Nissan has been known for its iconic vehicles, including the Sentra, Altima, Maxima, and Z, over its long and illustrious history of building and selling cars. Now, another name aims to be added to the list, with the latest, 3rd-generation Leaf EV. The 2026 Leaf EV was announced in June and is now available, seeking to fill the void left by the 30K EV.
The 2026 model retains its previous crossover style with a redesigned, aerodynamic design. On the outside, it has motorized flush door handles in front and hidden rear door handles. While the Leaf SV+ has 18-inch alloy wheels, the Leaf Platinum+ sits on 19-inch wheels. On the inside, the Leaf’s dashboard and infotainment system are comprised of dual 14.3-inch screens and are powered by Google with Google Maps, Google Assistant, and access to the Play Store within the SV+ and Platinum+ trims. The S and S+ trims have dual 12.3-inch screens with wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. The higher Platinum+ is armed with a Bose 10-speaker sound system, which includes front headrest speakers. Additionally, there’s a trunk area, which has up to 55.5 cubic feet of space behind its second-row seats.
As far as charging, it provides up to 303 miles of range per charge on a 75 kWh, liquid-cooled battery with a 214 hp electric motor. Its battery can also be recharged at compatible Level 3 chargers from 10% to 80% in just 35 minutes. The Leaf is also the first Nissan vehicle with Plug & Charge, which allows users to plug into a public charger and start a charging session without the need to open an app or swipe a card. Also, you have two USB-C ports in the front on all models, as the SV+ and Platinum+ models add two additional USB-C ports in the rear and a wireless phone charger.
Nissan’s Leaf isn’t shy on smart features, as it has an Intelligent Around View Monitor, which uses 8 angles for a virtual view of the car along with its surroundings when parking. Next up is Front Wide View, which gives you a wide-angle view of the front and sides. Then there’s Invisible Hood View, which provides a virtual view through its engine bay to easily view drive-thru curbs, car wash tracks, and other obstacles. It also has Intelligent Cruise Control, Secondary Collision Mitigation Braking, Automatic Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure prevention, blind spot intervention, and forward collision warning.
The 2026 Nissan Leaf will arrive in Seabreeze Blue Pearl with a black roof, Coulis Red Pearl with a black roof, Everest White Pearl Tricoat with a black roof, Boulder Gray Pearl with a black roof, Deep Ocean Blue Pearl, Everest White, Gun Metallic, and Black Diamond Pearl color options. It’s due out this fall and starts at $29,900 and maxes out at $38,990 with the S, S+, SV+, and Platinum+ trims, which is cheaper than the original 2011 model.
