We can imagine that one day there will be case studies on the differing U.S. fortunes of Nissan and Dodge, two automakers that get through every year with surprisingly elderly product. What spurred our imagination was Nissan’s announcement of pricing for the 2024 Leaf. To be fair, this second-gen Leaf is only six years old this year, and got a teeny tiny refresh for 2023. Visual updates included a revised front end characterized by a new-look grille, redesigned headlights, the latest version of the Nissan logo, and new 17-inch alloy wheels joined the options sheet. Having been chopped down to two trims from five for the 2023 model year, power for the Leaf S comes from an electric motor rated at 147 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. It’s linked to a 40-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that stores enough electricity for up to 149 miles of range. Stepping up to the SV Plus gets a 214-horsepower electric motor and a 60-kilowatt-hour battery that provides up to 212 miles of range.
Every Leaf comes with Nissan Safety Shield 360, which bundles automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, and lane keep assist. The Leaf SV adds Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist and surround view cameras.
It just seems a shame that with a 10-year head start on The Great EV Stampede, the Leaf’s specs in top SV form are only comparable to the base Volkswagen ID.4 Standard, and the Leaf only undercuts the larger crossover by about $3,000 before incentives. Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Bolt starts at about $1,500 below the base Leaf when optioned similarly, and goes further on a charge. A fully loaded Bolt EUV Premiere Redline Edition with a panoramic sunroof and Super Cruise starts at $1,200 more than the top trim Leaf SV. The fact that Carlos Ghosn left the company five years ago and Nissan’s still only at the beginning of its turnaround speaks to the depth of turmoil and neglect endured by the U.S. outpost.
As for the new Nissan, MSRP for the base 2024 Leaf S starts at $29,235 after the $1,095 destination charge. Thanks to a minimal price increase in 2023, that’s just $100 more than the most recent pricing, $340 more than 2023 Leaf pricing at launch.
The 2024 Leaf SV starts at $37,285, a $150 bump over the latest pricing, a $390 bump over 2023 pricing at launch.