“I’m going to buy that.”
That’s what a rideshare driver told me after I pulled up in the third-generation Nissan Leaf next to his Model Y at a Supercharger on Staten Island, New York City’s most remote and often-forgotten borough. Fed up with the stiff ride of his Model Y on the city’s bumpy roads, he said he was already eyeing an exit from his Tesla, looking for cheaper, more comfortable alternatives.
It’s easy to see why he might find the Leaf appealing. Its $31,485 starting price (including destination), a maximum range of over 300 miles and the Tesla-style charging port impressed him. When I told him that the ride quality was a league above the old Model Y, he was convinced that the Nissan should be his next ride.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
This was one of half a dozen conversations I had with EV drivers during the week of testing and charging the Leaf. The fresh design and the press loaner’s turquoise color meant drivers walked up to it, clicked pictures, peeked inside and threw questions at me.
One dude asked me if I could wait five extra minutes so he could call his friend and show him the new Leaf. (I couldn’t. Sorry, man!)
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Source: Suvrat Kothari
Before you accuse me of doing the work for Nissan dealerships for free, hear me out: Talking to EV drivers at crowded charging stations in America’s largest city has become one of my favorite rituals while testing new vehicles. It serves as a vibe-check for these cars and a reminder of what people really care about. Price, range and charging speeds are top concerns. But comfort and ride quality are important, too.
Rideshare drivers spend long hours in their cars, and it still baffles me that thousands of them put up with the older Model Y, which rides like a shopping cart. That’s been largely fixed on the new-generation Model Ys, but they aren’t exactly cheap right now—unless you want to opt for the cheaper, new one that has a worse suspension. Or you shop elsewhere.
Like the first and second generation Leafs, Nissan has positioned the third generation model as a people’s car, with a starting price that’s about $16,000 less than the average transaction price of EVs in the U.S., which was $56,328 in September, according to Cox Automotive. Now reimagined as a crossover, it sets a new benchmark for affordable EVs in America without cutting corners on things that matter the most.
After a week behind its wheel, I walked away with five things I admired about it and two things that bugged me.
(Full Disclosure: Nissan loaned me the 2026 Leaf for a week in New York City. It arrived with a full charge, and I returned it likewise. It was a pre-production prototype.)
Why I Loved The New Nissan Leaf
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
The first-generation Leaf was a city car with slightly over 70 miles of range. But it became iconic as the first mass production EV from a major automaker. Nissan improved the second-generation Leaf, giving it a larger 62-kilowatt-hour battery for more than 200 miles of EPA range.
But Nissan shipped both models with the CHAdeMO charging port, a Japanese-developed connector which isn’t as ubiquitous as the CCS or the Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports on this side of the planet. It’s a format largely being rendered irrelevant soon. Only about 8,800 CHAdeMO Level 2 and DC fast-charging ports remain in the U.S., according to the Alternative Fuels Data Center. That seriously limits the old Leaf’s road-tripping capabilities. By comparison, America has 74,300 Level 2 and DC fast-charging ports (NACS + CCS) publicly available as of writing.
The new Leaf will finally be able to take advantage of this growing network. It gets the Tesla-style NACS port right from the factory for seamless Supercharger access. The base S+ trim has 303 miles of range, whereas the top Platinum+ that I drove had 259 miles of range, which was still more than adequate.
And it’s incredibly efficient, sipping electrons instead of gulping them.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
After 300 miles of mixed city and highway driving, the Leaf averaged more than 3.5 miles per kilowatt-hour. It even nudged up to 3.9 miles/kWh and would have crossed 4.0 miles/kWh had I not indulged in Sport mode so often, which sharpened the throttle and delivered the back-shoving acceleration.
Granted, the testing conditions were favorable at about 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. In that weather, the 75 kWh pack is basically living its best life, since the thermal management system doesn’t have to work extra hard to warm the battery up or cool it down.
The real stress test will come in the dead of winter. But the good news is that the Leaf now gets battery preconditioning, which warms (or cools) the pack before plugging in to ensure faster, more efficient charging. The not-so-good news is that you need a $300 battery heater add-on for that, but that should be worth it if you live in colder regions.
Aerodynamics also plays a big role here. The Leaf’s smooth bodywork gives it a drag coefficient of 0.26, right up there with pricier EVs like the refreshed Tesla Model Y (0.22) and Mercedes EQS (0.20). That slipperiness pays off on the road. It glides and coasts effortlessly on flat stretches with light throttle inputs when regenerative braking is turned off.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
Its single front-axle motor puts out 214 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque. For an EV tipping the scales between 3,955 and 4,369 pounds, depending on equipment, the Leaf’s power output might look modest on paper. But it delivered ample verve in the real world.
The torque is enough to spin up the front tires—Bridgestone Alenzas (235/45 R19)—under hard acceleration like a hot hatch. Overtakes were effortless, and it kept me ahead of traffic.
