#ev-affordability

#ev-affordability

The Nissan Leaf is already an excellent affordable EV. With a starting price of $29,990 before destination fees and up to 303 miles of range in that configuration, it was a good enough value to win our 2026 Breakthrough EV Of The Year award. But things were supposed to get even better this year, with the launch of a cheaper, smaller-battery version. That ain't happening.

You've seen it on social media: "This $15,000 Chinese EV will DESTROY the auto industry!!" In fact, 2025 was to be the year when electric vehicles reached global price parity with gasoline cars in their segments: They'd cost the same, regardless of whether they had an engine or a battery with electric motors. In North America, that didn't happen. As US vehicle prices continue to soar, it begs the question: When will the US get EVs that are more affordable, as cheap as gas cars,

It's not my job to fight the Chinese on price.

Prospective EV buyer Jenny Seiber (@jennylseiber) turned to the digital masses for advice after her family's Toyota Prius hybrid finally called it quits after years. "We really don't know a whole lot about them, and we don't know a whole lot of people with them," she explains before asking for input. The one condition is that whatever car they choose must be affordable for a young couple.

China has now crossed a massive benchmark in the electric-car race: battery-powered vehicles are now cheaper than their gas counterparts. In the U.S., by contrast, EVs still face a steep premium; roughly $14,000 on average, according to new data from JATO dynamics, an automotive data analytics firm. Dan Sperling, founding director of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies, told Fortune he thought the $14,000 figure was overestimated - but conceded that there was a strong, real gap.