The 2026 Nissan LEAF is Worthy of The Original LEAF's Name (And Far Better Than The Ariya)

It's more than 15 years since the first Nissan LEAF rolled off the production line. Brought into existence before the Tesla Model S, and offering family-focused EV driving long before most automakers even had EV plans, the LEAF defined an early generation of EV adopters. But it wasn't without its flaws: battery pack design let it down badly, and as Nissan tried to add more capacity to keep up with the competition, the first - and second-generation LEAF continued to suffer more noticeable loss in capacity than most of their rivals. The second-generation LEAF limped on for longer than perhaps it ought, seeing its sales dwindle as customers purchased more competitive alternatives. But now, the Nissan LEAF is back with a new third-generation guise. Built on the same platform that underpins the Nissan Ariya and multiple Renault EVs, the new LEAF combines a new, thermally-managed, better chemistry battery pack and slightly taller body styling that's somewhere between a hatchback, a fastback, and a crossover. But can it recapture the joy of electric driving that the original LEAF offered? Or does it fall into the more boring choices made for the second-generation LEAF and Nissan Ariya? We've spent a week with it - and we think it's worthy of the name. Here's why. *⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:* 00:00 - Introduction - Opening Music: Yonatan Riklis - Far Away Galaxies (https://soundcloud.com/yonatanriklis) 03:24 - Montage - Music - Michael Shynes - Pictures of Home (https://michaelshynes.bandcamp.com/album/the-current-the-river-and-the-undertow-ep) 05:29 - Familiarity 06:28 - Behind the wheel 07:49 - It's different from the Ariya 08:54 - This *is* a pre-production version 09:55 - Fancy seats? 11:05 - A note on price 12:40 - Paddle shifter and driving modes 15:24 - It's not true one-pedal driving 16:09 - It's clear about its capabilities 17:12 - Is this a hatchback? Or not? 18:35 - Deleting the rear wiper... is a bad decision 19:28 - The new battery pack design... is much better! 22:53 - Vehicle to Load 24:17 - More claustrophobic? 25:25 - Let's talk about that roof... 27:17 - Buttons and interior details 29:05 - Visibility 30:35 - Sound system 31:46 - Pro Pilot Assist 36:43 - Final Thoughts ---- *👥 Today’s Sponsors* 🌱 Electric Vehicle Association - https://www.myeva.org ⚡ EnergySage - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262 — ✊ Get Involved 🗳️ https://indivisible.org/town-hall-resources ❤️ Support the Show 📰 https://www.transportevolved.com 🔥 https://www.patreon.com/transportevolved ☕ https://ko-fi.com/transportevolved 📺 https://www.youtube.com/transportevolved 👕 https://www.redbubble.com/people/TransportEVd/ 🛍️ https://amzn.to/40xOyjm ₿ 1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH *💬 Join the Conversation* 🐘 https://mastodon.transportevolved.com/@show 💬 https://discord.gg/9WAjfQn 🌀 https://bsky.app/profile/transportevolved.bsky.social 🔁 Subscribe to our 2nd channel - https://www.youtube.com/transportevolvedtake2 --- *🎙️ Credits:* Host: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield Camera, Edit, Color: Vi Horton Art & Animation: Erin Carlie Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield Music: via Artlist.io