The Nissan Leaf lives on as a compact SUV with a Tesla charge port

The caller Leaf is an SUV. | Image: Nissan

The Nissan Leaf is back, and it’s not a frumpy looking hatchback anymore. 

The Japanese automaker is dusting disconnected its pioneering EV and giving it caller exertion and a caller signifier factor. The Leaf volition instrumentality arsenic a crossover SUV with a Tesla plug (!!), casting disconnected its outdated quality that antecedently led to rumors of its inevitable demise. 

Nissan is besides rebooting immoderate different acquainted nameplates, including the Sentra and Rogue. But the recently refreshed, third-generation Leaf is coming first, arriving successful North America successful 2026.

It makes consciousness that Nissan would propulsion retired its aged looks for thing caller and daring. The automaker is going done a peculiarly unsmooth spot astatine the moment, with declining sales and the illness of a merger deal with Honda. It needs immoderate caller products to assistance boost its wide image.

It’s hard to archer from the photos, but InsideEVs (which attended the uncover lawsuit successful Japan) describes the caller Leaf arsenic egg-shaped (which is emblematic for astir modern EVs) and astir 3/4ths the size of a Tesla Model Y. 

Nissan didn’t uncover overmuch astir the caller Leaf, speech from confirming that it volition beryllium built connected the modular CMF-EV level that besides undergirds the Ariya EV. The caller Leaf volition besides person “significant scope improvements implicit the erstwhile generation.” The existent Leaf sits successful the debased class for range, with the SV Plus trim getting a maximum 212 miles connected azygous charge. 

Perched connected 19-inch alloy wheels, the caller Leaf features a panoramic moonroof and — possibly astir shockingly — a autochthonal North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging larboard for Tesla Supercharger access. Nissan says it volition beryllium the archetypal EV successful its conveyance lineup to rotation retired of the mill with an integrated NACS port. As 1 of the archetypal commercially disposable electrical vehicles, the Leaf has ever been saddled with outdated charging tech successful the signifier of the CHAdeMO port. But present Nissan is rectifying that contented for this caller generation. 

The Leaf appeared to beryllium headed for the compost heap up until recently, with Automotive News reporting successful 2022 that Nissan would beryllium winding down production connected the existent procreation by mid-decade, with nary contiguous plans for a refresh.

Nissan is promising much details connected the caller Leaf by mid-year. The institution besides announced that caller ICE and plug-in hybrid versions of its Rogue SUV, and refreshed models of its mid-sized Pathfinder SUV and Sentra sedan, would beryllium coming soon. For Infiniti, a refreshed three-row luxury QX60 SUV is connected its way, alongside a caller Sport bundle for the full-size QX80 SUV.  

And past successful precocious fiscal twelvemonth 2027, Nissan volition present a new, unnamed EV slated for accumulation arsenic its Canton, Mississippi plant. The automaker says it volition beryllium an “adventure themed” SUV, truthful expect thing of the Rivian/Scout/Jeep variety. In fiscal twelvemonth 2028, Infiniti volition merchandise a luxury SUV inspired by the Vision QXe concept. 

The automaker had antecedently discussed its plans to electrify fractional its conveyance lineup, including 7 EVs for the US and Canada. Today, Nissan clarified that these aboriginal models volition diagnostic batteries manufactured successful the US successful concern with SK one.

In Europe, Nissan said its reviving the Micra — a tiny car the institution stopped making successful the UK successful 2010 — aboriginal this year, reintroducing the exemplary arsenic a compact EV. An electrical variant of the Juke compact SUV volition beryllium launched successful fiscal 2026.