Extremely Green Cars Showered With Another Kind of Green

Want to wear your environmental activism on your sleeve? Park some of it in your driveway.

Gone are the days when driving an electric car required careful trip planning — and white-knuckled, pit-stained trips to the suburbs. Automakers have finally endowed their greenest rides with enough range to keep anxiety mostly at bay.

And, because there’s a pandemic (among other factors impacting electric vehicle sales), some of those same OEMs really want to move those cars off the lot. There’s deals to be had, greenies.

According to CarsDirect, a Nissan Leaf Plus, generally regarded as the happy medium of mainstream EVs, can be had with far more discounts this August than last. With 151 miles of driving range on tap in base form and 226 miles in Plus guise, the Leaf was the first mainstream, mass-market EV available to North American consumers, and it remains a popular choice.

Right now, Nissan’s offering Leaf buyers zero-percent financing 72 months, with a $500 financing bonus. Alternatively, you can ditch the long term and go for a $4,000 rebate — a grand more than last month. At this time last year, buyers could only get a 36-month term with 0-percent APR.

While not a low-end EV, the Jaguar I-Pace does come with a braggadocious pedigree and a healthy mix of range and performance. Whereas last year, buyers could get one at 2.9 percent APR for 60 months and no rebates, Jag customers can now secure an I-Pace for a zero-interest, 72-month term, with a $5,000 credit available.

Of course, this will only be of use to those looking to keep an EV in their driveway for the long haul. Given the depreciation rates of certain EVs, incentives might only go so far in tickling the ‘ol buying bone. Depending on model, a lease might prove far more attractive.

For example, the Chevrolet Bolt, with its 259 miles of range, still carries up to $7,250 in lease savings via GM Financial. Dealers might sweeten the pot even further. CarsDirect notes a San Francisco offer of a Bolt LT for $199 a month for 36 month, with $1,599 due at signing. That works out to $243 a month — less than a Honda Fit EX.

[Image: Nissan]