The Nissan Leaf is Eligible for a $3,750 Tax Credit Again

by Chris Teague

Published: March 7th, 2024

the nissan leaf is eligible for a 3 750 tax credit again

The Nissan Leaf was already the most affordable EV on sale, but recent changes have made it even cheaper. The automaker announced that the car has regained eligibility for federal tax credits, though for only half of the maximum $7,500.

With the credit, the Leaf starts in the mid-$25,000 range, extending its lead as the cheapest EV on sale. It’s followed not-so-closely by the Mini Cooper SE, but regaining tax credit eligibility is a significant boost. The car qualified for tax credits through the end of last year, but automakers have to recertify vehicles under the new rules, and Nissan has only just done that for the Leaf.

Half of the EV tax credit is tied to raw materials sourcing, requiring that they come from a country with which the U.S. has a free-trade agreement. The Leaf doesn’t qualify for that half, but Nissan builds the car and its batteries at its plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, giving it access to the other $3,750. Changes to the rules in 2024 have knocked a significant number of vehicles out of eligibility, but many will return as automakers nail down their supply chains.

The Leaf has been around for a while without major changes, and its low price likely comes from its middling range numbers, which max out at 212 miles. That said, it’s a surprisingly practical car with plenty of interior space and a decent number of standard features for the price.

While it’s true that Americans don’t buy that many hatchbacks, it’s even truer that cars like the Nissan Leaf are precisely what we need. There’s no shortage of $50,000-plus EVs from all corners of the auto industry, but the sub-$30,000 (or even sub-$40,000) market is pathetically tiny. Anyone serious about electrification should celebrate cars like the Leaf and hope that Nissan keeps its ship upright going forward to keep building it, or a next-gen car like it.

[Image: Nissan]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.

#NissanLeaf #EVTaxCredits

Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

More by Chris Teague

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 9 comments

Oberkanone on Mar 07, 2024

Make 62kwh battery standard. Improve the battery cooling/conditioning. Change charging to NACS.
Leaf will sell. It will.

Like Reply
Joeaverage on Mar 10, 2024

There are Leaf enthusiasts now testing CHADEMO to CSS adapters now. See YouTube videos. The Leaf is a great one fast charge a day kind of car. Excellent if it is mostly being used locally and charged at home on L1 or L2.

1 Reply

Recent Comments

El scotto No rag-top, no rag-top(s) = not a prestigious car brand. Think it through. All of the high-end Germans and Lexus have rag-tops. Corvette is really its own brand.World-leading engines. AMG, M, S and well Lexus is third-world tough. GM makes one of the best V-8s in the world in Bowling Green. But nooooo, noooo, we're GM only Corvettes get Corvette engines. Balderdash! I say. Put Corvette engines in the top-tier Cadillacs. I know GM could make a world-class 3.5 liter V-6 but they don't or won't. In the interior everything that gets touched, including your butt, has to feel good. No exceptions.Some think that those who pay above MSRP and brag about it are idiots. Go the opposite direction, and offer an extended 10-year 100,000-mile factory warranty. At a reasonable price. That's Acura's current business model.
Carrera 2014 Toyota Corolla with 192,000 miles bought new. Oil changes every 5,000 miles, 1 coolant flush, and a bunch of air filters and in cabin air filters, and wipers. On my 4th set of tires.Original brake pads ( manual transmission), original spark plugs. Nothing else...it's a Toyota. Did most of oil changes either free at Toyota or myself. Also 3 batteries.2022 Acura TLX A-Spec AWD 13,000 miles now but bought new.Two oil changes...2006 Hyundai Elantra gifted from a colleague with 318,000 when I got it, and 335,000 now. It needed some TLC. A set of cheap Chinese tires ($275), AC compressor, evaporator, expansion valve package ( $290) , two TYC headlights $120, one battery ( $95), two oil changes, air filters, Denso alternator ( $185), coolant, and labor for AC job ( $200).
Mike-NB2 This is a mostly uninformed vote, but I'll go with the Mazda 3 too.I haven't driven a new Civic, so I can't say anything about it, but two weeks ago I had a 2023 Corolla as a rental. While I can understand why so many people buy these, I was surprised at how bad the CVT is. Many rentals I've driven have a CVT and while I know it has one and can tell, they aren't usually too bad. I'd never own a car with a CVT, but I can live with one as a rental. But the Corolla's CVT was terrible. It was like it screamed "CVT!" the whole time. On the highway with cruise control on, I could feel it adjusting to track the set speed. Passing on the highway (two-lane) was risky. The engine isn't under-powered, but the CVT makes it seem that way.A minor complaint is about the steering. It's waaaay over-assisted. At low speeds, it's like a 70s LTD with one-finger effort. Maybe that's deliberate though, given the Corolla's demographic.
Mike-NB2 2019 Ranger - 30,000 miles / 50,000 km. Nothing but oil changes. Original tires are being replaced a week from Wednesday. (Not all that mileage is on the original A/S tires. I put dedicated winter rims/tires on it every winter.)2024 - Golf R - 1700 miles / 2800 km. Not really broken in yet. Nothing but gas in the tank.
SaulTigh I've got a 2014 F150 with 87K on the clock and have spent exactly $4,180.77 in maintenance and repairs in that time. That's pretty hard to beat.Hard to say on my 2019 Mercedes, because I prepaid for three years of service (B,A,B) and am getting the last of those at the end of the month. Did just drop $1,700 on new Michelins for it at Tire Rack. Tires for the F150 late last year were under $700, so I'd say the Benz is roughly 2 to 3 times as pricy for anything over the Ford.I have the F150 serviced at a large independent shop, the Benz at the dealership.