Nissan Leaf unveiled: Five things you need to know about the new electric car saving 6,000 jobs in Sunderland

Nissan’s all-new Leaf is here… and it needs to impress. 

That’s because this heavily revised electric car has the weight of thousands of UK jobs in the North East resting on its success. 

Having posted a record net loss of £3.8billion last year, Nissan in May announced plans to shutter seven vehicle plants and cut 20,000 global jobs as part of its huge cost-saving drive.

But bosses spared the Sunderland factory – which has been manufacturing vehicles since 1984 – and its 6,000-strong workforce with the site selected for European production of the forthcoming Juke EV and this new third-generation Leaf.

First launched in 2011, the Leaf is widely considered an EV pioneer. It was the first battery car developed from the ground up by a major manufacturer and first volume-selling electric vehicle.

Some 700,000 have sold globally since it debuted, with 290,000 finding homes on European driveways. In total, owners are claimed to have clocked up over 18million miles of zero-emission driving in the last 15 years. 

This week, we’ve been granted exclusive early access to check out the new model tasked with turning around Nissan’s fortunes. Here’s five things you need to know about the 2026 Nissan Leaf. 

1. It’s being built in Sunderland

There’s no escaping Nissan is having financial woes of late.

After posting its £3.8billion net loss in the financial year 2024-25, Nissan has launched a new strategy – and cost-cutting measures – in the hope it can raise £5.2billion to stay afloat.

The fact that the all-new Leaf – arguably Nissan’s best bet at recapturing the electric car market now dominated by cheap Chinese EVs and some strong competition from Renault, Kia and Hyundai – is being built at its North East factory is a great vote of confidence for the future of Nissan in the UK, British jobs and the economy.

The Government has given Nissan £1billion to safeguard Sunderland jobs and the new Juke EV will also be built at Sunderland, cementing it as the core of Nissan’s new electric car era and a centre of innovation and the future of manufacturing.

2. The Leaf has an all-new look

The previous Leaf – which was available from 2018 – was starting to look dated by the time production ceased last year.

Bulbous, chunky and without so much as a chiseled surface in sight, the second generation was starting to show its age against modern, svelte design from rivals.

But Nissan has ‘reimagined’ the styling for this third generation, which by the admission of Giovanni Arroba, Nissan’s vice president of design in Europe, was ‘a big challenge’.

As you can see, it’s a big diversion from the conventional hatchback design of before. Instead, it has a taller crossover stance, with a swopping roofline, a small tail spoiler over the rear light cluster and defined profile. 

Targeting aerodynamics to squeeze every inch of range out of the battery and electric drivetrain, its silhouette has been moulded in the wind tunnel, with the flushness of the car a nod to iconic ’90s Nissans, notably the Nissan 300ZX, which was identified as a key aerodynamic inspiration.

Other bodywork tweaks, such as front door handles that sit flush into the bodywork when the car starts to move, and rear handles hidden in the C-pillar, should make it more aerodynamically efficient.

The front has been reshaped with a light-up badge and lightbar, the whole car is soft and approachable to feel ‘like an iPhone widget’, there’s a 45-degree rear silhouette angle, and the shortened overhang at the front has brought the wheels out to each corner giving more presence.

There are a few nice hidden design features too that, without explanation, you might not spot. 

For instance, there are combinations of two and three dotted across the car, notably the rear light cluster (made up of a pair and trio of LEDs) and charge point cover. This is [apparently] a nod to how Nissan was originally named: ‘Ni’ meaning sun and ‘ssan’ meaning birth.

There are seven colour options available to customers, including a bright pop teal (pictured) and ‘hot red’.

3. It will be the most practical Leaf yet

For a compact crossover SUV, the all-new Leaf boasts an impressive amount of space, which is partially thanks to inventive design.

The Leaf measures 1,550mm high and 4,350mm long. To put that into perspective, it’s lower but longer than a VW ID.3 (1,562mm by 4,264mm) and almost on part with Hyundai’s Kona EV (1,585mm by 4,350mm).

The all-new Leaf is 14cm shorter than the old model but 10mm wider and 10mm taller. 

This can really be felt once sat inside, with shoulder room increased (by 40mm, apparently) and there’s also 80mm of additional rear leg room, which is ideal for taller passengers or teenagers midway through a growth spurt. 

Nissan’s also given the Leaf a flat floor and done away with a centre console to maximise the available space front and back.

With the centre unit gone, the drive selector (to engage drive, reverse and park) has been relocated to the dashboard, leaving just cupholders and an armrest cubby between the front two seats.

Extra thought has been given to storage spaces, too.

There’s an additional glovebox-esque compartment hidden away under the central dash (big enough for a phone, wallet, or you house keys), a multi-layered boot (which is 50 litres bigger than before at 473 litres), a storage compartment in the middle rear seat, and an extra cubby in the boot left-hand side for the charging cables.

4. Enough battery range to get you from London to Scotland without stopping

There are two batteries to choose from: a smaller 52kWh unit offering up to 270 miles of range on a single charge, and a larger 75kWh battery which ups the distance to 375 miles. 

The latter means you can theoretically drive from London and into Scotland without needing to stop for a charge.

When you do need to pull over some extra juice on the motorway, find a fast charger up to speeds of 150kW and you can add 260 miles of range in around 30 minutes.

Wind the clock back to 2011 and the original Leaf had a range of just 124 miles…

5. Revised interior and a boost in tech

Inside, the Leaf features two 14.3-inch digital screens  with Google Built-in, mimicking your Android smartphone, laptop or tablet from Google Maps to Play Store and Gmail. 

In a win for driver distraction, you can even login to the system before your journey and leave your phone at home!

During our brief time spent with the Leaf, I only managed to play around with the system quickly, but the touchscreen display is very easy to use, with clear and intuitive widgets and layout, and an overall very pleasing design. The quality was impressive too, especially when playing Angry Birds.

Customers will also get to tailor the interior of their Leaf. 

There are two interior colourways – black or light – and a very high-tech panoramic dimming glass roof with ‘Leaf’ lettering that appears or disappears as you change the thermal tint to keep the heat and light in or out.

A feature that more manufacturers should copy is the ‘driver’s personal headrest speaker’, which allows just the driver to hear navigation and calls, while the passengers continue to hear music, so their enjoyment isn’t interrupted.

Happily, Nissan hasn’t entirely done away with button controls, with plenty of the steering wheel and the dash too, so driver’s aren’t reliant on clumsily prodding away at the the touchscreen to make basic changes to the settings. 

When’s it coming to the UK – and how much will it cost?

Order books for the new Nissan Leaf open this autumn. However, first deliveries aren’t expected until spring 2026.

Trim options have been kept extremely simple. On top of the two battery options, you can choose between four grades: Engage, Engage +, Advance and Evolve.

Nissan hasn’t confirmed pricing yet but will ultimately aim for the section of the market currently occupied by the Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro and VW ID.3, which will see the smallest battery options start around £30,000. 

The second generation Leaf cost just under £22,000 when it went on sale in 2018, but what with inflation, a bigger crossover market, a host of new tech, and the aforementioned competition, it is – sadly -unlikely it will be as cheap this time.

We can always hope, though.