The 2026 Nissan LEAF. A compact EV competitor.
A high value compact EV that is set to compete with some well known competition.
About the car
While I have not had the chance to drive it, the 2026 Nissan LEAF offers a lot of value for your car buying dollar. Consider these specs for the baseline ‘S’ trim which is to start at $29
Hardware
52kWh battery
303 miles of range (EPA estimated)
174 Horsepower
254 lb-ft torque
7.2 kW on board charger (Level 2)
NACS (Level 3) port (passenger side)
J1772 (Level 2) port (driver’s side)
10-80% in ~35 minutes (Level 3)
Vehicle to Load (V2L) via J1772 port or cargo area outlet
Portable charging cable
Safety
Blind spot monitoring
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian and bicycle detection
Automatic wipers
High beam assist
Traffic Sign Recognition
3D Intelligent Around View Monitor (360° cameras to aid parking)
Convenience
12.3” Instrument Display and Infotainment Displays
Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto
Power windows and mirrors
USB-C Ports (front)
Bottle holders (that can fit a bottle - you reading this Kia?)
You can see the full spec breakdown by following this link.
As the current owner of a 2023 Kia Niro EV in the top spec Wave trim, I can tell you that the feature set of the base LEAF is comparable to that of my Kia. Add to this, the list price of a 2023 Kia Niro Wave was $44,550 ($44,650 for 2025 models). Of course, I bought used and saved $14K. But if the fully loaded Platinum + is arriving at $38,990, you’re getting more style, more power, faster charging, and most importantly, greater range than the Kia.
The new 2026 Nissan LEAF should be a serious contender as a first or second car, have a teen driver, or you just want to stop literally burning money every time you want to get somewhere.
When the LEAF hits dealer showrooms, it will be offered in four trim levels:
Platinum+
SV+
S+
S (base)
The old leaf had two charging ports and the new LEAF carries on with dual charging ports. By the way, our Audi e-tron has the capability of hosting two charging ports, but Audi figured this was best kept for the European market.
Now think on that, two ports. The cost to install two dedicated ports, two port covers, two hinges, two runs of cable, and the cost is under $29K for the base trim. That’s impressive!
My guess is a little money was saved on the charging hardware being that it’s only 7.2kW when today, the average is 11kW. But hey, you charge it when you sleep or anytime the sun is out if you are fortunate to have solar power.
I came away truly impressed with the LEAF. What it offers for the price paid? I’ll be amazed if the sales numbers are low. Hopefully the build quality is up there enough to keep annoyances and issues to a minimum. Only time will tell.
Not having had a chance to drive the car, I can say a few reviewers have noted the ride to be inconsistent. Sharp, jouncy, and at times, jittery depending on the road surface driven upon.
Competition
The new LEAF will have some competition once it arrives on dealer lots. Later in the year, GM will release the 2026 Chevrolet Bolt (no CarPlay/Android Auto), as well as the lowest tier Chevrolet Equinox, and Kia’s Niro EV. Other possible candidates may be a small Volkswagen (likely the ID. Polo).
While the Fiat E500 and Mini EV are comparable in size, their range limitation keeps them from being considered in the same ballpark as the aforementioned vehicles.
Conclusion
The new LEAF appears to be a good value for what you will be spending. It is to be seen if the public agree.
About the shoot
The shoot for this went amazingly well considering my wife never had the chance to become familiar with our new camera prior to asking her to operate it. Regardless, she did a remarkable job managing it as seen by the footage.
For a brief moment I had thought audio was going to be an issue having gone through all the footage on an iPad I brought with me and heard nothing when playing the recording. It wasn’t until the file was imported into Final Cut Pro did I to learn the lack of audio was nothing more than a playback issue on the iPad. So happy to have clean audio with our wireless mics.
I’ll write up a post about the new kit we’ll be working with for the coming year. All in an effort to raise our production game for you, as well as build a body of work to start going after commercial work.