Image Credit: Nissan.
I honestly hoped Nissan was going to save our wallets from the tyrannical reign of $60,000 electric SUVs, but they've pulled the rug out. They promised us a cheaper, leaner, and more cheerful version of the 2026 Leaf, but it turns out that "promise" was about as solid as investing in tulips.
The plan was simple. Nissan was supposed to launch the Leaf S, a "budget" trim designed to make the $28,995 Chevrolet Bolt look like a luxury yacht. Instead, Nissan's big bosses have looked at the "evolving EV landscape" - which translates to "we're terrified" - and decided to delay it indefinitely. It's not canceled. It's just "not coming this year." That's exactly what I told my dentist about my flossing routine back in 2012, and we all know how that ended.
Image Credit: Nissan.
Right now, if you want a Leaf, you have to settle for the S+ model. It starts at $29,990, which, to be fair, is actually a bit of a bargain. For that, you get a 75-kWh battery and a range of 303 miles. In the world of affordable electric cars, that's genuinely impressive. It even won a "Breakthrough EV of the Year" award.
The now-missing-in-action Leaf S was supposed to be the "sensible" one. It featured a tidier 52-kWh battery and a motor pushing out 174 horsepower. That's not going to set your hair on fire or peel the skin off your face, but for nipping to the shops for a pint of milk, it would have been perfect. But Nissan apparently thinks we can't handle a car with a range that likely would have dipped into the low 200-mile territory.
Image Credit: Nissan.
Why the cold feet? Well, the Leaf is built in Japan, which means it gets slapped with import tariffs. I suspect Nissan makes about twelve cents in profit on every $30,000 car they sell after the taxman takes his pound of flesh. They're basically running a charity for people who like silent hatchbacks. Plus, Americans are pathologically obsessed with range. If a car can't drive from New York to Los Angeles on a single charge while powering a microwave, people start to panic.
The sales figures are, frankly, a bit of a disaster. It's hard to tell if people stopped buying them because the tax credits vanished or because they're all waiting for the Kia EV3. Or maybe they just forgot Nissan makes EVs at all, considering the Ariya crossover is "skipping" the 2026 model year in the States.
Image Credit: Nissan.
Where does that leave us? Nissan is now a one-trick pony in the American electric market, and that pony is currently limping. They say they're "focusing resources where they create the most value," which usually means "making bigger SUVs for more money." It's a crying shame, really. The Leaf is a brilliant little machine.
If Nissan wants to be a "serious EV player," they need to stop evaluating "market trends" and start actually selling the cars they promised. Until then, we're stuck with the more expensive version, wondering if the "Budget Leaf" will ever actually see the light of day.
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