Further Analysis of the Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf Charge Port




Upon further review, the Nissan Leaf may not be such a great deal after all. In our previous post, Nissan officials intimated that the Li ion battery pack may be leased in order to reduce the purchase price of the vehicle. On the surface, this seems like a great deal for consumers, but is it? How do you feel about owning a car where the payments never end?

Nissan has stated the car will be priced affordably, and in the range of a well-equipped C-class sedan. A well equipped C-class vehicle runs in the $28,000 to $35,000 range, without the $7500 tax credit the car will be expected to enjoy. So let us assume that the Leaf will retail for $30 grand and then we subtract the federal tax rebate to get a brand new electric car for $22,500. This is a fantastic price to be sure, but wait, the battery pack is expected to cost between $10,000 and $12,000 which means that you would likely be charged a minimum of $200.00 per month for the lease.

This provides a scenario where you could pay off the car in four years with a reasonable payment but be left with a never ending $200 battery lease. How does that make you feel? Is this reasonable or acceptable to you? The best part of a deal like this is that the batteries could be replaced in four years with a better pack that is lighter or a pack of the same weight that yields an even longer range. We would be all for that, how about you?