At just $9,140, is the 2025 Nissan LEAF the best new car deal in Chicago?
The 2025 Chicago Auto Show opened this week, and I’ve been struggling a bit with how to approach this story about the decline and fall of what was once the American auto industry’s premier commercial vehicle show – but one thing was absolutely clear: the Nissan LEAF is the best new car deal in Chicago. ***
Like any wild deal like this, there are asterisks and caveats. And (I promise) I will absolutely get to those. That said, I have some musings about the state of the Chicago Auto Show that I’ve shared, below, to sort of “set the stage,” if you will. If you want to skip those, you can can click here to get right to the nitty-grity on that 2025 Nissan LEAF deal, or simply click here to find a Nissan LEAF deal near you.
2025 Chicago Auto Show Map
If you have fond memories of the Chicago Auto Show from years past – and not even that many years past; like, pre-COVID years past – skip the 2025 show.
Once upon a time, the Chicago Auto Show occupied both main halls, with another hall housing commercial trucks and vendors, and drive activations outside and in the parking lot. Since that heyday, the show has shrunk significantly. It’s down to a single hall now. Depressingly, the show can’t even fill that with OEM displays, and has worked a number of vendors, drive events of both the EV and ICE-powered varieties, and even military recruiters into huge swaths of floor space. Despite the compacted nature of the displays, the show floor is not packed. You will be able to sit in any car you want, for as long as you want, with minimal chance of interruption.
I was lucky enough to be able to walk the show with my good friend and industry legend, Greg Lucia. Greg is best known for an iconic, gonzo PR stunt he pulled off while he was working at Toyota that involved the Space Shuttle Endeavour being towed to its final destination at the California Science Center in Los Angeles across the 405 freeway by a then-new Tundra.
Oddly enough, we both honed in on a specific year, 1997, as one that stood out.
“I had a part-time job at Sears while I was in college,” I told Greg. “I was making $9/hr. plus either 1% or 3% of everything I rang up. It worked out to a pretty steady $12/hr., and that money was good enough that there were a bunch of cars I could have reasonably bought. I ended up with a ’98 Dodge Dakota pickup. Manual. My payment was $218/mo.”
“Those were neat trucks,” he said. Adding, after a thoughtful minute, “I don’t think you could do that, today.”
Greg is obviously correct. Auto Shows have turned a corner. Instead of being someplace that any able-bodied person could go and, with a reasonable amount of effort and willingness to put in the hours, pick out a fun, dependable vehicle. In such an economic climate, it’s no wonder that the car you drove said something about you above and beyond what you could afford. Today, the closest thing to that mid-sized Dakota is probably the current Ford Ranger. The mid-sized Ford starts at $32,820 … but the average part-time mall job doesn’t pay any more than I made back in ’97. If anything, it pays less.
I wondered what possible value a traditional auto show could offer a college kid in 2025, when something like a base Ford Mustang that started at about $15,800 in 1997 has more than doubled to $31,920 and the cost of college has risen even higher, over 140% in the same interim, while wages have largely stayed the same.
Deeply entrenched in this gloomy mood, I plodded along between the relatively subdued Nissan and Volkswagen booths towards the ComEd presser (see the show map, above), that was already under way.
ComEd $100M commercial EV rebate program
ComEd chose the Chicago Auto Show to lay out the 2025 version of their beneficial electrification rebate programs that will offer customers access to $100 million (up from $90M last year) in funding opportunities designed to remove up-front cost as a barrier to widespread adoption of EVs and the expansion of charging infrastructure in northern Illinois. $53 million of that budget is earmarked specifically business and public sector customers, with up to $7500 available for each light-duty (Class 1 or 2) EV purchased by a ComEd commercial customer.
That was when it hit me: this is why local events like the Chicago Auto Show exist — to highlight deals that are unique to the area, that outlets like Motor Trend and Car and Driver and even Electrek (if we’re being honest) might overlook due to factors like geography, international audiences, or some other general lack of interest.
Allow me then, to explain how a parks district, or a police department, or a car sharing fleet, or a delivery fleet, or any other company, incorporation, or LLC in northern Illinois can score an absolutely killer deal on a Nissan LEAF.
Structuring that $9,140 Nissan LEAF deal
For 2025, Nissan’s groundbreaking LEAF S starts at just $28,140 before incentives. That’s already more than twenty thousand US American dollars less than the $49,740 average transaction price of a new vehicle recorded just last month. But $28,140, you’ll notice, is a lot more than $9,140. Here’s how we get there:
- Nissan themselves are eager to get these LEAFs off dealer lots to make room for the next-generation version. So eager, in fact, that the company is offering $7,500 in customer cash right off the bat.
