Nissan Leaf
What it costs to keep fuelled
$429a year, fuel only
The 2018 Nissan Leaf is EPA-rated at 112 MPGe combined (125 city / 100 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 134 gallons, $429 a year in fuel, or $0.029 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2011–2018 run it averages 109.3 MPGe, improving by 13 MPGe over 7 model years.
The band is how far one gallon-equivalent of energy carries it: 112 of the 120 MPGe this scale runs to. The square tick is the midsize cars average, 26.9.
- Fuel, per year
- $429 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.029
- Per kilometre
- $0.018
- Gallon-equivalents/yr
- 134
1 mile = 1.609344 km · fuel at $3.20/gal, fixed JUL 2026
MPGe — not a fuel billSOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Start from the EPA combined figure for the model year — a laboratory test cycle run to a fixed procedure, not a road result. Where a year sold several engines or drivetrains, the trims are averaged and the trim count is printed beside the row so you can see how much averaging is behind it.
- Fix a pump price. This site keeps one reference price, $3.20 a US gallon, fixed JUL 2026 and printed next to every dollar figure it produces. It is an assumption with a date on it, not a quote — put your own price in.
- Fix an annual distance. Every annual figure on this site uses 15,000 miles a year, roughly the US average. A cost per year with no stated distance is not a number, it is a mood.
- Divide distance by economy for gallons, multiply by price for the year's fuel, divide price by economy for one mile. The per-kilometre line is that last figure divided by 1.609344 — the same money, in the unit most of the world drives in.
- Stop there. No depreciation, no tyres, no insurance, no servicing. This is the fuel line of the ledger and it is labelled as one; depreciation usually dwarfs everything on it.
gallons/yr = miles/yr ÷ MPG fuel $/yr = gallons/yr × $/gal cost $/mi = $/gal ÷ MPG cost $/km = cost $/mi ÷ 1.609344
The full method, the licence note, and what a test figure cannot tell you →
Re-run the ledger at another pump price
Every line above rests on one pump price. Here is the same entry re-costed at six others, because the price is the part that changes while the test sheet stays put.
| Fuel price | Per mile | 10,000 mi/yr | 15,000 mi/yr | 20,000 mi/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.50/gal | $0.022 | $223 | $335 | $446 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.027 | $268 | $402 | $536 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.029 | $286 | $429 | $571 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.031 | $313 | $469 | $625 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.036 | $357 | $536 | $714 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.040 | $402 | $603 | $804 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.045 | $446 | $670 | $893 |
This is an electric vehicle, so the EPA rates it in MPGe — the distance it travels on the energy equivalent of a gallon of petrol. The dollar figures above are a petrol-equivalent illustration only; charging at home is billed per kWh and is normally far cheaper. Treat the MPGe as an efficiency comparison, not a fuel bill.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The whole service history, sheet by sheet
7 model years on file. Read down the combined column: a nameplate that got heavier shows it here long before any brochure admits it.
| Year | Combined | City | Highway | EPA fuel cost/yr | CO₂ g/mi | Trims |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 112 MPGe | 125 | 100 | $700 | — | 1 |
| 2017 | 112 MPGe | 124 | 101 | $650 | — | 1 |
| 2015 | 114 MPGe | 126 | 101 | $650 | — | 1 |
| 2014 | 114 MPGe | 126 | 101 | $700 | — | 1 |
| 2013 | 115 MPGe | 129 | 102 | $650 | — | 1 |
| 2012 | 99 MPGe | 106 | 92 | $750 | — | 1 |
| 2011 | 99 MPGe | 106 | 92 | $750 | — | 1 |
Where a model year offered several engines or drivetrains, the figure is the average across all EPA-tested trims that year — the trim count is shown so you can see how much averaging is involved.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Marked against the rest of the midsize cars bay
Among the 261 midsize cars models tracked here, the Nissan Leaf ranks 3 on current figures, against a class average of 26.9 MPGe — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD (128), Hyundai Ioniq Electric (133).
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Nissan Leaf get?
The 2018 Nissan Leaf is rated at 112 MPGe combined by the EPA — 125 city and 100 highway. Across all 7 model years in the database it averages 109.3 MPGe, ranging from 99 to 115 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Nissan Leaf cost in fuel per year?
At 112 MPGe and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 134 gallons — roughly $429 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.029 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2018 model is $700.
Has the Nissan Leaf become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 99 MPGe in 2011 to 112 in 2018 — an improvement of 13 MPGe, or 13% across 7 model years.
Is the Nissan Leaf efficient for its class?
It ranks 3 of 261 in the Midsize Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 26.9 MPGe. That is 85.1 better than typical for the class.
Pull another logbook off the same shelf
Same class, nearest economy first — the ones a buyer is genuinely choosing between.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Cost per mile, per kilometre and per year are computed at a reference price of $3.20 a gallon over 15,000 miles, fixed JUL 2026 — set your own pump price. Estimates based on official test figures and average fuel prices. Real-world consumption varies with driving style, load, terrain and maintenance.
