Nissan's venerable Leaf may have been overshadowed of late by flashier EVs with longer range and more performance, but that doesn't mean that it's not still a perfect first electric car, especially for someone on a budget. In fact, it's an even better deal than ever, thanks to a price drop Nissan announced Tuesday.
That's right, the 2022 Nissan Leaf is now cheaper, despite benefitting from a few improvements that should make a noticeable difference in your quality of life. The base model Leaf S now starts at $28,395 and features a 40-kilowatt-hour battery pack suitable for an estimated range of 149 miles. Sure, that number won't have many Tesla owners going green with envy, but for under $30,000, it's not bad.
If you have the money and want some more range, the top-tier Leaf SL Plus will give you 215 miles of range from a 62-kWh battery pack for an additional $10,000, though that has you edging closer to Chevy Bolt territory, so it might not be as sweet of a deal.
Still, every 2022 Leaf now comes with a standard CHAdeMO charging port for faster charging, as well as a portable 240-volt charging cable. Nissan's ProPilot Assist advanced driver assistance suite is now standard equipment on the midrange SV Plus trim (it was previously part of a technology package), as is its Intelligent Around View Monitor, a 360-degree camera.
The 2022 Nissan Leaf is available now.
Correction, Aug. 5: ProPilot Assist and 360 cam are now standard on the SV Plus trim, not all trims as previously stated.