- NISSAN OFFERS CUSTOMERS CHOICE TO BUY OR LEASE THE BATTERY, MAKING ELECTRIC CAR OWNERSHIP MORE ACCESSIBLE
- EXPANDED PURCHASE OPTIONS OFFER CUSTOMERS MORE WAYS TO OWN AN ALL-ELECTRIC VEHICLE
- BATTERY LEASING OPTION CAN SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE UP-FRONT PAYMENT
ROLLE, Switzerland (19 April, 2013) – With the arrival of the New Nissan LEAF, the enhanced second-generation version of the world’s best selling 100% electric vehicle, Nissan is making driving an electric car even easier by offering a battery leasing option to most European customers.
The option means customers can choose to lease the Nissan LEAF’s advanced lithium-ion battery pack for a monthly fee. This method of Nissan LEAF ownership can reduce the initial price the customer pays for their car by €5,900.
Battery leasing is designed to give prospective LEAF drivers the choice of a substantially lower initial cost by paying for the battery lease on a monthly basis, as well as increased confidence as growing numbers of customers consider driving an all-electric vehicle for the first time.
In addition to this new option, which will be available in the majority of European markets*, buyers will continue to have the opportunity to either purchase or lease their Nissan LEAF outright, offering consumers a complete set of choices to fit their needs. These options include direct purchase of the car and battery; purchasing the car and leasing the battery; financing the car and leasing the battery; or leasing both the car and the battery.
All customers, no matter the purchase or lease option they choose, will benefit from Nissan’s battery warranty, which covers the battery at 9 of its 12 dashboard ‘bars’ of capacity up to 5 years or 100,000 km. For customers choosing to lease their battery this warranty is permanent, as long as the battery is leased. The battery of the Nissan LEAF is designed to last the life of the car.
“The new options for leasing the Nissan LEAF’s innovative lithium-ion battery pack introduce greater flexibility to customers seriously considering making the move to zero-emission mobility.
“Our aim is to offer future LEAF drivers a variety of purchase options so they can choose what makes the most sense for them. This is especially important as we see a greater number of people expressing interest in driving the all-electric Nissan LEAF,” said Nissan Senior Vice President, Paul Willcox. “In March, 1,300 European consumers purchased a Nissan LEAF, an all-time record, and with, 60,000 LEAFs on the road worldwide, we expect the momentum to continue.”
In Euro zone countries, the monthly charge for battery lease will start from €79 for a 36 month agreement with an annual limit of 12,500 kms. Lease costs include standard and quick charging options, a road-side assistance package and come with a ‘State of Health’ warranty guaranteeing customer will enjoy a level of battery capacity as long as he leases it. Terms of the agreement are flexible, and can be adjusted if owner keeps his car for more, or less, than three years, as well as if greater distances are likely to be covered.
Opting to lease the battery brings substantial savings on the initial price of the New Nissan LEAF with typical up-front savings of €5,900. It means in France, for example – which enjoys a €7,000 electric vehicle government subsidy – it is possible to buy a Nissan LEAF for an up-front cost of just €17,290. In the UK the new access price to Nissan LEAF is as low as £15,990, including a ₤5,000 government incentive. The difference in price between buying outright and buying the car but leasing the battery is £5,000 in the UK.
Battery leasing also brings the up-front customer costs in line with the purchase price of a similarly equipped internal combustion engine car – an equation that becomes even favourable from very first day of ownership, as the cost of electricity and maintenance are a fraction of the cost of fuelling and maintaining a gas-powered vehicle.
For customers preferring to buy or lease the car outright, lower prices – made possible by building the new LEAF and its batteries in Europe – mean the newly introduced entry-level Visia grade is available for €3,000 less than the first-generation model.
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Text and photograph by: Nissan.
