EPA Says the 2018 Nissan Leaf Goes the Extra Mile - Literally

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

What a difference a mile makes. Or does it? In the case of the 2018 Nissan Leaf, the second-generation model’s newly enlarged driving range might not sway a single buyer or suddenly place the model ahead of a close challenger, but any improvement in an EV’s travel radius is worthy of a celebration at the company’s HQ.

If you haven’t heard the news, the 2018 Leaf’s range now stands at 151 miles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s just-released official rating. What was it before? Well, Nissan estimated 150 miles. Hardly shocking, but it’s nonetheless good news as the automaker waits for next year’s arrival of a longer-ranged, more competitive model.

It’s worth noting that the 2011 Leaf, the first real mainstream EV on the U.S. market, stayed close to home out of pure necessity. With a paltry range of 73 miles, long road trips were something a Leaf owner could only dream of. Subsequent versions grew in range, but only to 84 miles. The biggest leap in the first-gen model’s lifespan came after an optional 30 kWh battery joined the line in 2016, pushing range to 107 miles.

The 2018 model makes use of a 40 kWh battery pack, pushing its horizons further. Interestingly, the model’s overall efficiency (112 MPGe) is less than that of the old 24 kWh models (114 MPGe), likely due to added weight.

Despite the upgrades, the Leaf lags the segment’s headline grabbers. Chevrolet’s Bolt travels 238 miles between charges, and the yet-unreleased Tesla Model 3 in base form carries a 220-mile rating. Neither rival, of course, can top the Nissan’s hidden perk: value. A base Leaf S carries a pre-delivery MSRP of $29,990 before the federal tax credit, making it thousands of dollars cheaper than a Tesla or Chevy.

Next year, a 60 kWh Leaf variant shows up to properly challenge these fresh-faced models. Expect a range of over 200 miles. The long-legged Leaf’s appearance comes not a moment too soon, as the model dropped U.S. buyers every year since its 2014 high water mark, finishing 2017 with 11,230 units sold — almost a third of its former volume.

2018 Leafs are currently arriving on dealer lots.

[Image: Nissan]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Sub-600 Sub-600 on Jan 31, 2018

    Look at the proboscis on that thing, 151 mile range to boot? Why must the virtuous suffer so?

  • Robbie Robbie on Feb 01, 2018

    When I drove an older Leaf - 2012 or 2013 - I thought it was quite comfortable and quiet in city driving, but on the freeway, it had a lot of road noise and didn't handle well. Do you guys share this experience, and is this the same for new Leafs?

    • Glwillia Glwillia on Feb 02, 2018

      I have a 2014 Leaf, and that's my experience as well. It's great around town, especially in Seattle traffic, but relatively unstable and loud above about 65mph. Then again, the range is limited enough (and the battery capacity drops fast enough at freeway speeds) you won't be spending much time at all on the freeway in it. Doesn't bother me, I have an E39 for road trips/long freeway trips.

  • TheMrFreeze That new Ferrari looks nice but other than that, nothing.And VW having to put an air-cooled Beetle in its display to try and make the ID.Buzz look cool makes this classic VW owner sad 😢
  • Wolfwagen Is it me or have auto shows just turned to meh? To me, there isn't much excitement anymore. it's like we have hit a second malaise era. Every new vehicle is some cookie-cutter CUV. No cutting-edge designs. No talk of any great powertrains, or technological achievements. It's sort of expected with the push to EVs but there is no news on that front either. No new battery tech, no new charging tech. Nothing.
  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
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