2016 Nissan Leaf Gets More Range, Price Increase
For 2016, prices for SV and SL versions of Nissan’s Leaf electric car are going up, but the tradeoff is a larger-capacity battery that extends range to 107 miles. The SV’s base price of $35,050 is more than $2,100 higher than the 2015 model’s, and the SL’s $37,640 base price is $1,670 higher (all prices include destination). With a new 30-kilowatt-hour battery, the EPA-estimated range of the SV and SL is 27 percent longer than last year’s 84 miles.
Related: Research the Nissan Leaf
The base Leaf S retains its previous 24-kwh battery and 84-mile range, and its starting price is unchanged at $29,860 (all prices are before the federal tax credit or state and local tax incentives).
The Leaf, a four-door hatchback introduced for 2011, vies with the Tesla Model S to be the best-selling electric car in the U.S. (Tesla doesn’t report sales numbers, so only estimates are available.)
Low gas prices and a continuing migration from cars to SUVs have dampened interest in EVs, and Leaf sales have fallen accordingly. Sales are down 39 percent in 2015 to just less than 15,000 through October.
Leaf sales may also be hurting because the car is heading into its sixth model year in its original design at a time when buyers seem attracted to the newest vehicles on the market. When it was introduced, the Leaf’s battery range was 73 miles, but two upgrades since have stretched the range to 107 miles on the SV and SL. All models come with the NissanConnect telematics system, and the SV and SL also have a standard navigation system with a 7-inch touch-screen.
