Nissan have announced pricing for their all electric van. Starting at a mere £13,393 (with government grant, battery lease option and excluding VAT) the new van appears to be remarkably good value and is available both as an ordinary empty-box van and as a five seat spacious and practical family car/van.
Nissan is hoping the low price will revolutionise the low carbon vehicle market and attract new customers to an electric vehicle who might not have found previous offerings to their taste or wallet. However, the reality is a little different since the low price indicated is VAT free and doesn’t account for the additional battery lease costs incurred if purchased at that price range. That said, it is true that in it’s most basic form adn for a company purchase, the van can be had for the small sub £14,000 sum and as such will tempt those wanting a van in their business who have been put off by other EVs not able to offer the same sort of practicality. Likewise, even the battery leasing may appeal to some who are worried about the longevity of EV batteries and since the savings costs in fuel will largely outweigh the cost of battery leasing, the van still makes for an affordable and sensible choice.
What Nissan have done well is to listen to their existing customers in offering several payment options to suit most needs. As mentioned, there is the battery leasing option with lowers the initial purchase price considerably. On the other hand, those uneasy about continuous payments after purchase can buy the e-NV200 outright though the costs are reflected in this option and as such prices start at £16,562 on the road with the government grant, though this figure does exclude VAT. The prices we’re talking about here are for the van iteration of the vehicle which is likely to make up the majority of sales. The Combi, or five seat variant, starts at £17,855 including VAT but requiring a battery lease option and outright purchase also including VAT and battery (i.e. no lease necessary) will set you back £22,855.
Though this is competitive with it’s forebears, the Nissan is a little on the expensive side especially considering you can purchase a Nissan LEAF which shares fundamental components for £21,490. Of course, the e-NV200 should offer more space and Nissan have priced it so as not to ‘steal’ sales from the all electric LEAF.
It should be noted that the pricing does undercut alternative options for London’s future taxis too, which are due to have the requirement of low emissions by 2018. The main contender in this field is the Metrocab which is a range extended electric vehicle or E-REV and early indications are this will cost in the region of £30,000+. As such, the all electric Nissan – despite having a shorter range since it has no range extender unit – is likely to be of increasing interest to those cabbies contemplating the future.
Nissan estimates drivers will save approximately £2,500 a year in fuel alone with the e-NV200 costing approximately 2 pence per mile while wear and tear due to a lack of internal combustion engine will also drop making for less expensive servicing and repairs. Additionally, the vehicle is of course tax exempt and thus saves money from such expenses as the London Congestion Charge.
The electric van is available in several different iterations of trim level with the usual Nissan names such as Acenta and Tekna which provide different levels of equipment suited to different uses.
| FLEX (BUY – LEASE)** | BUY – BUY | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRADE | OTR w/ GRANT | OTR w/o GRANT | OTR w/ GRANT | OTR w/o GRANT | |
| VAN | ACENTA | £13,393 | £17,605 | £16,562.20 | £21,775 |
| ACENTA RAPID | £14,259.40 | £18,745 | £17,428.60 | £22,915 | |
| ACENTA RAPID PLUS | £14,681.20 | £19,300 | £17,850.40 | £23,470 | |
| TEKNA RAPID | £15,733.80 | £20,685 | £18,903.00 | £24,855 | |
| TEKNA RAPID PLUS | £16,155.60 | £21,240 | £19,324.80 | £25,410 | |
| COMBI 5 SEATS | ACENTA | £17,855 | £22,855 | £22,859 | £27,859 |
| ACENTA RAPID PLUS | £19,349 | £24,350 | £24,353 | £29,353 | |
| TEKNA RAPID | £20,639 | £25,640 | £25,643 | £30,643 | |
| TEKNA RAPID PLUS | £21,305 | £26,305 | £26,309 | £31,309 | |
The caveats that apply to the above pricing are as follows:
OTR for VAN excludes VAT, includes First reg. fee of £55
OTR for COMBI includes VAT, includes First reg fee of £55
Incentive for VAN (PiVG) is 20% up to a maximum of £8,000
Incentive for COMBI (PiCG) is 20% up to a maximum of £5,000
* Above figures are based on prices as of May 2014 and calculated for a utilisation period of 4 years and 9,375 miles per year.
**Subject to monthly battery rental starting at £61 per month
Battery lease options may appeal to those who worry about the longevity and expense of replacing the batteries after a few years’ time though it is well known batteries should last in excess of ten years – a long time in van terms. Akin to alliance partner Renault, the e-NV200 is available with the option to lease batteries as follows:
| Mileage/year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contract term | < 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| 36 months+ | £61.00 | £63.00 | £75.00 | £88.00 |
| 24 months | £70.00 | £72.00 | £84.00 | £97.00 |
| 12 months | £79.00 | £81.00 | £93.00 | £106.00 |
Source; Nissan
