$32,780. This is Nissan’s Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the 2011 Nissan LEAF.
The federal government is offering a $7,500 tax credit, which Nissan is touting big time. Nissan is advertising the LEAF “as low as $25,280 net, after tax savings”. Keep in mind that this does not include any incentives offered by the state that you happen to be living in.
I live in California. The state of California is offering an additional $5,000 tax rebate, which would reduce the price of a new LEAF to $20,280, after tax savings. The state of Georgia matches California on this, although GA is not an initial launch state. Keep in mind that as these are credits or rebates, the purchaser must have accrued at least that much in federal income tax or state income tax to reap the full benefit. The state of Tennessee, which is the only non western region state to receive an early launch of the LEAF offers no tax incentive because there is no state income tax on earned income. Tennessee does tax interest and dividends. Other states offer varying levels tax support, and as this was being researched, it soon became an unwieldy nightmare. We decided to turn it over to you to find out in your own state. The easiest way to do this is to go to your state’s web site and in the search box type in the phrase “electric vehicle tax credit”. Or even easier just Google the phrase “electric vehicle tax credit (your state)”. We were initially going to put up a list of states and incentives offered, but as we expect them to be changing the closer we get to the launch of the LEAF and the Chevy Volt, we realized that it would be too much like trying to herd cats. We really have no interest in herding cats.
One thing that we have noticed generally is that all of these tax incentives are temporary. Most have a numeric vehicle limit (typically 200,000 to 250,000), after which the incentives taper off, eventually reaching zero. This is the same strategy used with the introduction of hybrid vehicles. So what does it all mean? If you are thinking about a new LEAF, and you want it at the lowest possible price, you might want to consider becoming an early adopter when it does become available in your area.