2026 Nissan Leaf First Drive Review: Better Everything, Same Price

Quick: name a product you still buy today, that cost the same as it did in 2017, but is better in every way?

Not an easy ask, as it? Arizona Iced Tea hasn’t changed in decades, but even that might see a MSRP adjustment northward in response to the Trump administration’s tariffs.

And yet in America, the 2026 Nissan Leaf will arrive carrying the same base sticker price as the last model, which showed up in late 2017. I spent a day with the first third-generation EV on the market to figure out not only if it’s better than what came before—it is—but whether it can compete in the $30,000 to $40,000 scene sans incentives.

Pretty much everything. The platform is a modified version of the one found in the Ariya, shrunken down for Leaf duty. Meanwhile the batteries are embiggened: at launch it’s all 75.0-kilowatt-hour (net) lithium-ion packs, though a 52.0-kWh setup is expected further down the road. The old CHAdeMO charger is gone; the Leaf now has two, with an AC port on one side and a North American Charging Standard (NACS) setup on the other. The exterior design is dramatically different, as Nissan reframes its entry-level EV as a crossover. Big changes happen inside too, as the Leaf adopts a diet-Ariya look to its cabin design, with an expected leap forward in standard and available technology.

The headline figure is an excellent 303 miles of range for the $31,485 (including destination) price of the S+ model. Unfortunately, Nissan did not have any of these steel-wheeled, cloth-seated examples at this drive event, only the loaded, $40,485 Platinum+ trim.

As Mike Schlee pointed out in our initial hands-on preview of Leaf 3.0, the latest model isn’t actually bigger than the one it replaces despite the reclassification. Okay, it is wider—by nearly an inch at 71.3 inches—but it is stubbier (173.4 inches long) and shorter (61.3 inches tall). It also has less ground clearance (5.3 inches). No doubt that last figure, along with the more curvy shape, contributes to a Leaf-best 0.26 drag coefficient.

In person, the Leaf feels right-sized and accessible. The shape has plenty of Tesla Model Y vibes to it, but the detailing is of course very different. Nissan has evolved the Ariya’s face with more, uh, leaf-shaped headlights, with a body-color shield sitting between the upper and lower connecting trim. There’s a hint of new Murano to that top trim piece, too. Clean surfacing is the name of the game here, and higher trims feature a black-painted roof to match the lower cladding, visually pulling weight out of the shape and accentuating the length. Around back there is a pronounced curved lip atop a substantial bit of black trim, which houses a set of very cool taillights. Inspired by the the Z, these lighting units feature two horizontal bars and three vertical ones. In Japanese, “two is “ni” and “three” is “san”—it’s a fun Easter egg Nissan has employed on various production and race cars over the years. My only quibble is that the casings aren’t as dark as the surrounding trim: when the lights are off, the overall rectangular shape looks pasted onto the rear.

Platinum+ models like this ride on large 19-inch alloys, which feature a funky design with its own take on the two-three motif. Overall, I think the new Leaf looks great: funky but in a more confident way than the droopy original, and more daring than the anonymous second-gen, which always felt like an over-correction.

Those big alloys eat into available range: the Platinum+ drops to a quoted 259 miles. Yes, you’re giving up roughly 15-percent of available range for the coolness factor. Our drive route was varied, taking in highway, mountain climbs (and descents), and some very mildly congested city driving. Through it all, the Leaf was showing efficiency numbers on par with that figure. The battery’s new liquid-cooling system should provide more consistency across ambient temperature ranges than the outgoing model’s air-cooled setup; a heat pump is standard on SV+ and Platinum+, while a battery heater is optional. Fast-charging now caps at a useful 150 kW, enough to do the 10-to-80 percent recharge in a little over half an hour.

With 214 horsepower coursing through its front wheels, the Leaf is fully capable of slicing and dicing through city streets and easily getting up to highway pace. Power comes on quickly and with nothing more than a light hum, with a slight bit of programmed ramp-up to avoid any low-speed jerkiness. That’s not to say the little faux-crossover can’t get scrappy: on two separate occasions both my driving partner and I chirp the tires when pulling tight turns at intersections. Whoops—that’s what 261 pound-feet will do.

Somewhat controversially, the latest Leaf foregoes full one-pedal driving, even though the previous model had it. Drivers can still adjust the amount of regenerative braking via paddles on the wheel, and prod the dash-mounted button for E-Step, which is the maximum level and otherwise unobtainable via the paddles. At a pre-drive question session, Nissan folks played coy about the eventual addition of proper one-pedal.

