The News Wheel
No Comments

Toyota Announces 2017 Mirai Pricing—Lease Cost Goes Down

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

2016 Toyota Mirai overview

A few weeks ago, we discussed how hydrogen fuel cell cars like the Toyota Mirai might actually “be useable,” in the sense that they aren’t as expensive as they might seem initially—thanks to various tax credits and incentives—and that (perhaps not just yet, but soon) having to recharge at special hydrogen refueling stations isn’t all that inconvenient.

And it seems Toyota agrees, because it hasn’t bothered to reduce the $57,500 starting MSRP for the new 2017 Toyota Mirai, which one might assume they might have done to encourage more people to buy it.

In any case, it wouldn’t have made any sense to raise the price, as the 2017 model is identical to the 2016 version except for a new “Atmospheric Blue” color option. The Japanese automaker did make it more affordable to lease the Mirai, however, by reducing the $3,649 signing price by $1,150.


Looking for Charging Stations? Where to charge the upcoming Toyota Prius Prime


This means customers can now drive home with a 2017 Toyota Mirai for $2,499 down and $349 a month, which adds up to just $15,063 at the end of the 36-month term. That’s a pretty measly cost for a $57,500 car; then again, it wasn’t that much more expensive to lease before, yet Mirai customers were still much more likely to buy it.

That’s probably because they get all sorts of bonuses for doing so, such as an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty, ownership perks like the Mirai Complimentary Rental Experience (seven free rental days per year), and free roadside assistance and scheduled maintenance for three years. That’s in addition to getting three year’s worth of free fuel, Safety Connect and Entune, and 24/7 customer call support.

All things told, Californians wishing to buy a 2017 Toyota Mirai are looking at a possible $8,000 federal tax credit, $5,000 California rebate and access to the HOV carpool lane, and all of the other incentives Toyota is putting forward that significantly reduce the car’s cost of ownership (at least for the first three years). Between buying and leasing, we’d say the decision is a tough one.


Buying vs Leasing: Why choose one over the other?