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

Redapple2 I gave up on Honda. My 09 Accord Vs my 03. The 09s- V 6 had a slight shudder when deactivating cylinders. And the 09 did not have the 03 's electro luminescent gages. And the 09 had the most uncomfortable seats. My brother bought his 3rd and last Honda CRV. Brutal seats after 25 minutes. NOW, We are forever Toyota, Lexus, Subaru people now despite HAVING ACCESS TO gm EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT. Despite having access to the gm employee discount. Man, that is a massive statement. Wow that s bad - Under no circumstances will I have that govna crap.
Redapple2 Front tag obscured. Rear tag - clear and sharp. Huh?
Redapple2 I can state what NOT to buy. HK. High theft. Insurance. Unrefined NVH. Rapidly degrading interiors. HK? No way !
Luke42 Serious answer:Now that I DD an EV, buying an EV to replace my wife’s Honda Civic is in the queue. My wife likes her Honda, she likes Apple CarPlay, and she can’t stand Elon Musk - so Tesla starts the competition with two demerit-points and Honda starts the competition with one merit-point.The Honda Prologue looked like a great candidate until Honda announced that the partnership with GM was a one-off thing and that their future EVs would be designed in-house.Now I’m more inclined toward the Blazer EV, the vehicle on which the Prologue is based. The Blazer EV and the Ultium platform won’t be orphaned by GM any time soon. But then I have to convince my wife she would like it better than her Honda Civic, and that’s a heavy lift because she doesn’t have any reason to be dissatisfied with her current car (I take care of all of the ICE-hassles for her).Since my wife’s Honda Civic is holding up well, since she likes the car, and since I take care of most of the drawbacks of drawbacks of ICE ownership for her, there’s no urgency to replace this vehicle.Honestly, if a paid-off Honda Civic is my wife’s automotive hill to die on, that’s a pretty good place to be - even though I personally have to continue dealing the hassles and expenses of ICE ownership on her behalf.My plan is simply to wait-and-see what Honda does next. Maybe they’ll introduce the perfect EV for her one day, and I’ll just go buy it.
2ACL I have a soft spot for high-performance, shark-nosed Lancers (I considered the less-potent Ralliart during the period in which I eventually selected my first TL SH-AWD), but it's can be challenging to find a specimen that doesn't exhibit signs of abuse, and while most of the components are sufficiently universal in their function to service without manufacturer support, the SST isn't one of them. The shops that specialize in it are familiar with the failure as described by the seller and thus might be able to fix this one at a substantial savings to replacement. There's only a handful of them in the nation, however. A salvaged unit is another option, but the usual risks are magnified by similar logistical challenges to trying to save the original.I hope this is a case of the seller overvaluing the Evo market rather than still owing or having put the mods on credit. Because the best offer won't be anywhere near the current listing.