The 2012 Nissan Leaf, also a five-door hatchback, is a pure battery electric car with a range of 80 to 100 miles.
Then it needs to be recharged for several hours.
It's roughly $5,000 less expensive than the Volt, not to mention a five-seat car with more load space.
The Lexus CT 200h is a compact luxury hybrid hatchback, also a compact, that delivers a genuine 40 mpg in mixed use--but doesn't plug in, at all.
If you want another plug-in hatchback with unlimited range, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid will go on sale early in 2012--but its electric range is only 9 to 13 miles, after which it turns into a regular Prius hybrid.
Finally, the low-volume and very expensive Fisker Karma is the only other extended-range electric vehicle on the market besides the Volt.
But it's all but $100,000, and it's a sleek, sexy, luxury four-door sport sedan that competes more with BMW and Mercedes-Benz for buyers than the Volt does.
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 2012 Chevrolet VoltBrowse Used Listings |  2012 Nissan LeafBrowse Used Listings |  2012 Toyota PriusBrowse Used Listings |  2012 Tesla Model SBrowse Used Listings |
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| Quick Specs | |||
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The 2012 Chevrolet Volt is the plug-in electric car you drive as far as you want--if you can find one to buy. |
The 2012 Nissan Leaf is, quite simply, the first battery electric vehicle built in volume by any major carmaker; if you can get comfortable with its range of 70 to 100 miles, it's the greenest car you can buy. |
The 2012 Toyota Prius remains the highest-mileage car offered in the U.S., and it's a practical and capacious mid-size hatchback with room for five |
The 2012 Tesla Model S sedan turns out to be a much better car than most expected; it just might meld sport-sedan driving, interior space, and comfort with zero-emission running in one revolutionary package. |
| MSRP From | |||
| $39,145 | $35,200 | $23,015 | $57,400 |
| Gas Mileage | |||
| 35 MPG City / 40 MPG Hwy | 51 MPG City / 49 MPG Hwy | ||
| Engine | |||
| Electric/Gas I4 | Electric | Gas/Electric I4 | Electric |
| EPA Class | |||
| Compact Cars | Midsize | Midsize Cars | NA |
| Style Name | |||
| 5-Door HB | 4-Door HB SV | 5-Door HB One (Natl) | 4-Door Sedan |
| Drivetrain | |||
| Front wheel drive | Front Wheel Drive | Front Wheel Drive | Rear Wheel Drive |
| Passenger Capacity | |||
| 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Passenger Doors | |||
| 4 | N/A | N/A | 4 |
| Body Style | |||
| Hatchback | 4 Door Hatchback | Hatchback | Sedan |
| Transmission | |||
| Automatic | Automatic | Continuously Variable Ratio | NA |
| Detailed Spec Comparison | |||
| 2012 Chevrolet Volt vs. 2012 Nissan Leaf | 2012 Chevrolet Volt vs. 2012 Toyota Prius | 2012 Chevrolet Volt vs. 2012 Tesla Model S | |
