Nissan made a bet as early as 2010—thinking the world was ready for electric vehicles. But the Leaf never ignited the market, and now Nissan is preparing to phase it out as the industry embraces EVs. When the Nissan Leaf went on sale in 2011, it was America’s first modern mass-produced electric vehicle. It’s cheap and stylish, and it’s a good look at the future of EVs.
The problem is, it’s not selling well. Even though the Leaf has been part of Nissan’s U.S. lineup for more than a decade now, it has sold less than 175,000 units.
People’s opinions of the Leaf vary. Some call its styling cute, while others are more derogatory. Yet despite the lackluster sales figures, the Leaf does represent an uncharted adventure in the use of electric vehicles in modern life. It appeared before the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, a full 18 months before Elon Musk and his Tesla Model S came out of nowhere.
The dull driving style and modest range hindered consumer enthusiasm for the LEAF, and additionally may have prevented it from reaping the benefits of the surge in interest in EVs from the market. While high-end EVs now have ranges of 400 miles and even 500 miles, the 2022 LEAF offers only 226 estimated miles in its larger battery and 149 miles in the base version.
