This is the cheapest EV you can buy new right now

The holy grail of the EV industry is a truly affordable new car. There’s a growing number of models under $40,000, but many of them are well over that price, especially if you want something better than the base trim. If you’re on a budget, entire brands are essentially off-limits — until the R2 and R3 come out, the cheapest Rivian is the $70,000 R1T. That might as well be a Bugatti Veyron, as far as a recent college grad is concerned.

Tesla’s attempt at sub-$30,000 EV for the masses has been axed, and many people wouldn’t buy one anyway for political reasons. So, what’s the most affordable new EV you can get in 2025? It’s a very familiar name — the Nissan Leaf. The catch is that if you want to stay below $30,000, you’ll be making serious compromises.

A primer on the 2025 Nissan Leaf

Still in the game

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The Leaf line has been around for an eternity in EV terms. The first model came out in 2009, and until 2020, it was the world’s best-selling fully electric vehicle. I remember seeing Leafs on the streets of Austin long before most people cared about Tesla, let alone that company building a factory 20 minutes from my house.

The 2025 Leaf starts at $28,140 in the US, which is almost unbelievable, considering that one of its closest competitors — the 2025 Chevy Equinox EV — begins at $33,600. Even Mini’s “who is this for” 2024 Mini Electric Hardtop is over $30,000.

On many levels, the base Leaf S trim is a good deal. You get a 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, and safety features that are sometimes reserved for more expensive cars, such as automatic emergency braking, and automatic intervention if you try to steer into an occupied lane or blind spot. There’s also cabin preconditioning, though, of course battery conditioning would be more useful for those of us in colder climates, given the impact of freezing temperatures on range.

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It’s also a relatively spacious vehicle for the price. It won’t blow you away, but it’s comfortable and practical, certainly compared to the Mini Electric Hardtop or Fiat 500e. Both of those vehicles seem to be designed for child-free apartment dwellers, rather than anyone who needs to worry about child seats or heavy cargo.

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Why you should consider spending more

Or, Nissan’s upsell trick

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The major problem with the 2025 Leaf S is its 149-mile (240 kilometer) range. That’s better than some EVs, but that range was barely acceptable on my 2018 Leaf SV when I was living in Texas. In a region with sub-freezing winter temperatures, the Leaf S could potentially be unusable on some days, depending on how far you’re going and what your charging options are.

Many 2024 and 2025 EVs offer over 200 miles (322 kilometers) as a baseline. That gap might not sound like much to some people, but it’s enough to accommodate bad weather, and could also have a major impact on roadtrips. When I was a Texan, I used to drive my Leaf from Austin to San Antonio regularly, but there was just no way I could make the 79-mile trip both ways without charging in San Marcos. With a Tesla, you could make the trip with charge to spare.

It’s pretty obvious that Nissan’s real goal is upsell you on the $36,190 Leaf SV Plus. That trim boosts range to 212 miles (341 kilometers), with faster charging as well, such that it might take only 5 minutes more to reach 80 percent. It also ships with Nissan’s ProPilot Assist technology, which is necessary for things like lane centering, drive alertness features, and intelligent, distance-adjusting cruise control.

At $36,000, however, there are probably better vehicles for the money. I’d instantly be considering the Equinox EV LT, which has a 319-mile range (513 kilometers) despite costing nearly $3,000 less. It even has a massive 17.7-inch touchscreen with built-in Google services. So, while it lacks some of the perks of the Leaf SV Plus, many people probably won’t care.

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Should you buy the 2025 Nissan Leaf S?

A big fat maybe

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Under some circumstances, yes. Specifically, I’d recommend it to budget-minded urban commuters who don’t need a ton of cargo space, and don’t expect to drive out of town very often. While a 149-mile range is disappointing, it’s livable for the sake of a $28,000 price tag. You’re still getting the advantages of an EV, after all — cheaper running and maintenance costs, a quieter cabin, and reduced impact on the environment. Once you drive an EV for the first time, it can be hard to go back.

It’s once you lift that budget cap that the Leaf loses its appeal, given that there are better options in the low $30,000s, not just from Chevy but from brands like Kia and Hyundai. If you’re hellbent on going below $30,000, it might be time to look into used EVs, or else hybrids like the Toyota Prius. You lose some of the advantages of EVs with a hybrid, but the 2025 Prius has a range of up to 600 miles — enough to drive you from one side of Texas to the other. Heck, you could drive from Houston to New Orleans and still have enough range for a few days of touring the city.

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