Nissan says that the 2026 Leaf will be able to go more than 300 miles on a single charge. We anticipate that this number will apply to a version featuring an optional larger battery pack. The new Leaf looks like an SUV, but it won’t come with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system. The Nissan Leaf was one of the first electric cars that a lot of people could buy, but it has never been known for having a long range. Invoice Pricing talked to Ponz Pandikuthira, senior vice president and chief planning officer at the New York Auto Show. He said that the new 2026 Leaf, which is due out later this year, will have a range of more than 300 miles. The EPA says the current model can only go 149 miles in base form and 212 miles in SV Plus form. This is a big improvement. Pandikuthira said that the range will be different for each version of the new Leaf, so the 300-mile range will only apply to cars that have an optional bigger battery pack. Thus, the Leaf will be able to catch up to newer, more affordable EVs with longer ranges, like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 (rated at 342) and the Chevrolet Equinox EV (rated at 319 miles). Nissan has already said that the Leaf will have a NACS charging port, which means it will work with Tesla’s Supercharger network. Pandikuthira also stated that charging times will be significantly faster. Pandikuthira says that Nissan will not make an all-wheel-drive version of the Leaf, even though the body shape of the car is changing for this generation to make it look more like a crossover. This means that it won’t have two motors like the Ariya small electric SUV. Instead, it will only have one motor and drive the front wheels. The outgoing Leaf is now the least expensive EV you can buy in the US, with a starting price of just under $30,000. We’re interested in seeing how the price changes as it moves into the next model. There will be more of them when the new model comes out, but Nissan thinks the Leaf will still be much cheaper than the Ariya, which starts at $41,160. In the fall, we’ll find out more about the new Leaf.
