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Nissan’s new Leaf goes further and costs less

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The improved Nissan Leaf is also easier on the wallet

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14 April 2013

The revised Nissan Leaf
You won’t get turned over by the new Nissan Leaf

NISSAN has introduced a range of improvements to its battery powered Leaf to coincide with the start of UK production. But the big news is the work the company has done on making the Leaf’s pricing more flexible in an attempt to widen its appeal.

The range is now up to 124 miles, and charging time is halved

First the changes to the car itself.

Nissan says there are more than 100 tweaks but the most significant is the increase in the Leaf’s range on a full charge.

According to official tests, this has risen from 109 miles to 124 miles – not enough suddenly to make the Leaf a workable proposition for high-mileage motorway-pounding sales reps but a useful improvement for anyone who mainly does shorter journeys and was already attracted by this car’s eco credentials and favourable company car tax treatment.

Nissan is also claiming that the latest Leaf can be charged up in about half the time it took to top up the earliest examples from the mains.

When it comes to pricing, Nissan has slotted in a new trim level, Visia, at the bottom of the range, bringing the entry price for a Leaf down a few thousand pounds to £20,990 after the UK government’s plug-in car grant of £5000 has been applied.

But the big surprise is that Nissan has also decided to take a leaf out of its alliance partner Renault’s book and offer an alternative set of lower prices for the Leaf range that exclude the cost of the battery pack, which must be leased separately.

On this basis, the sale price of the Leaf Visia comes down to £15,990, but in return, buyers must part with upwards of £70 per month for the battery, depending on lease term and annual mileage.

The level of the battery leasing payments is similar to those charged by Renault on its electric cars under an arrangement that has repeatedly been questioned by residual values experts CAP, who say it makes it difficult to predict likely second-hand values. (Click here for more on this.)

Until 2015, zero emissions cars like the Nissan Leaf are zero rated for company car tax, so it’s increasingly worth doing the sums if you use your business car for relatively short journeys each day.

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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