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
• 75kWh battery available to start, 52kWh model to follow
• Deliveries from February 2026, prices start from £32,249

The new Nissan Leaf costs from £32,249 after qualifying for the Government's £3750 Electric Car Grant.

Production on the new car starts in December and, when the first examples are delivered in February, will give customers a battery range of up to 386 miles.

The third generation of Leaf has a bold new look and the promise of greater efficiency than ever. It will be built in Sunderland and now boasts a small SUV-style design.

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. However, only the larger battery will be sold to start with, with the smaller options following later. Four trim levels will be initially available.

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. It also has the latest Google built-in infotainment, which brings onboard apps such as YouTube. 

2026 Nissan Leaf prices and release date

Orders for the new Nissan Leaf will open before the end of the year, with first deliveries from February 2026. To start with, only the larger 75kWh batteries will be available, with the smaller (and more affordable) 52kWh models to follow later.

Thanks to a big discount from the Electric Car Grant, prices start at £32,249 for the entry-level Engage model, rising to £33,149 for the Engage+. Upgrade to the Advance model and it'll cost £34,249 and the top-spec Evolve trim costs frpom £36,249. All prices are after the grant.

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 car 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. The top-spec Evolve model 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. Available in the Advance and Evolvoe trims, it features clever dimming technology (which even has a ‘Leaf’ logo) meaning it doesn’t need a mechanical sunshade, and improves headroom by 30mm.

2026 Nissan Leaf electric motor, performance and range

The new Nissan Leaf is derived from the same 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 will offers a choice of two batteries, either 52kW or 75kWh, but the larger one, with a 386-mile range, is on sale first. What will later become the standard battery has a range of up to 271 miles.

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

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.

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.

Leafs with the 75kWh battery have a 214PS motor with 355Nm of torque, giving a 0-62mph time of 7.6 seconds.

When it goes on sale, the entry-level 52kWh battery option will have a 174PS electric motor with 345Nm, meaning an 8.3-second 0-62 timeand has a top speed of 99mph.

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.

2026 Nissan Leaf trim levels

There are four initial trim levels for the new Leaf – Engage, Engage+, Advance and Evolve.

Engage is the entry-level model, and features 18-inch alloy wheels and a heat pump as standard, with navigation and dual 12.3-inch screens included.

Upgraded to Engage+ and you'll get an upgraded infotainment system with various Google services built-in, as well as heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. The screens are larger – 14.3 inches across – and there's a 15W wireless phone charger included.

The Advance model has the dimming panoramic roof and a head-up display to project driving information onto the windscreen in front of the driver. The boot lid is electrically operated, and there's fancier lighting on the front of the car, with an illuminated Nissan logo. The rear lamps are fancier, too, with a 3D look to them. Tinted glass and synthetic leather upholstery, with fabric inserts, are standard.

The top-spec Evolve model comes with 19-inch alloys, the nine-speaker Bose sound system, the V2L connector and all-synthetic leather upholstery. The front seats are electrically adjustable in eight ways, and the driver gets a massage function.