Silence S04 driven: Is this tiny Nissan all the car you’ll ever need?
June 12, 2025 by Mario Christou
Car changing is a big deal
Roads are more congested than ever, car prices are sky-high and microcars can often feel barren. Is the Silence S04 the solution; big-car luxury with a tiny footprint?
Have you been eyeing up a Citroen Ami or a used Renault Twizy, but you’re not convinced they’ve got enough creature comforts for you? Well, Nissan might just have the answer with a new microcar it’s backing: the Silence S04.
It may look comically small, dwarfed by a Fiat 500e, but its standard kit makes it a game changer when it comes to tiny mobility. It certainly looks more like a car than the Citroen Ami; equipped with a pair of stylish LED headlights and gloss white body panels.
The S04 also comes with a reversing camera, air conditioning, electric windows and electric mirrors; things that some larger, more expensive cars don’t have on their base models. Material quality isn’t quite on par with most conventional hatchbacks; it’s a bit plastic fantastic, but the overall build quality isn’t bad at all.
The boot may be tiny, but you can fold the passenger seat down for a whopping 400 litres of luggage space if you’re riding solo. That’s more capacity than a Volkswagen Golf, as long as you don’t mind sitting next to your groceries.
If you’ve convinced a friend to come along then the S04 will seat two adults, but the drive will be… intimate. It’s a squeeze in the cabin, so much so that the passenger seat is mounted slightly behind the driver seat for more shoulder room.
On the road, the Silence S04 does feel more stable than its size would suggest. The suspension copes well over cracked, broken roads and through small potholes, but bigger dips and speed bumps do feel crashy and thud through the cabin. The brakes, however, need some work.
Some of the cars we tested took a lot of brake pedal travel to slow down whereas others were quite sharp, so the pot-luck could do with addressing. Acceleration on the dual-battery models is peppy, ideal for town driving, and it doesn’t feel out of its comfort zone on the motorway either.
The battery solution in the Silence S04 is quite smart. They’re removable – with their own little wheels and handles, just like a suitcase – so you can bring them inside to charge. The batteries weigh 40kg each though, so you’re best off avoiding stairs.
Single-battery models offer up to 50 miles of range, where the dual-battery S04 claims a range of up to 109 miles – and on our brief drive it seems like you can achieve most of that in the real world.
For city-dwellers who want a basic set of wheels with the creature comforts of a larger car, the Silence S04 is worth a look. You’ll pay around £11,300 or £13,600 for the single-battery or dual-battery spec respectively, and while that’s not exactly cheap, you do get most of a car for your money.
Car change? Carwow!
Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.
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