clio DNA. This is a made in japan unit but I heard they no longer make it in Japan! Overall it's a solid machine but I cannot say the same for the newer micra which seems to have changed a lot. Quality, reliability, performance, fuel-efficiency, handling, features, ultra-low cost of ownership

Good little run about for the wife – Excellent little run about. We are two minutes from shops, schools, etc, so it all my wife needs to get around in. Might not be the best on the freeway, but excellent for around town. Easy to drive, much like a go cart. Extremely cheap to run on fuel, good airc con. We have the K12 1.4. Seems a popular car with females, dont know why blokes here… Read more

are buying them for themsleves and then complaining about it. Economy, easy to drive, park. Not for regular freeway driving.

Nice car shame about the quality – I have a Nissan Micra. It looks good, drives very well, comfortable to sit in both infront and inback and holds heaps of shopping. If you fold the back seat own OMG you can almost fit a bull elephant into it. The colors are good and the paint is fine. On the down side I have many quality control issues to deal with. The engine has a cracked head… Read more

gasket after only 110,000km and regular services. The brake pads from Nissan dont last so go after market at a break specialist and tell them not to use nissan genuine parts. The boot pops open when you unlock the vehicle doors so you have to walk to the hatch and close it. It is simply not a quality make as they used to be.

I serviced the vehicle on time every time using Nissan only with the exception of the breaks I have them done at a brake specialist now.

Don't bother – Cheap car and runs as such. Mine has a flat spot on acceleration that Nissan cannot fix. It goes into the shop and comes out and they state their usual line: "There is nothing wrong with the car". then we take it away, it goes okay, and I mean just okay for a couple of weeks, then the hesitation under acceleration starts again. Then it goes in and… Read more

hey presto - nothing wrong with it. Apart from all that is's very noisy and tinny, and as others have stated not safe on the freeway. Lots better around for the money. Don't buy this nasty little box. This car is NOT fit for purpose and is unsound and unsafe. Ralph Nader would love this car for his next project... Cheap to run in own Most of it.Nasty piece of rubbish...Lots of better cars around

Nissan Micra Perfect first car – The Nissan Micra is the perfect car! I have owned the car for nearly a year and I have had no hiccups with the engine or any cosmetic issues of bad paintwork. Being not a great driver when it comes to parking the tight turning circle is a god send! Nissan were a great dealership to go with, they regularly ring me to see if i have any problems and… Read more

even send me Christmas cards. I highly recommend this car to new drivers or even old ones that just like to relax when driving. reliable, cheap, cheap on fuel, fun to drive! inside scratches easily

I love my Micra! 2009 k12 – I bought my Nissan micra in febuary 2011 at 32000 kms from a dealer for $11000. It was the first car I ever bought. I was 21 when I bought it and didnt think much about the pros and cons of the car. All i cared about was that it looked cute! Its been 1 year and 6 months now. I use the car so much and it is been my best friend! I use it almost… Read more

everyday for my nursing job and I use it to transport clients and patients as well as their wheel chairs. It has never broken down on me and it is great on petrol! The drive is fun and zippy and is super easy to drive. Its speakers are pretty ok and it is pretty roomy! I always get compliments about it too! Spare parts are easy to find as well (seats mainly).

Now... Servicing and replacing tyres is a bit more expensive than a toyota. My mechanic says the micra is a rare car so the tyres they require are more expensive ($150/tyre). The first service I put it in for cost me $800 which made me cry because if I knew servicing was going to cost me that much, I would have just gotten my dream car (Mini cooper). The following visitis didnt cost as much however parts and stuff cost more than average. It has odd rattles and shakes when driving on the free way. I feel like im going to fly off the road because it is so light. Also, im very wary of driving at night and during bad weather. The ANCAP rating is pretty bad and I am aware of that so I am a very careful driver. The car has difficulty driving fast. You cant race with this car. But regardless of what I just said, i still love her very much and I understand that she is just a Light car and I dont expect sports car performance.