- If you’re an Illinois resident, you could get another $4,000 from the state if you buy between now and April 30th.
- Finally, if you’re a ComEd commercial customer you can score a third rebate — this one good for up to $7,500 if you spend more than 50% of your time driving the vehicle in a low-income or “EIEC” area.
- Now, we do some math: $28,140 – 7500 – 4000 – 7500 = $9,140 … and that’s before any dealer discounts or negotiations come into play. (!)
For that $9,140 you get a smooth, capable EV with 149 miles of range* whose only real shortcomings are its relatively slow charging speed* compared to something like a Hyundai IONIQ 5, of course, the CHAdeMO charging standard* that every other brand has abandoned and for which precious few public charging options exist.
And, admittedly, those are three very real, very scary asterisks.
For a business, though? For a parks district or city official or lab courier or car share service that has some dedicated parking space to put their own charging into? That’s not as much of an obstacle as it might be to you and me. Heck, a young, ambitious college student who realizes they can fit a few robot lawnmowers under the LEAF’s spacious 23.6 cubic foot (668 liters) hatch might just find the money needed to start an LLC in Illinois and find any number of fun, expressive, practical news car they can actually pay off with a part-time hustle at the 2025 Chicago Auto Show after all!
That’s my take, anyway — you can get tickets to the 2025 Chicago Auto Show here, explore ComEd’s business and public sector EV rebate program here, then let me know what you think of all these musings (and whether or not you think I could get a few Automowers into the back of a Fiat 500e) in the comments.
SOURCES | IMAGES: ComEd, Nissan, the twisted mind of Greg Lucia.
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Ava Community Energy just rolled out a new program in California that pays EV and plug-in hybrid drivers for charging their cars when electricity on the grid is cleaner and cheaper.
The new Ava SmartHome Charging program, launched in partnership with home energy analytics platform Optiwatt, offers up to $100 in incentives in the first year. And because the program helps shift home charging to lower-cost hours, Ava says drivers could save around $140 a year on their energy bills.
EV and PHEV owners who are Ava customers can download the Optiwatt app for free, connect their vehicle, and let the app handle the rest. The app uses an algorithm to automatically schedule charging when demand is low and more renewable energy is available, typically overnight or during off-peak hours.
“Ava is on a mission to provide 100% clean energy to our customers by 2030,” said CEO Howard Chang. “This new program helps us get there by giving people an easy way to charge on more renewable energy while simultaneously saving money.”
Drivers who enroll get a $75 bonus for joining, and can earn an extra $25 per year if they stay enrolled. Optiwatt shifts charging to off-peak times, and it takes into account the customer’s individual schedules and preferences.
Casey Donahue, who founded Optiwatt, says this program is a win for everyone. “We can move a lot of energy use to cleaner, more affordable times by using smart algorithms and the growing EV base,” he said. “That benefits every Ava customer.”
The program is available to most EVs and plug-in hybrids. All it takes is signing up through the Optiwatt app (iOS, Android, or web) and completing a quick verification process. Savings and rewards start right away.
The Oakland-based not-for-profit public power provider aims to enroll at least 5,000 vehicles by the end of 2025. The company says this program is the first step in a broader virtual power plant (VPP) strategy. It’s powered by Lunar Energy’s Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) platform, Gridshare, which will help Ava coordinate energy from EVs, home batteries, and more.
Ava Community Energy was founded in 2018 and now serves 2 million people in Alameda County, California, and the cities of Tracy, Stockton, and Lathrop.
Read more: California now has nearly 50% more EV chargers than gas nozzles
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Environment
Jeep is teasing the new Grand Cherokee, but where’s the EV version of its best-selling SUV?
The Grand Cherokee is due for a refresh, and we just got our first look at it. Jeep claimed “the next chapter in the story of America’s best-selling full-size SUV begins” after releasing the first official images of the updated model. When will we see the Jeep Grand Cherokee as an EV?
2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee first look
Days after revealing the new Compass, Jeep is teasing another refreshed model, its best-selling Grand Cherokee.
Although it was the best-selling full-size SUV in the US last year, the Grand Cherokee is due for an update. The latest model was launched in 2021, but Jeep added a two-row version in 2022.
It remained Jeep’s top seller in the US last year with over 216,000 models sold, but sales were down 12% compared to 2023. It was also one of the best-selling plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles, with over 27,500 4xe models
Jeep is giving us our first official look at the updated 2026 Grand Cherokee, inside and out. The first image previews the front end, which features new LED headlights and a revamped seven-slot grille, similar to the new Compass.
