Turning Over an Old Leaf: Nissan Adds Leaf EV to CPO Program.

Nissan announced that it is adding the all-electric Leaf to its Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Program. Beginning this month, a certified Leaf will have a 7-year/100,000-mile warranty on its EV system and powertrain components, up from the 5-year/60,000-mile coverage offered from the original on-sale date when new.

This is in addition to the Leaf’s 8-year/100,000-mile battery-defect warranty and its 5-year/ 60,000-mile battery-performance warranty. Roadside assistance, trip interruption coverage, rental reimbursement, and 90 days of satellite radio are all included as part of the program.

To qualify, a Leaf must be less than five years old and have less than 60,000 miles on the odometer. The car must have a clean Carfax history and at least 9 out of 12 bars of battery capacity as indicated by the vehicle’s battery-capacity gauge. It also has to pass a 167-point inspection prior to certification.

Nissan is not the first in the EV world to offer such coverage. Tesla takes that honor with a specific CPO program for the Roadster (certified Roadsters have their own 37-month/37,000-mile warranty); the gas-electric Chevrolet Volt is eligible for GM’s CPO program, with 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage in addition to 8-year/100,000-mile coverage on the battery and Voltec components.

This definitely increases the comfort level for buyers of used Nissan Leafs, and other manufacturers are sure to follow suit as the fleet of used electric vehicles proliferates.