In California, Jeep is currently offering a lease of the 2023 Wrangler 4xe for about $100 per month less than one of the equivalent non-hybrid Wrangler that bears a lower sticker price.
Looking at the overall effective monthly cost (including cash due at signing), the deal spotted by CarsDirect amounts to $399 a month for 36 months with $4,499 due at signing for the 4xe in top Willys trim, versus $531 a month for 42 months with $3,995 due at signing in base Unlimited Sport guise. That amounts to an effective monthly cost of $524 for the Wrangler 4xe lease, versus $626 for the base non-hybrid.
Even more shocking is the difference between those two deals in the actual sticker price: The Wrangler Willys 4xe starts at $56,530, including the $1,795 destination, and according to CarsDirect the lease example applies to a $60,115 SUV. On the other hand, the non-hybrid Unlimited Sport with the higher lease costs just $36,990.
2023 Jeep Wrangler Willys 4xe
This jarring bargain is made possible not by traditional lease factors—like a much higher resale value for the 4xe—but by taxpayer funds, providing an EV leasing loophole that results in a direct tax credit to Jeep’s captive finance arm. Costs in other states may be higher; Jeep clarifies that the California deal includes an additional $3,500 incentive.
The bulk of the behind-the-scene lease discount happens through the Commercial Electric Vehicle Tax Credit. While it tops out at 15% of the vehicle purchase price for plug-in hybrid vehicles, it’s going to be maxed out at $7,500 in the calculation no matter which Wrangler 4xe you choose, even considering its lower base price of $51,790 for 2024.
It’s a loophole that applies U.S. taxpayer money to EVs made overseas, as well as luxury EVs costing well beyond the price ceilings installed for the revamped EV tax credit on purchases. Here though, it happens to be a U.S.-made SUV with a relatively modest price tag.
The Wrangler 4xe is EPA-rated for 22 miles of electric range and then 20 mpg combined after you run through the charge. Over several drives of the Wrangler 4xe, Green Car Reports has found that it can simply tackle any terrain in front of it, regardless of the powertrain—and the electric propulsion might actually make things a bit easier in some kinds of off-roading.
Jeep hasn’t shied away from emphasizing the off-road capability here, and in 2021 it started offering an off-road lift kit for the Wrangler 4xe—a hybrid first. And Jeep is also offering a Grand Cherokee 4xe, which earns 25 miles of EPA range and 23 mpg combined.
2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe
The Wrangler 4xe has been the top-selling plug-in hybrid in the U.S.—even outselling the Toyota RAV4 Prime—and the 2024 Wrangler 4xe costs less than the 2023 model with the addition of a new base Sport S trim. Other additions for the 2024 model year include the addition of side-curtain airbags, and a Power Box that has four 120-volt outlets and 30 amps of total output dedicated to devices, appliances, or any of your other campsite needs when out on the trail.
