The OG Mainstream EV: The 2026 Nissan Leaf
Here’s how fast the automotive world and tech move: It was 15 years ago last month that I reviewed the first practical mass-market, mass-produced electric vehicle.
It was the 2011 Nissan Leaf. It had an EPA-estimated range per charge of 73 miles and took about seven hours to recharge on a 220-volt home charger. On 110-volt household current, it was 14 hours. The public DC fast charging stations that are part of everyday life today didn’t exist then.
At the time, I was living and working in Phoenix, Arizona. The 220-volt outlet at the television station where I worked didn’t like the Leaf. It kept tripping the circuit breaker. There weren’t many options, so I white-knuckled the drive home, pulling into my driveway with only 19 miles showing on the (optimistic) range display. And, with only 110-volt current at my house, by the time I needed to leave for work the next day, I only had 55 miles of range for a 50-mile roundtrip commute.
That was then. There are few horror stories and few limitations surrounding EVs in 2026, assuming you’re not in the middle of nowhere or facing extreme weather conditions.
For 2026, there’s an all-new, third-generation Nissan Leaf. Styling is a subjective matter. The first Leaf, with its raised, bulging headlamps, was most often compared to a bullfrog. The new one is unlikely to be anyone’s idea of gorgeous, but it’s within the mainstream of modern crossover SUV design. It can go 259 miles on a charge and the new Leaf can be charged via either the Tesla Supercharger network (NACS), home AC charging (J1772), or, with an extra-cost adapter, commercial DC fast charging stations (CCS).
Why two ports instead of one and two adapters? Inside EVs reports, quoting Nissan, that the NACS port won't accept slow charging.
Performance? It’s not quick (Nissan wisely chose not to waste energy trying to rival sports cars with acceleration numbers that are all but meaningless in real-world driving), but it is certainly quicker than the Gen 1 Leaf. It rides and handles well and is an all-around pleasant car to drive.
If there’s an Achilles heel anywhere, it’s that 259 miles of range is on the low end of acceptable these days, and many EVs deliver 300 miles or more.
In fact, the Leaf has the lowest range of any EV I’ve reviewed here in the last two years, except for the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, with only 231 miles per charge and the Fiat 500e, which had only 149 (Fiat has since nudged that up to 153).
Otherwise, the 2026 Leaf is full of nice touches. Admittedly, our test vehicle was the top-of-the-line Platinum+ trim ($38,990/$40,485 including destination), with Nissan’s excellent Safety Sheild suite of active safety features, a Bose audio system with ten speakers (including in the front headrests), head-up display, rain-sensing wipers, a self-dimming panoramic glass roof, heated steering wheel and a lot more all standard (see the window sticker at the end of this review).
Our test vehicle also had some extra-cost options: $175 for a CCS charging adapter, $95 for a USB charging cable set, $345 for a floormat package (including a first aid kit and front console storage bin), $440 for a cargo package (a carpeted cargo area protector, trunk side utility bin, and removable lamp and USB charger), $300 for a battery heater and $800 for the two-tone gray with black roof paint.
Bottom line on the window sticker: $42,635.
The 2026 Nissan Leaf, despite improvements in every metric---big improvements in every metric---ends up at the back of the pack it helped create. The good news is that’s fixable. There are no fatal flaws here, just the need for either more battery capacity or newfound efficiencies to make its range competitive.
2026 Nissan Leaf at a glance:
Price: $38,990 base/$42,635 as tested
Battery: 75 kWh
Horsepower: 214
Torque: 261 lb-ft
Transmission: Direct drive
Curb Weight: 4,367 lbs.
0-60 Acceleration (Car and Driver data): 6.9 seconds
EPA Fuel Economy Estimate: 103 MPGe
EPA Range Estimate: 259 miles
Class competitors: Hyundai IONIQ 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Kia EV6, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Honda Prologue, Volkswagen ID.4
