The Nissan Leaf Is Back and Better Than Ever and the Timing Couldn’t Be Worse

Sometimes the early bird does not get the worm.The Nissan Leaf was the first mass-market electric vehicle of the 21st century. It launched in 2010 with much fanfare as then-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn proclaimed global annual sales would reach 500,000 within two years. It never came close. Despite building the Leaf at factories in Japan, the U.K., and Tennessee, Nissan ultimately took 10 years to reach 500,000 cumulative sales.In retrospect, it is easy to see why. The original Leaf was a subcompact economy car that resembled a blobfish, had a 73-mile driving range and cost $34,000 before deducting tax credits, which is equivalent to roughly $50,000 today.It was everything EV critics griped about, and — as if the public charging infrastructure weren’t sparse enough at the time — it used a type of DC fast charging plug that was popular in Japan, but rare in America, further limiting its usability. Even EV advocates couldn’t get behind it. Fewer than 10,000 were sold in the U.S. in 2011, and just 30,200 in 2014, many to government fleets. The accountants never saw a number that high again.The Leaf is equipped with a Tesla-style NACS charging port. NissanIt didn’t help that a year after the Leaf arrived, Tesla debuted the Model S, which changed everything for EVs. The sedan had style, speed, a 265-mile range and its own convenient charging network. Sure, it cost nearly three times more than a Leaf, but customers got their money’s worth and then some. It was decidedly cool and set a new bar for expectations. In 2015 it outsold the Leaf.Nissan replaced the Leaf with an all-new, more attractive second-generation model in 2018, but it only delivered 151 miles of range for $30,000, and it was yet again outshone by a Tesla. The $44,000 Model 3 beat the Leaf to market by several months with 310 miles of range and only needed three years to hit 500,000 combined sales.Now, Nissan is hoping the third time is the charm as it launches a third-generation Leaf with pricing and specifications that make it a much more formidable competitor. On paper, at least.The 2026 Leaf has a 303-mile range and starts at $31,485, which is $5,310 less than the next most-affordable EV with more than 300 miles of range: the Chevrolet Equinox EV. It is a surprisingly good price considering Nissan no longer builds the Leaf in Tennessee and imports U.S. market cars from Japan, which faces a new tariff that wasn’t in place when the car was in development. The Leaf is smaller than the Equinox EV and slightly larger than the revived Chevrolet Bolt, which lists for $28,995 with 262 miles of range.The 2026 Leaf has widescreen digital display and an energy-saving climate control system. NissanThe Leaf’s styling is modern, conventional and not at all piscine. The interior features a widescreen rectangular display for the instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system, and there is a pushbutton gear selector on the dashboard.I tested a top-of-the-line Platinum with Nissan’s synthetic TailorFit synthetic leather upholstery, a 360-degree parking camera and a head-up windshield display. However, the Platinum’s large wheels and other updates conspire to reduce the front-wheel-drive vehicle’s range to 259 miles. Fortunately, the battery didn’t lose any capacity in the sub-freezing temperatures during my week-long test.The Leaf has a few tricks to help stretch that range, including a Driver Only setting for the climate control and four heated outboard seats you can use instead of turning up the cabin heat, which does dip into the battery a bit. An efficient heat pump, rather than a radiant heating system, helps keep the draw low.Given the Leaf’s history, it is interesting to note that this new one comes from the factory with a Tesla-style NACS-type charging port on the right front fender and is compatible with Tesla’s Supercharger network. Most automakers are making this switch, as the NACS plug is the easiest to use. Nissan also includes a Level 2 port (known as a J1772) on the left side of the vehicle to accommodate old home chargers and slow AC public stations.The cargo area has reconfigurable panels that can be used to divide it into smaller compartments. Gary GasteluThe Leaf’s rear seats are snug, but no more so than expected in a vehicle this size. The cargo area’s height is compromised by the Leaf’s sloping roof, but it has a deep floor and movable panels that can be reconfigured to create bins for small items.The Leaf has a 214-horsepower motor, which is more than adequate for a vehicle of its size. Accelerating onto the highway is a breeze and an absolutely silent experience. The Platinum is equipped with a Bose audio system that incorporates speakers into the front seat headrests to fill the emptiness with crystal-clear sound.All Leafs also come standard with Nissan’s ProPilot Assist lane-centering adaptive cruise control, which requires the driver to keep their hands on the wheel, but does most of the work on well-marked roads.All told, things may have been very different for Nissan if this Leaf had been the one that went on sale in 2017, but such is the march of technology. It is a solid effort that looks especially good at the entry-level price point, but would have been a steal if the now-discontinued $7,500 federal tax credit on leases were still available.The original Leaf is considered the first mass-market electric car of the 21st century. NissanUnfortunately, Tesla is at it again and now offers a $38,630 Model 3 and a $41,630 Model Y, both with 321 miles of range, so the Leaf Platinum may not shine as brightly as it could.

The Nissan Leaf Is Back and Better Than Ever and the Timing Couldn’t Be Worse

More from the New York Sun

Florida Freeze Prompts Roundup of Cold-Stunned Iguanas as Thousands Fall From Trees

The 50,000 Dow

The Dow 50,000 Prosperity Rocket Ship

Luigi Mangione’s Jeopardy

Will the Navy End Iran’s Ability To Export Oil?

Algebra, English, and Activism: Teachers at Middle and High School Instruct Students How To Protest ICE

Ex-CNN Star Ashleigh Banfield, Savannah Guthrie’s Former Coworker, Doubles Down on Her Reporting About Brother-in-Law

Economical Horror Indie ‘The Arborist’ Outshines Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners,’ in Many Respects