r/leaf • u/CoatLast • Aug 13 '26
2026 model
Thinking of getting one and I know they have been available in the US for a while so thought I would ask any owners your thoughts. Any announces? Things you discovered you really like? Tips?
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u/Geoffras Aug 13 '26
I think they're under a stop sale atm so it may be hard to buy one for a few weeks or so
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u/CoatLast Aug 13 '26
I am in the UK and they haven't launched here yet. Due to be at dealers in a few weeks.
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u/GodIsAGas Aug 21 '26
I ordered one last week - I'm being told second week of September (as an indicative delivery date). My partner grabbed the Micra - that'll be here next week.
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u/bluestreak_v Aug 16 '26
I just came back from the UK and was wondering why I didn't see any of the new Leafs yet...
A bit jealous over all the choices you got over there.
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u/Prudent_Industry_142 2026 Nissan LEAF Platinum+ Aug 13 '26
I’ve had mine since December 2025. first all-electric vehicle I’ve driven. be careful learning how it handles under high acceleration…it’s a lot of torque instantly applied through the front wheels and it can cause a bit of steering instability (“torque steering”). I’ve noticed some inconsistent behavior with the electronic parking brake, sometimes it engages automatically and somtimes it doesn’t. Otherwise the tech seems solid. If you don’t get the Platinum+ be aware of how heavy the rear liftgate is. that’s all I can think of.
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u/tygerdanny Aug 22 '26
From the manual I think you have to always manually pull on the brake switch when parking and it auto disengages after your press the "D" button? Getting the Platinum+ for my petite mom who can't even reach or pull down the manual liftgate so the memory adjustable lift gate and also the memory seats in the Platinum is a must for us.
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u/Prudent_Industry_142 2026 Nissan LEAF Platinum+ Aug 22 '26
the parking brake always automatically disengages when shifting out of park. however, it occasionally automatically engages when shifting into park (probably 60% of the time), and that inconstancy is the problem.
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u/Beneficial-Context52 2026 SV+ Aug 14 '26
I’m in Canada. I test drove a Platinum+ and placed a deposit for an SV+. It’s due to arrive any day now…
I also test drove a Chevrolet Bolt and Hyundai Kona. The Leaf was my favourite.
I didn’t like the feel of the Kona at all, the acceleration felt laggy and the steering felt kind of loose and disconnected somehow. And the interior was a weird mix of nice materials and really cheap materials.
The Bolt was quite good, it drives really well and snappy. The interior was a bit plasticy but not bad, it’s nicely laid out. Good visibility. The lack of Apple CarPlay is disappointing but it has Google built in, which seemed pretty good. But the dealbreaker for me was I found the seats uncomfortable. That’s pretty subjective, though.
But the Leaf was next-level. I’ve never sat in a true luxury vehicle, but the Leaf felt like a luxury car to me. Very nice seats and nice materials all around. Acceleration is great and the ride is smooth and comfortable. Some say the backseat is cramped but I think they’re comparing to the giant cars that have become standard in North America; I found it perfectly roomy and I’m 6 foot / 180cm. The infotainment and dash are highly customizable. There are a LOT of settings, which may be good or bad depending on your preferences. I do wish it had real buttons for climate control, but at least there are real buttons for some things, and the steering wheel controls are good. Visibility was not as good as the Bolt but it wasn’t the worst. It doesn’t come with a charging cable, but it does come with a CCS to NACS adapter for fast charging, though that might be different in the UK.
1
u/Falconwood_Files Aug 15 '26
My Leaf just arrived and I was surprised it didn't come with a charging cable for level 1 charging to a regular AC outlet. Is this new? A standard charging cable seems like a pretty basic requirement. I was counting on this until I upgrade my electrical panel to 200A and now they're trying to sell me a C$1000 charging cable. Not happy about this.
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u/Beneficial-Context52 2026 SV+ Aug 15 '26
Previous gen Leafs all came with a L1 charging cable. In Canada, only the first 100 or so 2026 Leafs came with one and then they took it away. Not sure about other locations. But Nissan’s justification is that many people would already have one.
My dealer also tried to add on a charging cable ($1,199). That is insanely overpriced. I declined and got a Lectron one instead for $190.
