What's the news?
Nissan has announced prices for the new Leaf electric hatchback, and significantly the new model is going to undercut both Hyundai's all-electric Ioniq and the hybrid Toyota Prius.
The starting price for an XE model Leaf will be €26,290, which includes all grants and VRT rebates. Standard features include the e-Pedal (which allows you to bring the car to a complete stop with just one pedal) as well as lane departure warning, intelligent emergency braking with pedestrian recognition, intelligent lane intervention, cross traffic alert, high-beam assist. The base model also comes with Nissan Intelligent Key and keyless ignition, a 6.6kW on-board charger and 50kW ChaDeMo rapid charge port as standard.
SV models will start at €28,690, and come with a seven-inch touchscreen which includes charging station data, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
SV Premium models, starting from €29,940, will come with heated seats, 360-degree parking camera, 17-inch alloy wheels, and the option of ProPilot, Nissan's semi-autonomous lane-guidance and active cruise control system.
That comes as standard on a €32,600 SVE model which also includes a Bose stereo, heated front and rear seats, leather trim, and full LED headlights.
There's also a Launch Edition model, which is basically an SV Premium model with standard ProPilot, and costs €29,590. It's all sold out, apparently,
In fact, the Leaf might be hard to get for a while. Nissan says that it has "received phenomenal interest" in the car, and the first customer deliveries will start in the next two weeks (snow storms allowing).
James McCarthy, Nissan Ireland CEO, said: "With the New Nissan Leaf, all-electric motoring has never been more viable or affordable for almost any motorist. EV running costs are around 85 per cent less than petrol or diesel cars and maintenance is almost 75 per cent cheaper. With the introduction of the 0 per cent BIK on company vehicles in the 2018 budget, free on-street charging and convenient home charging, it's not surprising unprecedented numbers of drivers are making the switch and going electric."