"Ohhh, this is niiice."
I kept repeating that to myself when I first saw the 2026 Nissan Leaf in person, like the oft-memed Tiffany Haddish clip. I quickly learned it's hard not to love this third iteration of the Leaf. Its seats feel wonderfully comfortable, its infotainment screens are wide and immersive and its electromagnetic sunroof seemed like something meant for a far more premium car. I tested the highest-end Leaf, which retails for $38,990, but it still offers plenty of value at that price. And it makes me think the entry-level $30,000 model — which has smaller screens, cheaper seats and no sunroof — would be similarly great. Once again, the Nissan Leaf holds the crown as the ideal cheap EV.
It's easy to forget what a revolutionary vehicle Nissan's original Leaf was. Released in 2010 for under $33,000, it was the first truly affordable EV on the market. Sure it was small and didn't go very far, but Nissan eventually fixed those issues with the second-gen model (which I ended up buying earlier this year). But that came at a time when the world was more hyped to see Tesla enter the fray with cheaper cars like the Model 3 and Model Y, and the Leaf was once again overshadowed when other automakers joined the EV arena.
Nissan 90 100 Expert Score Nissan Leaf The 2026 Leaf is an excellent revamp of Nissan’s iconic EV that also manages to stick to a $30,000 starting price. Pros Attractive design
Huge infotainment screens
Long range
Solid driving performance
Relatively affordable Cons No one-pedal driving
Less storage with rear seats up $29,950 at NIssan
Now the Leaf is back and better than ever. Its compact SUV styling makes it look more futuristic than the basic hatchback design of the previous model, it can get up to 300 miles of range (up from a maximum of 212 miles with the earlier Leaf SV Plus) and it offers more cargo space with the rear seats down (55.5 cubic feet compared to 30 cubic feet). And with the Leaf's new turquoise color option, it truly stands out on the road. While it didn't turn as many heads during my testing as the VW id.Buzz, several neighbors commented that it simply looks cool.
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