Nissan LEAF e+ pricing and specs

There’s a new option for local EV buyers with the introduction of the 2021 Nissan LEAF e+ this week. 

Priced at $60,490 plus on-road costs, the new flagship variant in the LEAF range costs $10,500 more than the standard LEAF ($49,990 plus ORCs), but offers a 62kWh battery – a 55 per cent increase in capacity from the 40kWh battery fitted to the standard model.

That equates to an extra 115km of range for a WLTP figure of 385km – or 450km by the ADR81/02 standard.

In addition, the Nissan LEAF e+ produces more power and torque for faster acceleration. Peak power is 160kW, which is 50kW more than the lower-priced LEAF, and at 340Nm the torque is 20Nm higher as well.

That translates to a 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds, which is a full second faster than the LEAF with the 40kWh battery.

With the gains in range and performance (and the consonant hike in price), the LEAF e+ is much more competitive and is well placed to compete with the Hyundai Kona Electric (from $62,000 plus ORCs), despite the former being classified as a small passenger car and the latter classified by VFACTS as a small SUV.

While the LEAF e+ accelerates faster than the Kona and is priced slightly lower, the Hyundai remains the champion for range (484km).

Trimmed along the same lines as the 40kWh LEAF, the e+ variant shares these standard features: 17-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass, heated electric fold-in mirrors, auto-on/off LED headlights with high beam assist, climate control, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, rain-sensing wipers, keyless starting, adaptive cruise control, leather-accented upholstery, front seat heating and a 60/40-split folding rear seat.

The infotainment system is equipped with a suite of high-end features, such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, USB port, voice recognition, 8.0-inch colour touch-screen, satellite navigation, seven-speaker Bose audio, digital radio and Bluetooth.

Passive safety items fitted to the LEAF e+ include front airbags, side curtain airbags and side-impact thorax-protecting airbags (front seats), and the LEAF is also fitted with a centre airbag to keep the driver and front passenger from clouting heads in a side impact.

Again, the LEAF e+ shares driver-assist technology with the more affordable LEAF. These include all-round camera monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, driver fatigue monitoring, forward collision warning, AEB with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning/lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, tyre pressure monitoring, traffic sign recognition and audible warning for pedestrians (low speed only).

During the local launch of the LEAF e+, Nissan Australia boss Stephen Lester told carsales that he anticipates the new EV will sell on its own merits and by virtue of being distinctly different from rivals such as the Hyundai IONIQ Electric and Kona Electric.

Furthermore, he welcomed new EVs from rival brands, saying that will open up the market to new buyers which in turn means the Nissan products will be beneficiaries of a larger market for EVs.

“The first thing is that competition is great in this space,” he said. “And we want to see more competition. We want other manufacturers bringing more EVs to the marketplace.

“To the extent that only one brand or company is successful in this space isn’t going to make the best outcome for Australian consumers.

“So we’ll do our best to bundle product and position, like we would do with any other product, to make sure that we feel it satisfies ... as many ‘wants’ as possible of consumers when they’re going out to make what is a very significant purchase in their household.”

Purchasing the LEAF won’t be a decision founded on direct spec-adjusted pricing analysis alone.

Lester says that buyers will choose the LEAF over its rivals for a variety of reasons, whether it’s ergonomics, ride comfort, the sales experience and aftersales support, etc.

But the LEAF and LEAF e+ won’t be out in the market without a unique selling proposition either.

“Having technology like V2G certainly separates us from other brands,” Lester observed.

V2G (vehicle-to-grid) compatibility is available in both the LEAF and the LEAF e+. This functionality will be available to local consumers from later this year.

According to the manufacturer, a ‘wallbox’ from supplier JET Charge will allow the battery (from both variants of LEAF) to provide power for the family home at night, when the car isn’t being used.

The electricity flow is reversed to power up flat-screen TVs, household lights and desktop computers.

Nissan expects that the 40kWh LEAF could supply power for the home for up to three days without recharging, and the 62kWh battery in the LEAF e+ is good for up to five days.

But owners shouldn’t need to test that endurance, with the LEAF recharging from the power supply at home, during off-peak hours, or from a solar panel array.

Purchasing one or other variants of the LEAF can thus save the homeowner the cost of purchasing a stationary battery or remaining permanently on the national power grid to maintain the supply of electricity at night, after the sun has set.

Welcome to a new world of cars equally ‘at home’ in the role of supplying domestic power for the family.

Check out our review of the new Nissan LEAF e+ here.

Related: Nissan LEAF e+ launches in Australia