Nissan announces Leaf’s first European prices

Nissan has announced the pricing of the Leaf, the brand’s zero-emission electric vehicle, for the European market. According to the Japanese manufacturer the Leaf will cost less than 30.000 euros in most of the European launch markets, thanks to government incentives.

Specific prices have also been announced for the four initial European launch markets for the Nissan LEAF: the UK, Netherlands, Republic of Ireland and Portugal. Reservations will be starting in July.

The compact, zero-emission five-passenger family car will be a fully equipped vehicle and will include air conditioning, satellite navigation, a parking camera, a quick charge socket and innovative smart-phone connectivity.

"Nissan leads the industry by being the first automaker to offer an affordable zero-emission car. It's a pure electric vehicle, with no tailpipe emissions and very low running costs. Nissan LEAF may look similar to a compact family car, but its smoothness, acceleration and handling will surprise and impress drivers and passengers alike," said Simon Thomas, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Nissan International SA.

The price of the Nissan Leaf in the UK will be set at 23.350 pounds (27,471 euros), which already includes the government incentives. The UK government has recently announced that it would refund 25 percent of the purchase price of a pure electric vehicle, up to a limit of 5,000 Pounds. The Leaf will arrive to the UK market in February 2011.In this market customers drivers who choose to buy all-electric cars will also have other incentives which include zero vehicle excise duty and zero company car tax for five years.

In the Netherlands the Nissan Leaf will cost 32,839, In this case the subsidies will come in form of zero vehicle registration and road taxes, which will result in savings of 6.000 euros for private car owners and 19.000 euros for company car owners over five years. The Dutch market will get the first Leafs in December.

As for the Republic of Ireland, the Nissan Leaf will arrive in February 2011 at a price of 29.995 euros, including the 5.000 euros of government incentives. In this country buyers will also be exempt from vehicle registration tax, which can amount to as much as 3,800 Euros on a C-segment car.

Finally in Portugal the price of the Nissan Leaf will be fixed at 29.955 Euros, with the government incentives. With sales starting in December, Portuguese drivers will also benefit from road tax exemption.

These four countries have been chosen as the first markets in Europe to launch the Nissan Leaf because of the significant government incentives for electric cars, and the ongoing development of charging infrastructure for their successful adoption. By the end of 2011 Nissan’s zero-emission vehicle will be available in almost every major Western European market.