Have you actually received quotes from the dealers you are comparing? I ask because I found high variation in assumptions that were made for prices shown online. Some dealers had gone out of their way to show every possible discount or tax savings as though it came off the price of the car, even though not every situation qualifies for every possible discount. I considered it rather disingenuous for them to quote as a retail price the net after $7,500 federal tax credit, even though they have no idea whether I have an income or not.
I plotted a route 4 or 5 charges away from my home to try and save a bit, but in the end decided I did not want my first experience with my new BEV to be one full of anxiety. Also found the quoted prices were not real. Internet contact resulted in a lot of offers for me to stop over and test drive it. They didn't seem to get that I'm not gonna go 350 miles for a test drive until they give me a genuine offer.
My local dealer had some on order that were not shown on the website. They allow purchasers to charge any time. The money stays local. It should arrive in a few weeks. Can't wait! I also got them to open their charge stations to anyone. Read more:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17476&p=386136#p386136. So helps me feel that my local buying power went to help the local community.
One reason for buying a BEV is that you are tired of spending $50-$100/month to subsidize the lifestyle of some Saudi prince. The money leaves the country, every month, and doesn't come back. It is often argued that the zero emission claim is just shifting the emissions to the power plant. That's another debate. But, without making any claim on emissions reductions, I can tell you I'd rather pay $15/month for electricity that is largely produced using coal mined by a tax-paying mine worker in Montana, then pay $65/month for oil (even though, with sufficient environmental destruction, there is a lot of oil in North Dakota). ...and my electricity is getting cleaner over the life of my car. So if you really demand emissions reduction, I'm giving you a single point to optimize. You aren't going to make an emissions dent using any oil-based method. Anyway, applying the same concept to your vehicle purchase, buy local. Get formal quotes from the others and make them at least match them.