September 15, 2025 - Nissan's Pioneering EV Is Reborn

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for September 15, 2025, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry.  

In late 2010, Nissan launched what was arguably the first relatively affordable, mainstream, modern electric vehicle, the Leaf. That compact hatchback was priced starting at about $32,500 which could be $25,000 or less with federal and state tax incentives. From its launch until about 2017 when Tesla launched the Model 3, the Leaf was consistently the best selling EV in the world. 

The first generation Leaf had a range of only 73 miles on the US EPA driving cycles, but due to the decision to save on cost by using an air cooled battery pack, Leafs used in hot weather environments like Arizona or Southern California often had significant degradation of the battery pack leading to reduced range. Over the next 15 years, Nissan reskinned the Leaf and increased the size of the battery with the most recent Leaf plus going about 220 miles per charge. 

This month, Nissan is launching an all-new 2026 Leaf that is based on the architecture of the larger Ariya that debuted in 2023. It features new crossover like styling and an all-new powertrain and battery. At launch, their will be three trim levels, S+, SV+ and Platinum+ all with a 75-kWh liquid cooled battery pack. The base S+ with 18-inch wheels has a range of 303 miles and a starting price of just $31,485 including the delivery. The top Platinum+ with 19-inch wheels and more features goes for $40,485 delivered. The new thermal management means that heat degradation should no longer be an issue and the upper trims also include a battery heater to enable faster charging in cold weather. 

I recently had a chance to drive the new Leaf and while the old version was competent but dull, the new car has much better handling is actually rather fun to drive. With a starting price of just over $30,000 and 300 miles of range even without incentives, it is now pretty much at price parity with competitive gasoline crossovers and should be a very appealing option for many car buyers. For those looking for an even lower entry price, there will be a base S model with a 52 kWh battery coming in spring 2026. That model will likely get about 220-230 miles of range and cost about $27-28,000. 

Thanks for listening.