If you want a cheap EV and are willing to settle for less range, you might end up with a Nissan Leaf and not a Chevy Bolt or Tesla Model 3. According to a (now pulled) leak on car sales site Autobytel, as seen by our sister site Autoblog, the 2018 Nissan Leaf will cost $29,990 for the base model with a 40 kWh battery -- $5,000 less than either the base Bolt or Model 3. With two-thirds the capacity of either model, however, the incoming Leaf will have a range of around 150-160 miles, significantly less than its rivals.
Nissan's next Leaf will be $5,000 cheaper than the Model 3
But it will only go two-thirds as far, according to a spec sheet leak.
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According to the spec sheets (which merit some skepticism until the EV is officially unveiled next month) the Leaf will pack 147 horsepower and 236 pound-feel of torque. That a lot more than the 107 horsepower of the 2017 Leaf, but much less than the Bolt's 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet -- making the Leaf more of a grocery-getter than a track star. There's no word yet on how much power Tesla's base Model 3 will make, the but the upmarket model will reportedly have a stellar 258 horsepower, more than plenty for a 3,837 pound car.
The Leaf S will reportedly cost $29,990, the mid-level SV $32,490 and the upmarket Leaf SL $36,200. Those models will have different trim levels, varying probably from basic to fancy. The upmarket model is likely to have Nissan's next-gen ProPilot self-driving system, which Engadget previewed earlier this year in London.
Blurry spy photos of the 2018 Leaf have recently appeared, taken apparently during a commercial shoot (below) and at the factory. They show a sleeker, but still relatively conventional vehicle -- not the swoopy, futuristic concept that some folks were hoping for.
