The 2026 Nissan Leaf Goes Farther On One Charge Than You Think

In our review of the new 2026 Nissan Leaf EV, SlashGear found that its range was greatly improved over the previous generation's 212 miles. The latest Leaf will take you 303 miles on a full charge in the basic and lightest S+ trim, while the top-grade  Leaf Platinum+ is rated for 259 miles with its larger wheels and array of standard equipment. As for the mid-range SV+ Leaf, its 288 mile range places it squarely between its siblings. By finally hitting a range number that it can be proud of, the new Nissan Leaf finally delivers on an old promise.  

All three current versions of the Leaf have a 75 kWh lithium-ion battery pack feeding juice to the front wheels via a 214 horsepower motor, but expected in Spring 2026 is a smaller, 52 kWh battery coupled to a less powerful 174 horsepower motor. This could allow Nissan to price this new entry-level Leaf below the $29,990 MSRP of the current S+. Even with the added destination charge of $1,495 the Leaf could price Tesla out of the market. But there's even better news for Nissan and its customers. 

In extended real-world testing, Edmunds got 310 miles from a Leaf Platinum+, a couple of long commutes beyond its 259-mile EPA estimated range. The outlet's testing team measured power consumption of 27.8 kWh per 100 miles, also better than the EPA tally of 33 kWh/100 miles. The difference in results is likely due to how the EPA and Edmunds test EVs. While EPA testing is largely laboratory-focused, Edmunds' team starts with a fully charged battery and drives on city roads and highways until it's nearly empty. The battery is then charged again to calculate power consumption. Edmunds also revealed that it plans to test the other two Leaf variants similarly.

Like many other EVs on the market, the 2026 Nissan Leaf has a NACS (North American Charging System) port for fast charging at Tesla Superchargers and other compatible chargers. Nissan's decision to include the NACS plug came too late to adapt it for anything other than Level 3 charging, so engineers added a separate J1772 charging port for Level 1 and 2 charging. The maximum charging rate with NACS on a fast charger is 150 kilowatts (kW), which should get you from 10% to 80% in about 35 minutes.

Inside, the base Leaf S+ comes with two 12.3" displays and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The SV+ and Platinum+ screens are upgraded to 14.5" and have wireless phone charging plus Google Assistant and Google Maps. The Platinum+ also gets a Bose 10-speaker audio system, an upgrade from the S+'s 4 and SV+'s 6 speakers. All three Leaf trims come with a Wi-Fi hotspot and a free 30-day trial for AT&T service to keep it connected to the internet.