5 Surprising Vehicles the 2026 Nissan Leaf Undercuts

Nissan's reborn Leaf undercuts some impressive cars and SUVs.

The 2026 Nissan Leaf is a screaming deal. The Japanese brand has priced its third-generation all-electric model from a surprising $31,485 including destination in America, which is less than what the original listed for in 2011. For that money buyers aren't getting some cut-price special to hit a target, either: every model at launch will offer a 75.0-kilowatt-hour battery pack and 214 horsepower. The entry-point S+ trim will be the range champ too, clocking in 303 miles (488 kilometers) of range. Even the top Platinum+ trim only just cracks $40 grand in America.

To get a handle on where the Leaf will fall in the broader car market, we've collected five vehicles across multiple segments—cars, crossovers, gas, electric—that have MSRPs in the same ballpark.

We start off with what is currently the most affordable electric vehicle on the market, the Fiat 500e. The cute city car goes big on style but comes up short in every measurable way against the Leaf. Not only is it smaller, it has much less power (117 horsepower, 162 pound-feet of torque) and less than half the available single-charge range (149 miles / 240 kilometers). As a second, city-bound vehicle it makes a certain amount of sense—and despite those modest figures, it’s fun to wheel around—but the little Italian option can’t offer the one-car answer the Leaf looks likely to.

So you want to stick to electric, but want more vehicle? The Hyundai Kona Electric is a solid option, with a similar footprint to the third-generation Leaf in the same sort-of-crossover shape. Like the Nissan (and Fiat) it is a strictly front-drive affair, too. In America, Hyundai offers the Kona Electric in a budget-friendly SE trim for $34,470 including destination, but this trim gets saddled with a smaller battery pack than its siblings (48.6 kilowatt-hours against 64.8), and a less powerful motor (133 hp). It improves on the Fiat’s range with an even 200 miles (322 km). Okay, so we’re at two-thirds of the Leaf’s range now…

It’s clear the Leaf has its electric competitors licked on paper, so how about gas-powered options? The Kia Seltos SX won our last sub-compact mega comparison, offering big space and lots of tech. The fully-loaded SX model nets the turbo engine, which should make the Seltos comparably quick in a straight line, not to mention the useful addition of standard AWD. Buyers will get a lot more creature comforts this way, too. The flip-side is the Kia’s weak 25 mpg average rating: that means it barely beats the Leaf with a single-tank range of about 330 miles (531 km).

Electric cars are often compared to premium products because of their typical price er, premiums… so why not cross-shop the Acura Integra? It’s newly freshened up, and as a front-drive liftback, it’s really not all that different from the Leaf. A base model now runs $34,595, which will net buyers a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine with 200 horsepower hooked up to a continuously variable transmission. The Integra is the range champ of this round-up, clocking in at 409 miles (658 km).

There aren’t any vehicles more mainstream than the Honda CR-V. The fifth-best selling vehicle in America in 2024 shifted over 400,000 units, so yeah, they’re everywhere. And yet not a single trim can be had for less than the Leaf’s entry price. That’s right: for 2026 the CR-V lineup starts at $32,370 including destination, netting buyers a front-drive LX model. You’re going to get more room (and more range) than you’ll find from the Leaf, so at least there’s that. Get used to being mistaken for an Uber driver, though.

We had to throw this in here: while a basic Mini Cooper Hardtop 2-Door C will undercut the new Leaf, that's only if you find a unicorn without a single option. Add anything else, and your little British-but-not-really hatchback is now pricier than a 214-horsepower, 300-mile-range Nissan EV. Ouch.

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