Kelly Blue Book Forecasts Lower Resale Prices For The 2013 Nissan Leaf

William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

June 5, 2013

Kelly Blue Book expects that prices for used 2013 Nissan Leafs will be lower than the 2012 Leaf.

Announced this week, Kelly Blue Book forecasts that after three years, a 2013 Nissan Leaf will retain 35 percent of its original sticker price. That is five percent less than 2012 Leaf's resale value after three years.

A major reason for the drop is attributed to 2013's lower MSRP. A 2013 Leaf starts at $29,650, a drop of $6,400 when compared to the 2012 model. Also hurting the resale value of the Leaf are nearly new models crossing the auction block. Ricky Beggs, managing editor of Black Book tells Automotive News he has seen a number of 2011 Leafs cross the auction block with fewer than 10,000 miles, and some with as few as 1,200 miles.

"There were some Leafs purchased by a rental car company that didn't get a high amount of usage. The rental company had committed to buying, so almost immediately after the rental company took delivery they got remarketed," said Beggs.

The average price of a Leaf at auction was just $13,700 in May, according to Black Book.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.