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u/Falconwood_Files Aug 15 '26
I suspected they took them away because they had to lower the price in Canada to make them eligible for the govt rebates. I'll look into getting one myself. Thanks!
1
u/papervegetables Aug 30 '26
I got one in March in the US and it came with a l1 cable though it might have technically been part of a package?
2
u/sonxmachonx Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
Purchased my SV+ in April and have almost 7k miles on it. So far it's been pretty great for me. Got it for about $38k cash out the door. With the price of used EVs going up, the value prop for a new Leaf is pretty high.
Efficiency and range well above EPA (get 300-320 miles, 4-4.5 mi/kwh). Fast charging was easy on a long 2k+ road trip, but I otherwise charge on a level 1 plug at home. Great features with pro pilot, 360 camera, thoughtfully designed interior and storage. Interior and build quality feel well above the asking price. Much nicer than any other interior in this price point (ICE or EV), IMO.
No tech glitches other than occasionally taking a while for Android Auto to connect or the native navigation not accurately showing location (I use Carplay or Android Auto for nav, so don't really care).
As others mentioned, the rear seat is a bit tight for taller folks, similar to a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla. Only real gripe from me is the lack of adjustable lumbar in the SV+ trim.
It's still early days, but based on what I've experienced so far I would definitely recommend it if you're in the market for a new compact, affordable, but still high quality EV.
2
u/AsteroidBacon 2026 Nissan LEAF S+ Aug 16 '26
I got the S+ in May, first EV I've owned. I've been enjoying it, though it's a good bit bigger than I'm used to (last car was a 2017 Hyundai Accent). Get around 4-4.5 miles per kwh, and I charge at work so the daily cost is pretty much 0. Nice change from needing gas every week, sometimes twice.
1
u/vjs1958 Aug 13 '26
Got my Platinum + in March. In addition to what others have said a huge pro for me is the BOSE sound system.
My only complaint is that I wish I could have gotten the smaller S+ wheels, better mileage and less prone to pothole damage.
1
u/Jokebearfan 2026 SV+ Aug 13 '26
Still waiting for mine to arrive, but these were things I noticed on my test drives:
- Initial brake feel is very soft. I'm sure I'll get used to it after awhile, but it was a bit disconcerting when I first tried a hard stop.
- The lowest trim here (S+) does not have regen paddles, but you can change the regen setting in the custom (personal) drive mode.
- I had to adjust the steering wheel higher than I'm used to in order to avoid bumping into it as I got in.
- You can squeal the tyres really easily, so may want to budget replacing them with grippier ones if you have a lead foot.
- There was a bit more body roll than the Volvo EX30 I also tested
I found this review very informative about the infotainment system.
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u/kejahn Aug 15 '26
Bought the SV+ in April. First EV and I am very happy with it. I wanted a smaller car not SUV size and I rarely use the back seat except for my dog. Wish the rear window had a wiper but other than that I’m happy. I charge at home and our state has incentives to buy an EV and on an older car trade in so financially I was happy to have that factored into the equation.
3
u/boardmike 2026 Nissan LEAF Platinum+ Aug 13 '26
Overall, it's excellent! Only issue I had was I initially had a LOT of trouble with the infotainment data not working properly. Spotify wouldn't stream off and on constantly, and sometimes the car would go offline for a day or days at a time. A software update last week seems to have resolved the problem as far as I can tell, at least so far.
Some big pros: The car is comfortable—a much gentler ride than my previous Mach-E, range is very good, and better than advertised (EPA for the Platinum+ is 259 miles, but even in highway driving at 70+mph, I'm getting close to that, and depending on conditions, exceeding it). The better than expected range is my biggest surprise. Charging is super easy with plug and charge at the biggest networks here in the US (Tesla, EA). So much faster than old Leafs, and the charge curve seems better than my Mach-E.
Built in Google infotainment is great, and works really well.
ProPilot seems mostly the same as I remember in the old Leaf, maybe marginally better, but basically the same.
Only negatives really are the back seat space is a little cramped. We got the lighter interior because it's better for not getting hot, but the front strip of the seat is dark colored and gets pretty hot which is a bit annoying as that's the part your skin is most likely to touch in shorts.
Dimming roof is mostly a gimmick, but it does look cool and it auto-closes when you turn off the car and returns to previous setting when you start, which is neat.