Courtesy Nissan
Nissan revealed a complete refresh of its LEAF electric vehicle on Tuesday, and it’s the cheapest new EV on the US market.
The 2026 Leaf has been updated with a new design and an improved EPA-estimated range of 303 miles, adding more than 90 miles of range over its 2025 model.
The starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) is $29,990, making the LEAF the only sub-$30,000 EV on the market.
Courtesy Nissan
“Remarkably, its MSRP is lower today than it was when the original LEAF launched in 2011 at $32,780,” a Nissan spokesperson told Business Insider in an email. “We’ve stuck to our mission of engineering EVs that are affordable but packed with value. That’s how we’ve kept the LEAF’s price steady over three generations — all while giving owners more style, more technology, more features, and a vastly improved driving range over the original 2011 model.”
America’s transition to electric vehicles has slowed down in recent years. Part of the problem is the lack of affordable options for consumers.
The Trump administration’s move to ax the $7,500 federal tax credit could also make EVs more expensive.
“Nissan is refreshing its product portfolio with new and updated models featuring electrified powertrains, responding to increasing interest in affordable EVs, including those in the sub-$30k price bracket,” the Nissan spokesperson said.
Courtesy Nissan
Even Tesla, the top EV seller in the US for more than half a decade, is not immune to slumping sales and demands for cheaper models. Tesla’s most affordable option, the Model 3 sedan, starts at $34,990.
In 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk proposed making a “compelling $25,000 electric vehicle.” Four years later, his tone shifted, and he called a model at that price “pointless.”
Still, Tesla said in January that production of “more affordable models” was on track to start in the first half of 2025.
During Tesla’s second-quarter earnings in July, company executives, including Musk, had zero updates on that progress.
A Tesla spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
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