That curb weight, combined with a soft suspension setup, gave it some body roll through corners. But it’s progressive and well-controlled, not the kind that makes your passengers reach for the grab handles. The damping kept the car composed even when mid-corner bumps tried to upset it. The steering was not chatty at all, but felt light and precise. And besides, it’s an affordable compact EV. Don’t expect naked athleticism here. That’s not what it’s for.
Even at higher 80-85 mph speeds, the Leaf felt planted. The only annoying bit was excessive wind noise around the front left door window beyond 50 mph. Nissan gave me a pre-production prototype, so the final production units could be quieter.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
The Leaf punches well above its weight when it comes to interior quality. Sure, there are examples of cost-cutting here and there. The door panels are molded from hard plastic, and the drive selector buttons beneath the infotainment screen, as well as the steering wheel controls, feel cheap and plasticky.
But Nissan made up for that elsewhere, particularly in the top Platinum+ trim, which starts at $38,990. At that price, you get a cabin wrapped in soft-touch materials, plush synthetic leather seats with power adjustment, lumbar support, and seat heating.
The 10-speaker Bose system delivered crisp, immersive sound, with speakers even built into the headrests. Panoramic glass roof and ambient lighting mean the Leaf’s top trim pretty much feels upscale.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
It’s well-equipped on the tech front, too. The Leaf comes with Google built in on the mid SV+ and the top Platinum+ trims, complete with native Google Maps, which allows route planning and shows charging stops along your way.
But even if you skip the pricier trims and opt for the base model, standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mean you’re not missing much.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
Nissan’s charging port choices for the new Leaf are… different. On the front right, you get a NACS port for fast charging only. On the front left, there’s a J1772 port for slower, Level 2 charging. Some EVs, like those from the Volkswagen Group, offer two charging ports on either side for garage-parking convenience. But having two different ports like this is unprecedented.
Depending on where you plug in, you might need a couple of adapters: a NACS-to-CCS adapter if you’re using a non-Tesla fast charger like Electrify America or ChargePoint, and a NACS-to-J1772 adapter if you top up at a Tesla Wall Connector or destination charger.
I know it sounds like adapter hell. But in reality, it’s not nearly that dramatic.
During my week-long test, I just ended up using Tesla Superchargers because they’re everywhere, reliable and easy to use. And now that other networks like Ionna are also rolling out NACS cables, you can skip the fast charging adapter altogether. And if you charge mostly at home, you’ll only need an adapter if your wall unit happens to have a NACS plug.
I also ran a 20-80% charging test at a V4 Tesla Supercharger stall. The Leaf peaked at its claimed 150 kW (up from 100 kW on the old model) and held that rate for several minutes before tapering off gradually. At the end, it added about 170 miles of range (observed) in 30 minutes, right in line with Nissan’s claimed 10–80% time of 35 minutes.
So rest assured that for most drivers, the charging experience will be better. The adapters are more of a just-in-case accessory than something buyers would have to worry about every day.
Where The Leaf Drove Me Nuts
The Leaf’s single wireless charging pad is neatly tucked beneath the front armrest, securing it from flying around when you’re having fun behind the wheel.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
But it’s the worst wireless charging pad I’ve used in a car. Sure, phones generally get warm due to the electromagnetic induction on these wireless pads, but this one turned my Google Pixel 9 Pro into a pocket heater while barely adding any meaningful percentage of charge.
That wasn’t it. In just a few minutes of charging, the infotainment system flashed warnings to remove the phone so Android Auto could function properly. After a few attempts, I gave up and used a cable, after which the Android Auto connection was also more stable, and spared my phone from overheating.
Toward the end of my test, wireless Android Auto simply gave up. It failed to recognize my phone, forcing me into the same tedious process of re-pairing the phone via the car’s screen.
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
My other beef was with the driver’s seat, which has a memory function, but the execution is poor. Every time I got in, the seat rested uncomfortably close to the steering wheel, different from where I left it. Thankfully, one tap of the memory button on the door panel sends it back to your saved position. But it’s annoying when you’re in a hurry.
2026 Nissan Leaf Verdict: Recommended
Photo by: Suvrat Kothari
My complaints are trivial compared to how much there is to admire about the new Leaf. At its core, this is a well-sorted car. Its design is not a carryover job like the new Bolt, nor a stripped-down compromise like the new Standard trims of the Tesla Model Y or Model 3. The Leaf is new inside and out.
The design won’t win over everyone, but it grew on me. It looks more cohesive in person than it does in photos, where it appears bulbous and stubby. The rear, where the black roof blends into the black liftgate panel, is still my least favorite angle, but it’s forgivable.
All said, Nissan understood the assignment. It feels like a breath of fresh air amid all the noise of policy uncertainty and the end of tax credits. It’s exactly the kind of EV Nissan needs to regain its mojo, and also what the broader EV market needs to continue thriving in a post-tax-credit world.
Have a tip? Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
