Nissan has slapped a frighteningly large price sticker on its Leaf electric car. In the UK, the zero-emissions vehicle will cost £23,350 -- and that's after government incentives.
In the UK, the government gives you up to £5,000 to help buy an electric car as part of its strategy to reduce UK emissions. The Leaf qualifies for the maximum amount, meaning the full retail price, as set by Nissan, is an eye-watering £28,350.
This is a bitter pill to swallow considering the price of the car in the US is a mere $32,780 (£22,675) before government incentives. Buy a Leaf there and the US government will bung you a federal tax credit of $7,500, bringing the total price down to $25,175 before tax. With sales tax between 3 and 9 per cent, our Yankee chums can expect to fork over anywhere between $25,930 (£17,940) and $27,440 (£18,980) -- over £4,000 less than us Brits will have to pay.
Britain may be getting a raw deal, but it appears our European cousins have it even worse. In the Netherlands, the Leaf will set you back €32,839 (£28,200). In Ireland and Portugal, that price is €29,995 (£25,760), including government subsidies.
Nissan says the price of the Leaf will fall over time, as its capacity to make its expensive lithium-ion batteries increases. The company aims to build 50,000 cars every year at its Sunderland plant starting in February 2013, on the same production line as the Note and Juke.
UK customers can begin placing orders for the car from July, with the first deliveries arriving here in the first quarter of 2011. The Leaf will first go on sale in the Netherlands this December, with Ireland and Portugal getting it soon after.
Will you be buying one? Is it too expensive? Do its low running costs make up for the high price? Let us know in the comments below.
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Anonymous 3 January, 2011 13:47
I wonder if they will charge extra for the charger unit and installing it as they do in usa according to a web site. That should be included in cost of car be like buying a normal car minus the engine controls. Range of car is useless to most who commute as varies between 62 and 138 miles dependant on speed you do and what you turn on so this would encourage people to leave lights off to increase range. A lot needs to be done before they are any use to most people
Anonymous 6 February, 2011 17:40
WHY is the new Nissan Leaf SO EXPENSIVE? £23k+
The UK Government....... ( WE THE TAX PAYERS )......... have supported NISSAN with a £20.7 m + £197.3m from the E.I. Bank...
Can we have car priced so people can really have the chance to buy one.. £23k less 50% discount for the UK
Tax payers
K
in Tyne & Wear
Anonymous 23 March, 2011 00:30
Good idea for the short term.
Once 24 Million electric motorists all recharge overnight 10 more nuclear plants will be needed.
The present windfall of financial incentives will soon change and the duty (FUEL TAX) recouped from the odometer mileage as well as extra road tax.
Lithium-ion batteries may be good but VERY expensive to replace and will incur extra costs to RECYCLE.
[Can not expect these just to be thrown into landfill any more].
I recall incentives for diesel fuel were cut substantially once there was some uptake.
Anonymous 23 March, 2011 00:42
In view of the figures quoted I think there has been a gazzumping of the price.
Tax payer will get £5000 bill for each car produced so let us charge £20K + £8K = £28K
Of that we will deduct the £5K "Government rebate" and still end up with a nice little earner.
Average size family saloon that is used for transport = £12.5 K (basic mid range).