Her drive is quite smooth and zippy thought when in the city or suburb type streets. Its just really funny when im on the free way and shes shaking and jumping. When I open the back windows, it does this excruciating vibrating noise when I drive over 50kms/hour which makes the whole car shake and makes your ears feel like theyre going to pop. NOT made to seat more than 3 people. Aircon is weak and loud but im not in need of it anyway. Also, really annoying plastic interiors which are difficult to clean and attract dust! The rails under my front seats are rusting for some reason too?

But anyway, i love her because she doesnt cost me much in petrol, she works hard for me, is super small and easyyy to park and has never broken down on me - maybe because i service it regularly and dont drive it like a hooligan. reliable, fuel efficient, cute, zippy drive, not many mechanical problems. Shaky drive on freeway, poor safety rating, Nil power, pricier maintnance, cheap plastic interiors

Excellent – Bought this car for my wife and took it for a drive. I must say I was astonished, having driven so many cars! It handles so well. I would compare the build quality and drive dynamics to that of a vw - seriously! It's a breeze to drive in city. It's got a character of it's own - like the beetle or mini! It's not a superfast car and is not meant to… Read more

be so. But, believe me, it's sprightly. Full of life. The alternatives in the Market for this price are plasticky tin-cans! This car is solid, on the contrary. Anyone considering a small car should check this one out! Surprisingly sprightly!! Quality build. Astonishing value. Fully loaded. Wonderful drive dynamics. Nothing really!

Dirt roads are deadly combined with shocking dealer – I bought 3 micra 2008 models over 2 years for my business.Dealer ripped me on price of last purchase.Charged $1000 more then paid for 2nd car.Argued and sent letter to no avail.Have not had one item repaired under warranty, dealer always has reason why its my fault or my mechanics.I have had to take one vehicle (35,000ks on clock) back for the 3rd… Read more

time for the same problem.It took 6 weeks to book this in last time.They have identified problems while serviceing however don't ring and then they don't repair because of the cost and no approval.The last car purchased I lost the service log book at 5000 ks I have requested from the dealer a replacement 3 times and still do not have,the car now has 33000ks.I have spent plenty on these cars with this dealer list follows

3 front spoilers painted.

4 driver side mirrors painted.

3 passenger side mirrors painted.

4 inner front guard liners left hand side.

5 inner front guard liners right hand side. When these are damaged, usually by sticks I have them replaced ASAP as the side of the engine is exposed. I find it infuriating that so far this has always been the cause of not doing the work (twice) yet I obviously replace them when necessary.

At least 10 bottles of oil.

3 drivers side headlights

1 passenger side headlight.

Sparkplugs.

2 dash covers.

I have had them perform 30k and 35k services on one vehicle.

Work I have arranged myself

I have had one fixed and one replaced indicator stalk.

I have replaced 1 set of CV joints plus the ones they refused to fix.

I have had an electrical mechanic check one car and had 1 coil replaced. Still needs to done again. They are breaking down once the car runs for about 10 minutes. Same problem that I had Cleveland address twice now still not fixed however I have spent $700.00 trying to locate the problem. I have been told once the car overheats I will have problems with the coils.

These cars operate on an island that is 75% dirt roads.The Micras are not tough enough to handle these conditions as far as the dealer is concerned. Why sell me a car that won't do the job. Totaled Ks travelled by all 3 cars is 110,000ks over two and half years. Thats 14000k each per year with the top speed on the island of 60ks on 1 road and all others are 50ks. Great turning circle, reliable good on fuel Very bad warranty service

Excellent – This would have to be the best car I have had, no problems with it, easy on the juice and servicing reasonable. Wouldn't go past it, under rated economical vehicle, looking to buy my next one. Carries loads, back seat folds down for wheelchair access or other big items. I have carried a BBQ and a 6' cupboard in mine roomy, good for tall people… Read more

and people with disabilities or aged, hatch great for access. Seats comfortable, easy to park would have liked cruise control

Absolutely love it! – It's very smooth to drive, compact but at the same time very well designed in a way that everything can fit in!! ...Even my husband's surfboard! I was worried that I would have to swap for a larger car to accommodate the arrival of my new baby (and all the things that comes with the baby), but I found a perfect pram that just fits in! ...So, I… Read more ·  1

could not be happier!! For such a tiny car you could not ask for more! Compact, Fuel efficient, Safe I miss a little light at the booth - hard to find stuff when dark...

