Japanese brand fights back against China: 2026 Nissan Leaf gets a sharp price-tag overseas to fend-off the MG S5, BYD Atto 3 and GWM Ora

Nissan’s completely re-thought Leaf electric car has finally scored a price-tag in its first market overseas.

In the US, the UK-built electric car costs just $29,990 - translating to around $46,500 in Australian dollars, making the new car more affordable than entry-level versions of the previous generation vehicle (which started from $49,990 locally) should the price be converted straight across.

There is a chance the new Leaf could be even more affordable in Australia, given the car attracts an import tariff of 10 per cent being brought from the UK to the US, but not to ship to Australia.

The new-generation Leaf moves to a crossover bodystyle, and while details for the new car are yet to be revealed for our market, left-hand drive examples delivered to America arrive in three trim levels.

There’s a big increase on range compared to the outgoing car, with the models initially launching in the US arriving with the larger of two battery pack options, a 75kWh unit delivering up to 488km of range (according to the US EPA testing regime), outclassing the previous-generation e+ version which could deliver up to 385km on the WLTP cycle from a 62kWh battery for cars delivered to Australia.

This also opens the door to an even more affordable version, with a 52kWh battery to be available on UK-spec cars (arriving int he US at a later date), with even more trim specifications.

Features overseas include either a 12.3 or 14.3-inch touchscreen with a matching-size digital dash depending on grade, connected services as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, audio systems ranging from four to ten speakers, vehicle-to-load from the external charge port (with an additional household plug in the boot for the top-spec Platinum), the full array of safety features, LED exterior lighting, and ambient lighting throughout the interior.

Higher-spec cars score a power tailgate, electrochroamatic sunroof and paddle-shifters to control regenerative braking. The heat pump is not standard across the range, with the efficiency-boosting item standard on high-grade cars but can be optioned to other trim levels.

The new Leaf features a front-mounted 160kW/355Nm electric motor, 150kW DC charging, and up to 11kW AC charging on the extended range vehicles. At 150kW, Nissan says the long-range Leaf can charge from 15 - 80 per cent in around 30 minutes.

Nissan Australia has confirmed the Leaf will hit Australian shores in the Japanese 2026 financial year (which spans from April 2026 to March 2027), although is yet to detail its launch plans.

It will go into battle against the BYD Atto 3 (from $39,990), MG S5 (from $40,490), and GWM Ora (from $35,990).

First from the brand will be the Ariya mid-size SUV, which finally arrives in Australia later this year after significant delays, as a challenger to everything from the Tesla Model Y to the XPeng G6.