It’s no secret that access to the Tesla Supercharger network is a game-changer for owners of non-Tesla EVs. Not only is it reliable, it’s also widespread, with more than 17,000 V3 and V4 Superchargers across the United States and Canada. The latest EV to be added to the compatibility roster is the Nissan Ariya, starting Dec. 10, and it might just be your cheapest entry to the Supercharger network, provided you meet certain criteria.
So, what does Nissan’s setup look like for getting Ariya drivers hooked on NACS? After all, adapter pricing varies wildly by manufacturer, with Ford having shipped free ones to owners of compatible Ford EVs to GM requiring owners to pay $225 for an NACS adapter. Well, Nissan parts pricing can swing on the expensive side, which explains why the company is charging $235 for its NACS to CCS adapter. That’s on the steep side, but can it be offset? Yes, should everything line up.
See, Empire Lakewood Nissan in Denver, Colo. — the same dealer advertising a lease on a Leaf for $19 per month — is promoting one hell of a lease deal on a new Ariya Engage e-4ORCE. We’re talking $121 per month plus tax for 24 months with zero down. If we’ve done our math correctly, that’s $2,904 to drive a brand new all-wheel-drive electric crossover for two years. Considering that many of us spend more than that on gas every two years, this deal seems fantastic. So what’s the catch?
For starters, to qualify for Colorado’s state EV incentive, you need a Colorado address. Next, this advertised lease deal includes a $1,000 loyalty discount, which only applies to current Nissan and Infiniti owners. Not a current Nissan or Infiniti owner? Well, $1,000 divided by 24 months is about $41.67 per month, so expect to add at least that to the monthly payment. Oh, and the lease only includes 10,000 miles per year, which means whoever signs for it probably won’t be crossing continents soon, despite impending Supercharger access.
Still, if you live in Colorado, drive fewer than 10,000 miles per year and own, I don’t know, a 2008 Rogue or a clapped-out Sentra, and have the credit to qualify, this seems like it might be a deal worth jumping on. Better yet, let’s say you’re driving a 2007 350Z that gets 20 MPG combined and takes premium. Given the current average gas price in Colorado of $3.577 per gallon of premium, if you drive 10,000 miles per year, you’re already looking at $149.04 per month in gasoline. Signing on this dirt-cheap Ariya lease deal would be a phenomenally inexpensive way of keeping mileage off your sports car, not to mention keeping it out of the winter slush.
As far as scoring a brand new EV with Tesla Supercharger access goes, it’s hard to think of a cheaper way of doing it, so long as you qualify. For the rest of us who can only dream of such a wild deal, I guess we’ll just have to live vicariously through Coloradans. Sure, the Ariya doesn’t feel like the most thoroughly executed EV on the market, but a good enough price can excuse a whole lot.
(Photo credits: Nissan, Empire Lakewood Nissan)
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The Colorado cheap lease shocking headline is getting a bit old for the other 95+% of your readers.
Thank you for saying it before I had to… lol
LOL, the Fiat 500e that Autopians love had some ‘lease’ deal. 179 bucks a month, a couple of grand down and very very low annual mileage. as a commuter for groceries and city runs I thought maybe. I got in touch with our ‘local’ Fiat shithead who said nope, he had no idea such a thing was advertised and a new one leases for 400+. I laughed outlaid and said that that was some fine bait and switch. Now the twits call me once a week, and recently I saw some dealers marking these things down 10,000 or 11,000 dollars. I’ll wait till the local guy has had that on his lot for another year or 2.
what’s to keep someone from copying down the VIN on a Nissan in the parking lot to say that they are an “owner”?
A registration check that shows a different owner.
So do you get free super charging with that lease or are you paying by the kWh too?
If it’s the latter your all in cost on electricity should be less than $0.26/kWh otherwise you’re better off putting $3.58/gal gas in a RAV4 Prime.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=47502&id=47853&#tab1
Could be a great winter car setup
I dunno it’s good to have supercharger access when you need it, but frankly if that’s the way you charge the car on the regular, it’s a big hassle. Going through that now, where I don’t have access to the home charger for the regular plug in at night thing, and now I have to go sit in the car for a while. Can’t wait until I have access to that again.
That’s my current issue with an EV. On paper it would make total sense as my commute is sensible and I don’t do road trips, etc. As an apartment dweller though, it would mean going out of my way to charge as needed rather than plugging in at night. Yes there’s a pretty good quantity of Tesla chargers to one side of the giant parking lot of one of the local chain grocery stores so I could conceivably plug in and go shop rather than having to wait just for charging, but that’s still a logistical annoyance.