Great car for city living – I had this car since 2007 and it is really good to go around the city. Easy to maneuver and park. Energy efficient , inexpensive, cute, lots of drawers & there is a shoe box under the front passenger seat for extra high heels just in case you want to change one :) If you are wearing high heels, please don't forget to get the rubbery thing on the foot area on driver seat. I damaged my carpet coz forgot to do this on the first place.

Good – When I took this for a test drive, it felt so great. Really really quite, handles well, brakes well, and very roomy interior. It even has a handrest!!. I can really say the only reason that stops this car from being a top seller is its looks. Most MALES would hate it and even females wouldn't like it. This is the only reason why the Suzuki swift… Read more

(Main competitor) which is a much worse car in everything, (and it Does NOT come with standard automatic gearbox which make it almost $2,000 more expensive) is so popular. LOOKS! if this car looked good it Would have been Number 1 seller Hands down. New model coming out soon, it looks AWESOME!! - Test drove one of these and I can say It rides so nicely - Very nice interior and very well build - Automatic gearbox comes as stadard! (All other companies charge extra) - 5 doors as standard (All other companies charge extra) - 1.6L engine is very very zippy - Almost $2000 cheaper than a SUZUKI SWIFT and Almost $3.500 Cheaper than a Mazda 2 and a Ford Fiesta (which do not offer anything more). If it looked good it would have been number 1 seller.... The only ONLY reason I did not buy it is because it looks so BAAAD (and I am a bloke) so we don't mix.

Excellent – I was skeptical moving from a 1.6 litre to a 1.4 because I get very frustrated when the car takes forever to reach a respectable speed. But this car keeps up with the rest of the traffic on the highway! The turning circle is awesome less 3 point turns, everything seems to be one quick u-turn now. fuel ecomony is great - 60% highway, 40% streets… Read more

- 550kms to a tank average. Deceivingly spacious car, fantastic value for your $ - auto, aircon, power steering, electric windows, ipod connection, heaps of little knooks to hide your stuff, super comfortable seats - divers with arm rest, headrests with holes in them so when you wear a ponytail you don't have to have your head pushed forward on an angle, legroom, etc etc ipod connection in an awkward spot, you have to press a button to see the clock time, i miss not having a temperature guage.

Excellent – A good car for a beginner on the road, good visibility, great road handling and safe as it doesn't have any grunt. I would say that as a first car or just an economical car that is easy to drive, easy to fix and good on the suburban roads this one is worth taking a test drive in. I like it for all these reasons, and much safer than my previous… Read more

sports car which was a bit of a safety risk on the road. Go for it, I'm glad I did. A great economical, well built car no grunt!

Excellent – LOVE LOVE LOVE this car. I could not have picked a better first car. Easy on the eye and the wallet. Stunningly different looks, great variety of colours (most of wich look great in real life even though they may not in pictures), easy comfortable drive, great on fuel and very roomy interior and boot (bigger than most expect). The auxilary plug could be in a better spot. Show details

Good – For the money, a very had car to beat for finish comfort and style both interior and exterior. Absolutely great for around town and one of the easiest car I've ever parked. We got the reversing sensors fitted that makes life a little easier. Great little car with lots of room inside. If you want something that looks a litle different...this is it.… Read more

Very easy to drive with speed sensitive power steering and a terrific turning circle for a front wheel drive car. Comfortable seats and an easy on the eye dash that is simple and well layed out. Good 4 speed out that is matched well to the motor size. Good creature comforts as standard and excellent brakes. I would like the front seats to be able to go back another notch. Although my wife and I are not that tall (5'6" -5'8"), we both have to have the drivers seat back as far as it will go.

Excellent – A smart car which turns people's head when out on the road! Value for money as cheapest in the range with the kind of features available...better than Mazda 2 neo as well. A gr8 car, for those who want style, looks, maximum safety features...with 6 airbags (city model), ABS....good handling and fuel efficiency you wudnt be the first person to get… Read more

off a traffic signal with its 1.4 ltr engine but still good from commuting n no no for power crazy drivers.