New British-built Nissan Leaf arrives Spring 2026

• New Nissan Leaf electric car is reborn as an small SUV
• Third-generation model has a range of up to 386 miles
• Two battery choices will be available
• Deliveries from Spring 2026 and prices likely to start from £30k

The new Nissan Leaf will give customers a battery range of up to 386 miles when it arrives in the Spring of 2026.

The third generation of Leaf has a bold new look and the promise of greater efficiency than ever. It'll be built in Sunderland, and now boasts a small SUV-style design, reflect the preferences of modern car buyers.

It also has a choice of two batteries – 52kWh or 75kWh – the former of which will have a range of 271 miles, which is better than the long-range version of the smaller new Nissan Micra.

Set to rival models such as the Kia EV3, Skoda Elroq, Volkswagen ID.3, Hyundai Kona Electric, Cupra Born and even the entry-level Tesla Model 3, the new Nissan Leaf is the product of a huge global engineering effort.

The new Nissan Leaf has an all-new architecture that gives much better interior space than the previous model – and a larger boot.

The new Nissan Leaf also has the latest Google built-in infotainment, which brings onboard apps such as YouTube. 

The new Nissan Leaf "brings the best of Nissan innovation to the mainstream," says the firm’s regional vice president Arnaud Charpentier.

2026 Nissan Leaf prices and release date

The new Nissan Leaf is a global model that will be rolled out across multiple continents.

Here in the UK, ordering for the new Nissan Leaf will open before the end of the year, with first deliveries from spring 2026.

There’s no word yet on new Nissan Leaf prices, but a starting price upwards of £30,000 would make it competitive with its rivals from Kia, Skoda and Volkswagen.

2026 Nissan Leaf styling, interior and technology

The new Nissan Leaf is no longer a regular hatchback, instead switching to a small SUV profile.

The design is part of the next-generation Nissan look, with the new Nissan Leaf having distinctive V-shaped LED headlights that wrap around a closed grille. There’s a light bar and illuminated Nissan logo too.

The new Nissan Leaf is the firm’s car to have retractable door handles and European cars also get an aero-tuned design of door mirror. Its aerodynamic drag Cd of 0.25 is described as class-leading.

At the rear, the new Nissan Leaf has radical 3D holographic tail lamps. These have two horizontal and three vertical bars – to reference the word ‘Nissan’ in Japanese.

Overall, the new Nissan Leaf is 4350mm long, a surprising 140mm shorter than the current model. This shorter length is entirely due to better packaging of the electric motor, we're told.

The new Nissan Leaf is just 10mm taller and 20mm wider. The new platform means it still has more space inside.

The new Nissan Leaf will be offered in seven colours, including this unique turquoise called Luminous Teal.

The new Nissan Leaf has been transformed inside. Out goes the blocky, old-fashioned setup of the outgoing model and in comes an open-plan layout that’s designed around two 14.3-inch screens.

There are Nissan Ariya-style haptic touch controls below the new Nissan Leaf’s centre screen.

The new Nissan Leaf runs the latest Google built-in infotainment. This brings Google Maps, Google Assistant and the Google Play store – so you can download apps such as YouTube.

The new Nissan Leaf uses Google’s in-car route planner, which automatically identifies the most convenient charging stops on a long journey. It will set the battery to the optimal temperature when approaching a fast charger.

The new Nissan Leaf has a higher-quality finish and some interesting colourways, including white with purple accents. It also offers the Bose Personal Plus premium audio system, compete with speakers built into the front seat headrests.

David Moss, Nissan senior vice president for R&D in Europe, told us these don’t just give great sound quality, but also allow navigation instructions to be played only to the driver, meaning others in the car don’t have their audio spoiled.

"In the rear, we have 80mm more knee room in the new Nissan Leaf," he says. "This will enable a rear-facing child seat to be fitted without adjusting the front seat."

At 437 litres, the new Nissan Leaf also has a 50-litre bigger boot than before. A power tailgate is available for the first time.

The new Nissan Leaf also has a panoramic glass roof for the first time too. Clever dimming technology (which even has a ‘Leaf’ logo) means it doesn’t need a mechanical sunshade, improving headroom by 30mm.

2026 Nissan Leaf electric motor, performance and range

The new Nissan Leaf is derived from the same CMF-EV modular platform used by the Nissan Ariya. It has MacPherson strut front suspension and, for the first time, a multi-link rear.

The new Nissan Leaf’s design integrates the battery neatly below the floor. It also sees the climate control system pushed from behind the dashboard into the engine bay. This opens up much more space inside.

The new Nissan Leaf offers a choice of two batteries, either 52kW or 75kWh. The standard battery has a range of up to 271 miles, which will expand to 386 miles for the extended range battery.

For maximum range, new Nissan Leaf buyers should choose the standard 18-inch alloys. 19-inch wheels are available on top grade.

Impressively, a combination of the bigger battery and better aerodynamics means the new Nissan Leaf 75kWh will deliver more than 205 miles even when driven at a constant 80mph (130km/h).

The new Nissan Leaf has DC rapid charging speeds of up to 150kW. This will recover up to 260 miles at a suitable public charger in just 30 minutes.

The new Nissan Leaf is Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) compatible. This means that, in the future, customers will be able to reduce energy costs by feeding power back to the grid. It has an external V2L charging port offering up to 3.6kW of power.

The entry-level 52kWh battery option comes paired with a 174PS electric motor with 345Nm of torque, which propels the new Nissan Leaf to 62mph from standstill in 8.3 seconds and has a top speed of 99mph. The larger 75kWh battery is mated to a 214PS motor with 355Nm, giving 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds.

The new Nissan Leaf has the latest evolution of the firm’s ‘one-pedal driving’. The combination of e-Pedal Step and adjustable regenerative braking allow energy-recovering deceleration to be honed in urban settings. There’s also Intelligent Distance control that adapts regeneration based on traffic conditions.