Nissan’s new LEAV EV will be priced from €26,290-€32,600 when it goes on sale in dealerships in the next week or so, writes Trish Whelan.
The price includes the €5,000 Government Grant offered to electric vehicles but excludes dealer delivery charges and metallic paint.
This next generation LEAF offers a significant update over the previous model with new styling, advanced technologies including ProPILOT and a higher capacity battery.
The new car has a 50 per cent increase in range to 378 kms (NEDC) and a 38 per cent increase in power to 150hp compared to the outgoing model.
According to James McCarthy, Nissan Ireland CEO, 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 zero 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.”
The LEAF is well equipped throughout as all models come with Nissan e-Pedal as a standard feature. When switched on, the e-pedal function allows the driver to start from a standstill, accelerate and brake and bring the car to a controlled stop solely by using the throttle pedal.
Five grades are offered: XE from €26,290; XV (from €28,690; Special Launch Edition (from €29,590; SV Premium (from €29,590); and SVE (from €32,600).
Safety features include 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 start push button, an on-board charger and a rapid charge port as standard.
The SV adds NissanConnect EV7-inch touchscreen telematics system with active charging, eco-routing, driving range and nearby charging stations. It also features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. The SV Premium adds heated seats, around-view monitor, Moving Object detection and 17-inch alloys and includes an option of ProPILOT.
The launch edition LEAF grade is now sold out. It included all the above with the addition of ProPILOT as standard. This is a driver assistance technology designed for motorway use in single-lane traffic. It uses a radar sensor that detects the vehicle ahead and a forward-facing camera that detects lane markers.
The top of the range SVE grade includes ProPILOT, Bose Premium Audio with seven speakers, leather heated front and rear seats, full LED Intelligent Auto Headlights, all as standard.
Nissan are now also taking online deposits for new LEAF on their website www.nissan.ie
LEAF is the world’s best-selling electric vehicle.