The interior is restyled with a simplified setup and other minor infotainment and climate control display adjustments. The preview also shows an added passenger screen.
When will Jeep launch the Grand Cherokee EV?
Jeep will continue to assemble the updated SUV in Detroit. The new 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be available as a two-row, three-row L, and a plug-in hybrid 4xe, but when will we see an EV version? The outgoing 4xe model is already one of the top three selling PHEVs in the US, so a fully electric version would make sense.
As part of its 2023 agreement with the UAW, Jeep revealed plans to launch the Grand Cherokee EV in 2027. It was scheduled to be built at the Detroit Assembly Complex, but plans have likely changed since then.
Jeep’s new Compass will be available as an EV, but only in Europe. At least for now. Stellantis halted operations at its Brampton Assembly plant earlier this year, where the Compass is built, as it “reassesses its product strategy in North America.”
For those in the US, Jeep currently offers one EV. The Wagoneer S (pictured on the left above), Jeep’s first global electric SUV, starts at $65,200 and has a range of up to 294 miles.
Later this year, Jeep is expected to launch the Recon EV (pictured on the right above), a rugged electric SUV like a Wrangler.
Jeep is currently offering employee pricing plus an extra $1,500 cash allowance on top of the $7,500 EV tax credit on 2025 Wagoneer S models. If you’re looking to snag some savings, you can use our link to find Jeep Wagoneer S models in your area today.
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Can Kia’s first electric sedan live up to the hype? After launching the EV4 in Korea, we are finally seeing it in action. A new test drive of the EV4 gives us a closer look at what to expect as Kia prepares to take it global. Here’s how it went down.
Kia EV4 test drive: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Kia claims the EV4 will “set a new standard in electric vehicles” with long-range capabilities, fast charging, and a sleek new design.
The electric sedan features a unique, almost sports-car-like profile with a long-tail silhouette and added roof spoiler.
Kia claims it is “the new look of a sedan fit for the era of electrification.” Despite its four-door design, the company is calling it a new type of sedan.
The design is not only eye-catching, but it’s also super efficient. With a drag coefficient of just 0.23, the EV4 is Kia’s most aerodynamic vehicle so far, enabling maximum driving range and efficiency.
Kia opened EV4 orders in South Korea in March, starting at about $29,000 (41.92 million won). It’s available with two battery options: 58.2 kWh and 81.4 kWh. The entry-level “Standard Air” model, powered by the 58.2 kWh battery, is rated with up to 237 miles of driving range.
The “Long-Range Air” variant starts at 46.29 million won ($31,800) and has a driving range of up to 331 miles (533 km) in Korea.
With charging speeds of up to 350 kW, the EV4 can charge from 10% to 80% in around 29 minutes. The long-range battery will take about 31 minutes.
The interior boasts Kia’s latest ccNC infotainment system with a 30″ Ultra-wide Panoramic Display. The setup includes dual 12.3″ driver displays, navigation screens, and a 5″ air conditioning panel.
With deliveries kicking off, we are seeing some of the first test drives come out. A review from HealerTV gives us a better idea of what it’s like to drive the EV4 in person.
Sitting next to Kia’s first pickup, the Tasman, the reviewer mentions the EV4 feels “particularly newer.” The test drive starts around the city with a ride quality similar to that of the K5, if not even better.
As you can see from the camera shaking, the ride feels “a bit uncomfortable” on rough roads. However, on normal surfaces and speed bumps, Kia’s electric sedan “feels neither too soft nor too hard,” just normal. The reviewer calls the EV4’s overall ride quality “quite ordinary” with “nothing particularly special about it.”
When accelerating, the electric car was smooth in the beginning but felt “a little lacking in later stages.” Overall, it should be enough for everyday use.
One of the biggest issues was that the rear window appeared too low. The rear brake lights also stick out, making it hard to see clearly through the rearview.
Keep in mind that the test drive was the Korean-spec EV4. Kia will launch the EV4 in Europe later this year and in the US in early 2026.
In the US, the EV4 will include a built-in NACS port for charging at Tesla Superchargers and a driving range of up to 330 (EPA-est) miles. Prices will be revealed closer to launch, but the EV4 is expected to start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Would you buy Kia’s electric sedan for around $35,000? Or would you rather have the Tesla Model 3, which starts at $42,490 in the US and has up to 363 miles of range? Let us know in the comments.
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