Nissan’s latest electric car is the most recent EV to receive the government’s full Electric Car Grant (ECG), the Department for Transport confirmed on Friday.
The new Nissan Leaf has been awarded the Band 1 ECG subsidy, which will see buyers receive £3,750 off the OTR price.
The Leaf is only the fourth electric car to receive the tier 1 amount, which awards manufacturers of sustainably produced EVs with the biggest taxpayer-backed savings in showrooms to entice customers.
There are two bands of the Electric Car Grant available, the lower £1,500 band and the higher £3,750 band, but very few new EVs have qualified for the latter which is reserved for EVs the government deems are built in the greenest way possible.
The Citroen e-C5 Aircross, Puma Gen-E crossover and E-Tourneo Courier MPV are the only other electric cars to have received the max figure.
A key reason the new Leaf will be discounted by full amount is that it will be built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, with production commencing next month.
The new Nissan Leaf has bene awarded the government’s full Electric Car Grant – £3,750 off the OTR
With the discount taken into account, buyers of the new Leaf will see the EV start from £32,249 for the Engage trim.
Buyers of the Advance trim will pay a discounted £34,249 – which gives extras including a dimming panoramic roof and privacy glass – and a reduced £36,249 for the Evolve model.
Evolve has extras including vehicle-to-load, faux leather seats and massage function for the driver.
James Taylor, Nissan GB managing director, said: ‘We’re absolutely delighted to be able to confirm Leaf’s pricing at £32,249 including the electric car grant, which will deliver an accessible route to EV ownership for our customers.
‘Best of all, it’s proudly built right here in the UK!’
The third-generation Leaf – which aims to bring back the popularity of the iconic, mass-market first generation Leaf – will be built at Nissan’s UK home, its Sunderland plant, by its 6,000 strong workforce from next month.
The Leaf is being built at Sunderland in the UK and its batteries are being produced next door – these are key reasons it has received the full sustainable grant
The government says that the Leaf qualifying for the grant will help boost sales for the manufacturer, supporting jobs and growth in the region and cementing the North East as one of the UK’s manufacturing strongholds.
As well as being constructed at Sunderland, the Leaf has been engineered and fine-tuned to suit the needs of European customers at Nissan’s UK research and development centre, NTCE, in Cranfield, Bedfordshire.
Furthermore it will be powered by batteries from AESC – Britain’s newest gigafactory – which is situated next to the Nissan plant.
The LEAF has been engineered and fine-tuned to suit the needs of European customers at Nissan’s UK research and development centre, NTCE, in Cranfield, Bedfordshire
15 years of aging well: The Leaf’s new look shows that you can age like fine wine, with the Leaf looking a lot better than it did back in 2010. It was the first mass-market EV
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘Nissan helped pioneer early EV ownership through the original Leaf, so it is great to see them join our drive to make going electric cheaper and more accessible for families.
‘Alongside saving drivers thousands this news is also a big boost for manufacturing in the North East – supporting thousands of jobs in the region whilst backing the industry to grow and deliver our Plan for Change.’
Government stats have found that over 35,000 drivers have already used the grant to make the switch since it launched in July, and one in four new car sales are electric.
The Leaf is on sale now, and retail offers will launch in December.