I live in Colorado and know someone who took this offer on an Arya a few weeks ago to replace their pile-o-crap Leaf. It wasn’t a bad deal, and they don’t drive a lot so the lease mileage limit works for them, but I don’t believe they have any intention to buy the thing at the end of the lease. They really wanted a Tesla, after all the issues they had with the Leaf, but decided a cheap lease on another Nissan EV was more in range with their financial capabilities.
I still miss my clapped out Sentra 🙁 I hope it found many happy new homes via LKQ.
Some of these leases start to look good (even outside of bait and switch opportunities) but then I look at how much I drive (meaning I have to pay mileage fees for going over the annual allotment), and the cost of insurance on a new car, and they don’t look good anymore.
I bet I could buy and register some kind of Nissan for <$1000. An extremely clapped Sentra. I’d do it just to inconvenience the dealer.
The GM loyalty discount actually had some language around that, something like you had to have had the car for more than 30 days. Not really sure that’s something the dealer would care to enforce, though.
The fine print in that ad indicates the deal is only for one particular VIN car. VIN ending in RW732613 So, they have one car at that price. That’s it. And it’s not even the on pictured in the ad, it’s actually grey. First come first served, everyone else gets the hard sell on what else is on the lot.
So hurry in before it’s… yep it’s gone.
Ditto on the “$0 down, $19/month” Leaf, which fails to mention some pretty clear extra money:
“Down payment of $0 and first month payment of $19.00 due at signing. […] Taxes, Title, Licensing, Acquisition Fee $695, Dealer Add Ons of $699 and Dealer & Handling of $699.95 NOT included.”
So “$0 down” really means “$2100 down plus TTL”, or do I just not understand how leases work?
The Ariya fine print does NOT mention Acquision fees, add ons, and handling fees…
Yep. I also wonder what “all Nissan incentives included in offer” means. Are there additional qualifications to receive? Is it like that BS of first responder, military, student incentives/discounts where no one realistically qualifies for all of them?
LOL, the NACS adaptor ($235 through Nissan) costs almost as much as 2 lease payments.
Hold it. You figure in the cost savings on gasoline on the ICE car but don’t add anything for the cost of public charging right after a story that says public charging is more expensive than gasoline.
So if you’ll permit me some math:
This Ariya retails for $45,600 based on the fine print of the ad.
Here’s a 2 year old model in the same trim with under 20,000 miles for $20,000. That price doesn’t seem out of line with others listed for sale.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/3af17c23-9e57-442e-9b03-5ca60e5c1c31/
So over $25,000 in depreciation for under $3,000 in payments.
I obviously realize there are state and federal tax credits for EVs that complicate matters, but I’d love a deep dive on who is taking a bath here and why. Is Nissan pushing these on unwilling dealers and compensating them for these offers? Are the dealers lighting $10K on fire to get them off their lots only to see them again in two years? Is it all a scam that no one qualifies for and they load you up with fees? It just doesn’t seem to add up.
It’s something to get people in the door, a prime bait and switch opportunity. They’ll probably end up doing the same thing as Ford when the Maverick was released but barely produced.
“Oh sorry, we don’t have any in stock. Let’s see what we have on the lot that we can get you into today.”
7500 federal rebate, 5000 state rebate = it’s only worth 33,600. Because that is what it will cost someone to buy a new one. So, depreciation is really around 13k over 2 years. trying to compare “depreciation” is hard when you introduce subsidies.
Also, This advertised lease is for one specific VIN only. So, only one car, that’s it. it’s a loss leader. All the other suckers that show up believing there is one there for that price will just get the hard sell for another one at full lease price (hint, more then $3,000 in payments).
GM is basically doing the same thing with the Lyriq. We got one, msrp of 76k for 0/down and 465/month. 6k a year for otherwise 12.5k depreciation a year
The downside is, you have a Nissan Ariya
But you don’t own it so easy to get rid of it
Csme to say that, left satisfied
As Nissans go, it’s not bad.
Low bar and all.
Too true. Do yourself a favor and get an Altima or a Sentra instead, something with a proper transmission.
It continues to baffle me why EV manufacturers do not put Jatco Xtronic CVTs into their products. Surely such a smooth, trouble free 21st century mechanical wonder can only enhance the driving experience.