Nissan to Revive Leaf as Crossover SUV with Tesla Plug
is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
The Japanese automaker is dusting off its pioneering EV and giving it new technology and a new form factor. The Leaf will return as a crossover SUV with a Tesla plug (!!), casting off its outdated appearance that previously led to rumors of its inevitable demise.
Nissan is also rebooting some other familiar nameplates, including the Sentra and Rogue. But the newly refreshed, third-generation Leaf is coming first, arriving in North America in 2026.
Revamping the Image
It makes sense that Nissan would throw out its old looks for something new and daring. The automaker is going through a particularly rough patch at the moment, with declining sales and the collapse of a merger deal with Honda. It needs some fresh products to help boost its overall image.
It’s hard to tell from the photos, but InsideEVs (which attended the reveal event in Japan) describes the new Leaf as egg-shaped (which is typical for most modern EVs) and about 3/4ths the size of a Tesla Model Y.
Key Details on the New Leaf
Nissan didn’t reveal much about the new Leaf, aside from confirming that it will be built on the modular CMF-EV platform that also undergirds the Ariya EV. The new Leaf will also have “significant range improvements over the previous generation.” The current Leaf sits in the low category for range, with the SV Plus trim getting a maximum 212 miles on single charge.
Perched on 19-inch alloy wheels, the new Leaf features a panoramic moonroof and — perhaps most shockingly — a native North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging port for Tesla Supercharger access. Nissan says it will be the first EV in its vehicle lineup to roll out of the factory with an integrated NACS port. As one of the first commercially available electric vehicles, the Leaf has always been saddled with outdated charging tech in the form of the CHAdeMO port. But now Nissan is rectifying that issue for this new generation.
The Leaf appeared to be headed for the compost heap up until recently, with Automotive News reporting in 2022 that Nissan would be winding down production on the current generation by mid-decade, with no immediate plans for a refresh.
Nissan is promising more details on the new Leaf by mid-year. The company also announced that new ICE and plug-in hybrid versions of its Rogue SUV, and refreshed models of its mid-sized Pathfinder SUV and Sentra sedan, would be coming soon. For Infiniti, a refreshed three-row luxury QX60 SUV is on its way, alongside a new Sport package for the full-size QX80 SUV.
And then in late fiscal year 2027, Nissan will introduce a new, unnamed EV slated for production as its Canton, Mississippi plant. The automaker says it will be an “adventure themed” SUV, so expect something of the Rivian/Scout/Jeep variety. In fiscal year 2028, Infiniti will release a luxury SUV inspired by the Vision QXe concept.
The automaker had previously discussed its plans to electrify half its vehicle lineup, including seven EVs for the US and Canada. Today, Nissan clarified that these future models will feature batteries manufactured in the US in partnership with SK one.
In Europe, Nissan said its reviving the Micra — a small car the company stopped making in the UK in 2010 — later this year, reintroducing the model as a compact EV. An electric variant of the Juke compact SUV will be launched in fiscal 2026.