New Nissan Leaf swaps hatchback body for trendy SUV looks

• Hatchback ditched for SUV design
• Styling inspired by ‘Chill-Out’ concept car
• Electric platform shared with Nissan Ariya

The original Nissan Leaf was a trailblazer in the affordable EV market back in 2011, and it’s set to be reborn as an all-new SUV for its third generation. Expected to arrive next year, the new Nissan Leaf trades its hatchback body for a sleek, concept-inspired SUV design, utilising the same electric tech as its bigger sibling, the Nissan Ariya.

The new Nissan Leaf is confirmed to be one of three new electric cars that the Japanese brand will introduce to the UK by 2026, with the new Nissan Juke and Nissan Micra completing the trio. While a reveal date for the new Leaf hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s been suggested that it could be in showrooms as early as 2025, so its full debut could only be a few months away.

What will the new Nissan Leaf look like?

Nissan’s CEO, Makoto Uchida, confirmed last year that the next Nissan Leaf will use the ‘Chill-Out’ concept car as its styling inspiration, a sleek coupe-SUV with a sweeping roofline. The transition from concept car to production car will see several changes, including the adoption of wing mirrors and a set of conventionally-opening doors, but it’s set to retain some key styling details.

You’ll spot some of these design features in our exclusive preview image, including the shallow-raked windscreen, the black-painted contrasting roof and the wheelarch cladding. There’s a clear sibling resemblance to the Nissan Ariya, the Japanese carmaker’s first electric SUV – the front end features a similar black fascia, along with slim LED lights.

However, Nissan has tried to craft a sense of individuality for the new Leaf, as explained by its VP of Design for Europe, Matthew Weaver: “We don’t want to do clones. We try to make each car quite individual, even looking across the global range.” As Nissan plans to dramatically expand its electric car offering by 2030 with new Nissan Qashqai, Juke and Micra models, it’ll be more important than ever to provide visual distinction between its different electric SUVs.

What else do I need to know about the new Nissan Leaf?

The new Nissan Leaf will use the AmpR Medium platform, co-developed with Renault. It’s the same EV tech that powers the Nissan Ariya, as well as the Renault Megane E-Tech and Renault Scenic E-Tech. Specific technical details for the Leaf haven’t been confirmed yet, but it’s likely to use the 60kWh battery and 217bhp electric motor found in the Megane. In that car, it’s capable of delivering up to 280 miles of range, but we could see that number increase thanks to the Leaf’s sleek, slippery shape.

There’s also the potential for a sportier Leaf to join the ranks in the future too, now that Nissan's performance-focused subsidiary brand, Nismo, has returned to the UK. The new Nissan Ariya Nismo was unveiled in July 2024, and showcased the brand’s first stab at a sporty electric SUV. As the Ariya and new Leaf will share the same platform, the door is open for a Nismo-badged Leaf – something we haven’t seen in the UK before.

What does this mean for car buyers?

The Nissan Leaf has been a hugely important car for both Nissan and car buyers. The first-generation model introduced a useable, affordable electric car to the UK market, while the second Leaf improved upon the formula with a longer range and improved practicality. 

For its third generation, the Nissan Leaf will transition from hatchback to SUV, in line with changing customer tastes and following the trend set by many other manufacturers. Its new electric tech has been well-proven in the Nissan Ariya and Renault Scenic, but it remains to be seen whether the Leaf’s value-for-money will survive the transition to the third generation.

Read our in-depth review of the facelifted Nissan Qashqai to find out more about the best-selling family SUV…