2018 Nissan Leaf EPA Range Reveals Good News And Bad

Nissan's 2018 Leaf has just received its official economy figures from the EPA, and there's good news and bad for the electric car. Revealed back in September 2017, the new Leaf promised to be more powerful and increase range compared to its popular predecessor, as well as boost the amount of technology available in the cabin.

At the time, Nissan said the 2018 Leaf should run 150 miles on a single charge. According to the official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) numbers, in fact, that was ever so slightly conservative. The 2018 Leaf's official range there is 151 miles.

Of course, with a 40 kWh battery, the increase in distance that the Leaf should run doesn't come as a huge surprise. The previous car was offered with 24 kWh and 30 kWh battery packs, with 84 mile and 107 mile ranges respectively. However, that increase for the 2018 Leaf does come with a downside.

MPGe – or miles per gallon equivalent – has fallen compared to the older cars, presumably because of the extra weight involved in that beefier battery. The new 2018 Leaf is rated for 125 MPGe in the city and 100 MPGe on the highway, for a total of 112 MPGe combined.

In contrast, the old 24 kWh Leaf was rated at 126 MPGe city, 101 MPGe highway, and 114 MPGe combined. The 30 kWh Leaf did 124 MPGe city, 101 MPGe highway, and 112 MPGe combined. Whichever the car, you're looking at 30 kWh per 100 miles of energy consumption.

Nissan does have an even larger battery on the roadmap, though that's not expected to arrive until 2019 at the earliest. It'll offer 60 kWh, suggesting a total range of around 200 miles. At that point it'll start to be competitive with Chevrolet's Bolt EV and the Tesla Model 3, though both of those rivals will go significantly further on a full charge (though also cost more, too).

It's that price-per-mile balance that Nissan is seemingly targeting. The 2018 Leaf EV kicks off at $29,990 for the entry-level Leaf S trim, rising to $32,490 for the Leaf SV, and $36,200 for the Leaf SL. There's a $885 destination charge on top of that, certainly, but federal and state incentives could take a sizable bite out of the overall cost. Considering 150 miles is probably comfortably into the "safe zone" for many drivers otherwise experiencing range anxiety, that may make give the 2018 Leaf the edge it needs.