2026 Nissan Leaf First Look: New Design, 303 Miles of Estimated Range

MotorTrend

The Nissan Leaf returns for its all-new third generation with a bunch of updates. A bigger battery means better range

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00:00Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I have always liked the Nissan Leaf. Specifically,

00:20I have always liked what it represented. First, as a pioneer of mass-produced EVs and second,

00:25as an affordable around-town car, even if its range maybe wasn't all that great. There have been two

00:30generations of Nissan Leafs, or Leafs? Anyway, that's why I'm so stoked to be here today to show

00:38you this all-new third-generation 2026 Nissan Leaf. The Nissan Leaf should go down in history as one

00:48of those cars whose generations look nothing alike. See, the first generation was kind of goofy

00:54looking. Second generation, very conservative, but this third generation, for sure the most

00:59expressive one. Starting from the front, you've taken these cool three-dimensional headlights. There

01:04is this protruding front badge and a very downward sloping nose for increased aerodynamics. And now,

01:09sweeping over to the side, your standard wheel is going to be 18 inches, but this one wears 19s

01:14because it's a higher trim. You get flush door handles because of aerodynamics. And also, you'll

01:20just notice that it is a lot bigger than it was. The footprint still remains car-like, but definitely

01:25there's more height here, which should translate to better interior volume. There is a pillar-mounted

01:30door handle here, a la Toyota CH-R. And around the back, I really like this taillight signature. It looks

01:37like the one from the Nissan Z, and that is no bad thing. But the most important thing about the new Leaf

01:42is its charging ports. Yes, there are two. The first one here on the driver's side is your J1772 port,

01:50which you'll be familiar with in the last Nissan Leaf. But over here on the passenger side is the

01:56NAXPORT, NACS, North American Charging Standard, AKA the Tesla port. This means that you can charge this

02:02car at all compatible Tesla superchargers, bringing a new level of convenience to ownership.

02:08Built on Nissan's CMF EV platform that already underpins the Ariya, the new Leaf posts far

02:16improved figures over the current Leaf. At launch, the new Leaf will be offered with the bigger 75

02:22kWh battery that's good for projected 303 miles of range in the S Plus trim, 288 miles in the SV Plus

02:31trim, and 259 in the Platinum Plus trim. Power will come to a claimed 214 horsepower and 261 pound-feet

02:41of torque. Later on, the S trim will launch with the smaller 52 kWh battery, which Nissan hasn't yet

02:48provided range estimates for. However, the Leaf S will make a claimed 173 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of

02:57torque. Finally, all Leaf models will be front-wheel drive only. There will be no optional all-wheel drive.

03:06Just for some context, the current Leaf has either a 40 kWh battery with 147 horsepower and a range of just

03:14under 150 miles or a 62 kWh battery with 214 horsepower and a range of a little more than 210 miles.

03:26Now it is time to look inside. So right away, you can tell, thanks to the skateboard design,

03:34it is quite spacious in here. That flat floor is indeed very nice. I really like this two-tone

03:43upholstery situation that's going on. It is not leather for the record, it's imitation leather,

03:47but it still feels very nice and supple to the touch. Also very cool textured effects here, your nice

03:56sound system and the headrests. That's optional, that's not standard. Now, from the driver's seat,

04:05at first pass, the visibility does seem pretty good, at least out the front. I mean, the back,

04:10yeah, it's got big pillars back there, it'll be a little more difficult. But out the front,

04:16you can get the seat nice and high so you can see over the hood and the dashboard is nice and low,

04:20so it's not in your direct line of sight. You've got twin digital displays. Google apps are native

04:28on the higher trims. The screens are pretty bright, easy to read. You have your button shifters right

04:37here, your e-step mode right here, climate up here, that's fixed, that won't go anywhere. You got a volume

04:45knob. Down here you've got a little cubby for something small, two cup holders, and your wireless

04:52phone charging pad, which as a little easter egg you can see has a ginkgo leaf design, which is a nod

04:59back to Nissan's heritage, and another little cubby right here. But the beauty of the flat floor is not

05:08just extra storage, it's also, in a pinch, an emergency exit if you need to. So we're gonna use

05:16it to go check out the back row. So in the past, in the Nissan Leaf, you kind of always felt like you

05:23were sitting on top of a battery pack. Let's see if that's the case here. No, it feels good. It feels

05:30comfortable. The seats are upright, they're supportive, there's good thigh support, there is climate back

05:35here, as well as heated seats. But again, this is a high trim, so that probably won't be the case on

05:41all leaves. The leg room, it's not bad, right? I mean, again, not tall, but it's also not terrible

05:50in here. There is pretty good headroom as well, so our taller friends won't be scraping their

05:58noggins on the ceiling. And look at this panoramic roof. Wow, it lets in so much light.

06:05So there's only one trunk on the Leaf, seeing as the front is being used for all the HVAC stuff.

06:11It's the only rear trunk, and here it is. It's decent, you know? It's got the hatch opening.

06:15For added convenience, these seats all fold down flat, so there's even more depth than what is

06:20already being shown here. There's good width. And if you need additional storage, this floor

06:26lifts up, so you can access that space down there.

06:28When it debuted as an EV in a totally combustion engine world back in 2010, the Leaf was a bold move.

06:38No one was thinking about mass producing an EV, so Nissan actually had a pretty significant head

06:44start with the Leaf. It even picked up a pretty loyal following. But as more and more EVs arrived on the

06:51scene, the Leaf's short range kept it from being truly competitive, even among the more affordable models.

07:00Today though, there is absolutely room for a new and revamped Leaf. I mean, I haven't driven it yet,

07:05but just based on what I've seen, it's spunky, it's plucky, and you just have to pay attention to it.

07:11Plus, with the increased range, this thing is finally competitive, and I think there is a real

07:15desire for a small, maneuverable EV in the face of all the behemoth options like the Rivian R1S and

07:22Hummer EV. Two outstanding unknowns. First, how much it'll cost, which we won't find out until a later

07:27date, and also how it drives. But for now, head on over to MotorTrend.com to find out everything we know

07:34thus far on the 2026 Nissan Leaf. And thank you so much for watching. We will catch you on the next one.

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