Some 18 months after its release in Japan and United States, Nissan’s all-electric Leaf is available at selected dealers across Australia.

In Australia, the Leaf costs $51,500.plus on-road costs. There are no Commonwealth Government incentives and only some very minor State concessions, such as a $100 disount on registration in Victoria. A Level 2 home charging will cost around $2,800 installed.

In contrast, in the United States, the Leaf sells for $us35,000, less a Federal Government tax ccredit of up to $us7,500 and State incentives of purchase rebates of up to $us2,500 (in California) or tax credits of up to $us7,500 (in West Virginia) – making the California price as little as $us25,000. In addition, there is a Federal Government tax rebate of up to 50% of the cost of home charging equipment.

In the U.K., the list price of the Leaf is £25,990 (($au40,000) and the Government provides a 25% grant towards the cost of new plug-in cars. In China, the Leaf costs ¥200,000 (about $au30,000) and the Government contributes ¥60,000 (about $au9,000). Canadian provinces offer rebates of up to $ca8,500 on a retail price of $ca38,400.