Electric cars are very much the coming thing right now. The world is changing rapidly, and electric power is seen as the way forward. The Nissan Leaf was the first mainstream all-electric car sold in North America, so even its 2nd generation has been with us for some years now. And the 2021 edition is now ready to go on sale. It is not a redesign, but now has two powertrains, and it has a starting price of around $31,620. The standard Leaf and the extended range Leaf Plus should meet the driving needs of a wider range of Nissan's customers and catch up to current EV expectations.
The Two Models
So, what is the difference between the two models? The Leaf standard model comes with a 40 kWh battery, and a 100 kW motor which enables a range of up to 149 miles. The Leaf Plus on the other hand comes with a 62 kWh battery and a 160 kW motor delivering a range of up to 226 miles. This still falls short of the Tesla Model 3, but may be more than enough for around-town driving.
The prices vary as well within the Leaf model range. There are five editions that will go on sale within those two models. These range from the standard Leaf S, all the way up to the Leaf SL Plus which is the most expensive variant and priced at $43,920. Standard on the higher end models of the Leaf and optional on others is a hands-on driver-assist combined with Nissan's steering assist technologies and adaptive cruise control allows the car to be brought to a full stop. These models add to the other editions of the Leaf on sale, including the Nismo edition.
Standard Warranty
As a standard practice, all-new Leaf's will come with a warranty on the battery to cover any defects or issues and this will cover the first eight years of ownership or 100,000 miles. Whichever comes first. The cars will also come with an e-Pedal, allowing the drivers to start, accelerate, and decelerate and come to a full stop with the car by using only the accelerator pedal.
Sources: Nissan, Edmunds, Car Indigo, Auto Evolution