Electric vehicles (EV) – without a shadow of a doubt – are more popular than ever. While every consumer you know these days gush over names like Tesla or whatever Chinese EV being launched every week, none can deny the existence – or impact – of the first mainstream EV that is the Nissan Leaf. And for 2026, Nissan is turning over a new leaf with a next-gen Nissan Leaf.
In a press release published by Nissan yesterday, we were given the first and only look of what the upcoming next-gen Nissan Leaf would look like – at least from the front, which is the only render of the vehicle we were given access to.
“Hey, that kinda looks familiar,” you’ll mutter to yourself. Well, that’s because it’s heavily inspired by the Nissan Ariya EV. Matter of fact, the 2026 Nissan Leaf will be built on the CMF-EV platform, also just like the Ariya. If anything, it’s basically a smaller Ariya.
To further drive the point home of the next-gen Nissan Leaf drawing inspirations from the Nissan Ariya, the Japanese carmaker also said that 2026 Nissan Leaf will be ‘reimagined as a sleek and spacious family-friendly crossover’. So don’t expect the third-generation Leaf to be the small, cutesy, polar bear-friendly four-door hatchback we all (fondly) know it to be now.
READ: The Nissan Ariya could change the way you see electric SUVs
So far, we’re only given the bare minimum of details from Nissan regarding about the next Nissan Leaf – including its electric power plant and performance numbers. What we do know is that the 2026 Nissan Leaf will be getting some 19-inch alloy rims and panoramic sunroof.
Additionally, the 2026 Nissan Leaf – for the North American market – will also be the first Nissan EV to have a North American Charging System (NACS) port, for use with the Tesla Supercharger network. Other than that, we’ll need to wait until later on in the year for Nissan to reveal more details of the third-generation Leaf.
For now, we Malaysians currently have access to the second-generation Nissan Leaf facelift, which is still on sale in here starting from RM168,888. The single electric motor puts out 150 hp (110 kW) and 320 Nm of torque, good enough for a 7.9-second sprint time and top speed of 155 km/h.
It has a 40 kWh laminated lithium-ion battery pack rated for an EV range of 311 km (NEDC) – not the most efficient in that regard, given that the BYD Dolphin, with its marginally-bigger 44.9 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pack, can muster a longer 340 km range, and even on the more stringent WLTP test cycle.
The model is also available globally as a the “Leaf e+”, with a larger 62 kWh battery pack giving it a longer WLTP range of 384 km.
WATCH: 2023 Nissan Leaf, RM169k EV with 311km range – 5 Things
For the next-generation Nissan Leaf, the marque’s new three-in-one EV powertrain is expected to net a significant improvement in efficiency, giving it up to a potential 600 km of range, according to Nissan’s Senior Vice President and Region Chief Planning Officer, Francois Bailly when speaking to TopGear.com.
But given the rollercoaster of events that has happened as of late, will the third-generation Nissan Leaf take the last fight to the army of Chinese EVs in the industry today? Only time will tell.
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