Nissan announced today that the 2024 Nissan LEAF is on sale now with a starting price below $30,000, making it one of the most accessible EV options in the US. However, Nissan has failed to update the inferior CHAdeMO charging plug once again, which should have been replaced years ago.
After releasing the LEAF in 2010 as the first mass-market EV, Nissan’s all-electric compact car became the best-selling EV globally in 2018 before Tesla’s Model 3 topped it in early 2020.
Since then, however, nearly every automaker has released their own all-electric cars with more advanced technology and, in many instances, longer range. Over the years, Nissan has released several “updates” featuring more range and slight style enhancements.
For example, for the 2022 LEAF model year, Nissan included new alloy wheels, Nissan brand badges, and exterior colors, yet they have missed arguably the biggest opportunity for improvement.
Nissan continues to stick with the substandard CHAdeMO charging plug, which is less convenient and harder to find than the more conventional CSS port.
Despite this, Nissan still includes the outdated charging plug in the 2024 LEAF, which is now on sale.
2024 Nissan LEAF price and specs
The 2024 Nissan LEAF has a starting MSRP of $28,140, or $100 more than the previous year’s version, plus a $1,095 destination and handling fee for a total of $29,235.
Nissan’s LEAF received another “refresh” for the 2023 model year, including a new grille shape and front bumper molding. The compact electric car also received new headlight styling alongside other minor adjustments, but again, no changes to charging. Here’s the rundown for the 2024 model.
The 2024 model year will come in two versions, the LEAF S and SV PLUS. Powered by a 40 kWh lithium-ion battery, the LEAF S has an EPA-est range of up to 149 miles.
The LEAF SV PLUS utilizes a 60 kWh battery for up to 212 miles range. Both models will feature Nissan Safety 360 Shield 360 as standard with six active drivers assist technologies.
Meanwhile, charging the LEAF S will take 40 minutes to get to 80%, while the SV PLUS version will take an hour.
As part of Nissan’s Ambition 2030 plan, the automaker aims for 40% of its US sales to be fully electric by 2030.
Electrek’s Take
The LEAF has played a vital role in the automaker’s transition to sustainable mobility, but it’s time for an upgrade. CHAdeMO is outdated, and slight design changes will not turn LEAF sales around alone at this point.
Nissan is vowing to shake things up with its second EV, the Ariya electric SUV, which arrived in the US late last year.
The 2023 Ariya EV starts at $43,190, offering up to 304 miles range from an 87 kWh battery. And yes, Nissan did include CSS connector plugs.