Nissan slashes driveaway price of electric Leaf to below $40,000 as EV price war deepens
Japanese car giant Nissan has become the latest to slash the on road price of its most prominent electric vehicle to below $40,000 as the EV price war in Australia intensifies.
The decision to cut the driveaway price for the 39 kWh Nissan Leaf by more than $10,000 was revealed on the Nissan web site, and its longer range version by up to $15,000, comes just days after Peugeot slashed the price of its e-2008 electric SUV by more than $25,000 to less than $40,000.
The $40,000 has become the new benchmark in the Australian market for affordable EVs with MG, BYD and GWM all competing for buyers with their low cost offerings, the MG4, the Dolphin, and the Ora, and announcing a series of price cuts of their own.
Check out The Driven’s EV Models page for a full list of what’s available and the prices asked.
The 39kWh variant subject to the Nissan price cut offers 270 km of range on a single charge, which is on the lower-end when compared to other EVs on offer. The Peugeot e-2008, at a similar discounted price, offers 328 km of range.
Those interested in a bit more range can opt for the Leaf e+ variant that has a larger 59 kWh battery pack. This variant with the larger useable is currently offered at a discounted price of $49,990 driveaway while delivering 385 kW of range.
That’s over $11,500 off the recommended retail price and is closer to $15,000 off the driveaway price in some states.
It’s also worth noting that the current Nissan Leaf comes with a CHAdeMO plug which is gradually seen more infrequently at newer charging locations. This will limit how far you can travel for those looking at doing longer road trips in the Nissan Leaf.
The Nissan Leaf was the first mass produced EV in the world when launched more than a decade ago. A revamped version was released several years ago, but – like the Peugeot e-2008, it has sold poorly in recent months amid intense competition from the Chinese car makers.
So far in 2024 the Leaf has sold only 89 cars, and just 11 in April, compared to 159 for the first four months of 2024. Total EV sales in Australia in the first four months of 2024 are up 32 per cent to 31,662.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.
