Nissan Leaf, the longest-available EV model in Australia, and often described as the world’s first “mass-market” electric car – has had its retail price slashed to new lows.
On Nissan Australia’s website, new and demo Leaf electric hatchbacks are priced from $34,990 driveway, down from the recommended retail price of $50,990 for the Leaf with the 39 kWh battery pack.
Similarly, the e+ variant, which has a 59 kWh battery pack, has also seen its price reduced to $44,990 driveaway, a saving of nearly $20,000 on the standard driveaway pricing of close to $65,000 for this top-spec model.
For $34,990, the Nissan Leaf 39 kWh delivers a range of 270 km. This is bumped up from 115 km to 385 km for an additional $10,000 with the 59 kWh e+ variant.
Both models are equipped with a CHAdeMO port, which can charge the entry-level model at a speed of up to 50 kW, while the e+ sees it boosted to 100 kW.
With the Nissan Leaf being one of the only few vehicles using the CHAdeMO plug in 2025, it’s likely that many new charging sites will opt not to include this plug, preventing the Nissan Leaf from charging there.
Having said that, the Nissan Leaf does offer vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities so at this price, it could be attractive to those attracted by that technology.
The 39 kWh Leaf is equipped with a 110 kW motor, accelerating it to 100 km/h from a stand-still in 7.9 seconds.
A whole second can be shaved off with the e+ variant, thanks to a more powerful 160 kW motor, but it also increases the rated consumption to 18 kWh/100 km.
With both variants, one-pedal driving is available via what Nissan calls the e-Pedal drive, making it easier to drive on the road.
The latest price cuts on the Nissan Leaf come days after Cupra reduced prices on its own electric hatchback, the Born.
Offering over 500 km of range, Cupra cut the Born electric hatchback prices by as much as 25% and now starting at $47,090.
Other electric hatchbacks, such as the MG4, do offer better value with a 51 kWh Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) battery pack in the Excite 51 variant, which delivers 350 km of range, priced in January from $34,990 driveaway.
Along with the Cupra Born and MG4, GWM Ora has also seen multiple price cuts in 2024, with the entry-level now becoming the cheapest EV in the market, coming in at $33,990 driveaway, which undercuts the Nissan Leaf’s current offer.
In 2024, the Nissan Leaf sold 357 units, down from 484 units in 2023. The drop in sales is one of the reasons why Nissan is trying to slash prices on the Leaf as the overall electric hatchback competition stiffens. Will it help Nissan move more stock? Time will tell.
One thing is for sure: Nissan Leaf will be remembered as one of the pioneering models that brought the EV revolution to Australia, with its first sales starting back in 2012.
The latest pricing is available to new and demo Leaf customers who purchase the hatchback by the end of January 2025.
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.