Nissan announces UK prices for the new Leaf

With the qualification for the ECG, the Leaf is only the fourth sub-£37,000 EV to qualify for the higher of the two available grants. Previous winners are two vehicles from Ford and the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross. A lower tier is also available on the scheme, providing a discount of £1,500 on eligible electric cars. As the UK government notes, this brings the total number of vehicles eligible for the ECG to 39.

The new Leaf is due to enter production in Sunderland next month. In terms of technical specifications, the Leaf runs on a 75 kWh battery, allowing for a range of up to 386 miles. A 213 bhp (158 kW) motor allows for acceleration from 0 to 62 mph in 7.6 seconds. Later, Nissan wants to add another entry-level variant below the current ‘Engage’ trim, which would feature a smaller 52 kWh battery and a range of up to 271 miles. The price has not been announced yet, however.

In terms of features, the ‘Engage’ trim comes with a heat pump, 18-inch alloys, an 11kW onboard charger and two 12.3-inch screens as standard. A package including Google services, heated front seats and steering wheel, as well as larger screens, costs another £900 on top of the entry prices of £32,249. All prices already include the ECG.

Next up the pricing ladder, we have the ‘Advance’ trim, which starts at £34,249, and adds a dimming panoramic roof, head-up display, electric boot lid, privacy glass and a wraparound front light bar to the features already in the base version. Finally, the range tops out at £36,249 for the ‘Evolve’ version, which then further includes a Bose sound system, V2L function, as well as synthetic leather seats and even a massage function for the driver.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be able to confirm LEAF’s pricing at £32,249 including the electric car grant, which will deliver an accessible route to EV ownership for our customers,” said James Taylor, Nissan GB Managing Director, adding: “This is fantastic news for people looking to switch to fully electric motoring as they now have the reassurance that comes from a car with up to 386 miles of range, all the tech they could want and the real-world benefits that come from Nissan’s 15 years of EV expertise. Best of all, it’s proudly built right here in the UK!”

We recently had the pleasure of testing the new Leaf, and you can read our impressions of the updated classic EV here. We found that despite the rather uninspiring design update, the new Leaf “reveals itself as a surprisingly well-balanced electric car, one that impresses above all with its high comfort levels.” Pricing for the new Leaf was already confirmed to be under €37,000 last month, while a major recall took place in the USA. However, as Nissan is working out the details to include Plug&Charge on the Electrify America network, this will likely not turn off customers too far. The plans to halve Leaf production due to battery supply issues may prove to be a bigger market deterrent, however.

autocar.co.uk, gov.uk (Leaf grant qualification), gov.uk (grant information)