There is one way the new Leaf conforms to crossover expectations: it is substantially heavier than the old hatchback. At 4,369 pounds in plush Platinum+ trim, it has packed on 469 lb over the previous model’s top SV Plus trim. Most of the weight is down low, and the weight balance has shifted rearward slightly, so the Leaf remains an easy car—sorry, crossover—to place on the road.

This is also one of the least-sporty vehicles on the market. (And that’s okay!) While our drive route takes us through some deliciously twisty roads outside of San Diego, the Leaf does not feel comfortable here. Body roll is well contained, but the slow steering means many corners require a few “bites” to find and hold the desired line. There is little feedback from the rim either—also fine, and to be expected for the Leaf’s lot in life. When I do need to actually make use of the left pedal, the brakes are progressive and easy to modulate.

Let’s be real: ain’t nobody hustling a Leaf around like the local avenue’s an autocross. That is not its purpose—we just drove the route Nissan gave us.

It’s in the cities and on the highways where the Leaf excels. Nissan has given the new model a multi-link rear suspension, replacing the old torsion beam for a more sophisticated drive. The ride has a slightly firm, reassuring edge to it; I’d be curious how the smaller wheels and their increased sidewalls might sand that off. There’s very little wind noise, or much noise in general, a distinct EV advantage at an end of the market littered with coarse gas engines and buzzy continuously variable transmissions. Only big potholes send any significant sounds into the cabin.

The ’26 Leaf is a great example that spec sheets aren’t everything. Before the drive, I clocked the reductions in headroom and notably rear legroom, which drops to a coupe-like 31.8 inches. Yet getting into the front seat, adjusting to my 5’10” frame, and then sitting in the back proved it was easily adult-friendly. My hair just brushed the headliner too, and this tester had the fancy-pants glass roof which shaves 0.6 inches off the 37.2 inches of rear headroom found in lesser trims. The neat electrochromatic glass go from opaque to transparent in a press of a button, and it’s even sectioned so front or rear passengers can benefit. Do you want less headroom for more natural light? The front seats are very comfortable by dint of Nissan’s Zero Gravity design, though only the driver’s is power-adjustable.

Cargo volume is also down a bit, at least with the seats up: just 20 cubic feet, no doubt due to the curvy rear end. Fold the seats flat—actually flat, unlike the previous Leaf—and the space opens up to 55.5 cubes.

The rest of the interior is arguably a bigger jump forward than anything else on this model. A twin-level dashboard design wraps around to the doors, emphasizing the newfound width of the cabin. A neppy knit texture lines the dashboard and door panels, while the artificial leather is a blend Nissan is calling TailorFit, claiming it is softer than leather and better resists wrinkling, while also being more durable than PVC. It has a dark blurple hue with a hint of metallic—whatever it is, it has real style.

Nissan has kept physical buttons to a minimum here, with a push-button shifter housed alongside the drive mode and E-Step buttons. Above are a few more, and then a touch-sensitive row of climate controls embedded in the dashboard similar to the Ariya’s setup. The dual-level center console provides usefully-sized cupholders, a wireless charger that nearly keeps phones out of view, and a small storage cubby.

Even the standard Leaf ships with a twin 12.3-inch screen setup, borrowed from the Ariya. The Platinum+ grows them both to 14.3 inches, and runs an improved operating system that may not be the prettiest, but proves quick and responsive all the same. The main screen utilizes tiles for the most-used features, and a row of menu buttons remains on screen at all times, even with (wireless) Apple CarPlay or Android Auto running. The steering wheel controls are contextual, making it easy to flit between the central screen or the instrument cluster, tailoring either as needed.

The 10-speaker Bose sound system is merely okay, though the ability to have navigation instructions beamed into the headrest-mounted speakers—but otherwise unheard in the cabin—is neat. The head-up display is also useful and easy to read.

Nissan offers up practically all of its many safety assists across the board here: yes, even base models benefit from a 360-degree camera, something you won’t even find on a loaded Honda CR-V. Literally the only exception is front-facing parking sensors: those are on SV+ and Platinum+ only. An Intelligent Route Planner lets drivers set the navigation and adjust the trip-end state-of-charge too, though this requires a subscription (a year is included at purchase). Plug & Charge is also standard, while the Platinum+ adds V2L capability with cabin outlets and up to 3.45 kW of AC power.

The 2026 Nissan Leaf is an important vehicle, not just for a market craving more affordable options, but as a reminder that Nissan can be right on the cutting edge—as the original model showed 15 years ago. Without incentives to lean on, the Leaf must stand on its own merits against a gaggle of gas and hybrid competitors. Yes, you can still get more space or pace for similar coin, but with its refined ride, stylish cabin, and general ease of use, the 2026 Leaf could very well draw people into the EV life. And leave more money for Arizona Iced Teas.

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