Nissan announced that the 2021 Leaf is officially on sale in the USA, and prices for the EV start at US$ 31.620, or US$ 20 more than it did last year. The changes are minimal to non-existent. But that’s not exactly bad news as the electric hatch received a reasonable update last year to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
That update introduced new colors and
technology that roll over into 2021. Features like standard Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto, as well as a Nissan App to help manage charging and turn on your
A/C from outside, among other things.
Two battery options are offered, 40 kWh
and 62 kWh. Both can be charged to 80% in as little as 45 minutes on a fast
charger. The smaller battery will get you 150 miles per charge and the larger
one can get you up to 226 miles per charge. Or you can opt for the more
luxurious models which trade comfort for 11 miles of range. If you opt for the
regular Leaf, with the 40 kWh battery, you get a 110 kW motor that provides you
with 147 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. The Leaf Plus, meanwhile, with its bigger
battery, swaps in a 160 kW motor that provides 214 hp and 250 lb-ft of toruqe.
And although the price of the Leaf S, S
Plus, and SL Plus have risen by just 20 bucks, the price of the SV and the SV
Plus have both risen by US$ 720. That appears to be because Nissan’s ProPILOT
safety tech is standard on the SV now.
Nissan calls ProPilot a “hands-on driver
assist” system, that can bring the car to a stop in bumper-to-bumper traffic
then get you going again. Getting this standard on the SV is a pretty good deal
because it was part of 2020’s Technology Package, which cost US$ 1,600.
