Nissan Leaf: Which Should You Buy, 2019 or 2020?
Most significant changes: Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 package now standard
Price change: Base S versions start at $32,525, $1,610 more than model-year 2019 versions; SV trims start at $35,115, $1,590 more than in 2019
On sale: Now
Which should you buy, 2019 or 2020? If safety is your priority, 2020
Nissan’s Leaf electric car gets more standard safety features and updated pedestrian-warning sounds for 2020, and base versions get a larger touchscreen — all for a modest bump in price.
Related: 2020 Nissan Leaf, Leaf Plus Put a Price on Safety (a Reasonable One)
Base S versions start at $32,525 — $1,610 more than model-year 2019 versions. SV versions start at $35,115 — $1,590 more than the previous version (all prices include a $925 destination charge).The SL version of the Leaf is gone for 2020.
New standard features include a lot of safety tech. Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 package is now standard on all Leaf models. It adds automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, reverse automatic braking and high-beam assist. Other standards across the lineup include a new 8-inch color touchscreen display with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which was previously available on Leaf Plus models.
Leaf Plus models — which use a larger battery and have more range — also get additional standard safety equipment in the Safety Shield 360 package, though it already had standards like automatic emergency braking and the e-Pedal, which uses regenerative braking to allow one-pedal driving in many situations. For 2020, it gets a similar price increase across its S (now priced at $39,125), SV ($40,675) and SL Plus ($44,825) trim levels.
The 2020 Nissan Leaf is on sale now.
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