Despite Nissan calling the new Leaf a crossover, it’s actually 3 inches shorter in length (making it about the same length as a Kicks and 10 inches shorter than an Ariya) and 0.4 inches lower in height than the second-generation Leaf, and its wheelbase is 0.4 inches shorter, too. The 2026 Leaf is 0.8 inches wider, though.
Inside the new Leaf, Nissan did a good job of making the interior look and feel premium and maximizing this small car’s interior room. It has one inch less front-seat headroom than the old Leaf at 39.9 inches, and virtually the same legroom at 42.4 inches, but it is wider, with two additional inches of both hip and shoulder room. The interior felt airy and had reasonable passenger space for such a small car, but the front seats sit close to the floor, so if you have long legs like me your knees will be closer to your face than you may be accustomed to. Platinum+ trim Leafs like my test car come standard with a nifty panoramic glass roof that have dimmable sections that reveal a surprise Leaf badge when it’s halfway ‘open,’ and I still found plenty of front-seat headroom for my 6’8″ frame.
Logan K. Carter/ Jalopnik
The rear seats, however, are tight, with 2 inches less legroom than the 2025 Leaf and nearly an inch less headroom with the panoramic sunroof; models without the sunroof have virtually the same headroom as last year’s car. Because of how the front seats are mounted, I had no room for the admittedly significant cushioning on my Hoka shoes to slide under them, so I had to sit duck-footed with my toes pushed against the front seats and my heels wedged against the rear seat bottom. If you plan to carry tall passengers, the Ariya would be a better Nissan EV for you.
I think everything about the new Leaf looks great, inside and out. I like that it looks like it’s larger than it is, I like the holographic Z-inspired taillights, and I like the fun Seabreeze Blue Pearl paint. Inside, I love the two-spoke steering wheel and its wide upper opening that gives a clear view of the gauges, I like the “TailorFit” seat material that feels like leather but is recyclable, and I really appreciate that Nissan gives you a nice ledge to perch your hand on when you need to use the touchscreen while driving. The infotainment screen was a long reach for me and a bit confusing to use, but I only had a few hours in the car to test and figure everything out so take that with a grain of salt. I’m sad that the funky joystick gear selector was replaced by a boring push-button arrangement, and it’s still a shame to see another new car lose its physical climate controls in favor of touch sensitive “buttons.”
Logan K. Carter/ Jalopnik
On the upside, when you open the Platinum+ trim’s hands-free power tailgate, cargo space behind the rear seats is about 3 cubic feet smaller than last year, but there’s nearly double the space at 55 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded down. The cargo space is nicely flexible, with under-floor storage that’s hidden from sight by a frustrating split floor that is not hinged, just tethered by a bunch of straps that I couldn’t figure out, but it can double as a cargo divider. There is no frunk here, though, so all your cargo needs to fit in the trunk.
