Nissan Leaf EV certified pre-owned

Nissan has plugged the electric Leaf into the Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles Program.  That means you can buy a used Leaf with a new car warranty and other guarantees that add confidence the purchase of a vehicle with some miles on the odometer.

Certified pre-owned programs – also called CPO – are offered by all manufacturers on most of their models, but this is the first CPO program I know of in North America for an electric vehicle.  It makes sense, since the Leaf was introduced s a 2011 model, and some owners are trading in for a 2014 model.  The Nissan Leaf CPO program becomes available this month, as the 2014 models begin arriving in dealer showrooms.

With a “regular” used car, you get what you get, warts and dings and all.  With a certified pre-owned, you get a layer of protection from the manufacturer and dealer, including 24/7 roadside assistance

Benefits of buying a certified pre-owned Nissan Leaf:

• existing eight-year/100,000 mile* battery warranty coverage protecting against defects in materials and workmanship,
• five-year/60,000 mile* coverage for battery capacity loss below 9 bars of capacity as shown by the vehicle’s battery capacity level gauge,
• Nissan also will extend the EV system and powertrain warranty coverage to 7 years or 100,000 miles.
• comprehensive quality assurance vehicle inspection
• CARFAX® Vehicle History Report with 90-day CARFAX Buyback Guarantee
• 24-hour emergency roadside assistance
• free three-month subscription to Sirius-XM Satellite Radio
• car rental reimbursement
• trip interruption coverage

In order to qualify as a CPO, a Nissan Leaf must have less than 60,000 miles, be less than five years from its original in-service date, have a clear CARFAX vehicle history report, and pass a 167-point comprehensive quality inspection.  The vehicle must also have a minimum of 9 bars of battery capacity, out of 12 total, as represented on the vehicle battery capacity level gauge.

At the beginning of the program, Nissan will offer special finance rates as low as 0.9 percent for 36 months on certified pre-owned LEAF vehicles through Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp.

Read my article on the benefits of buying a CPO vehicle on Living on the Cheap.