Car of the Year 2026: Nissan Leaf
The all-new Nissan Leaf is the Auto Express Car of the Year for 2026
After 27 class champions, the one new car to rule them all is the Nissan Leaf. Its victory is simple in essence: the Leaf is a car that will make owners blissfully happy, because its mission is to prioritise their needs and well-being. It is an outstanding family EV, with class-leading or highly competitive performance in every key measure.
What’s the ideal range for an electric car? Even Goldilocks would be satisfied with the extended-range Leaf’s 386-mile figure: not too big to make it unaffordable, not too small to trigger uncomfortable anxiety.
Indeed we’re struggling to find any rival that can match the Leaf’s compelling quartet of range, horsepower (215bhp), efficiency (4.5 miles per kWh) and price: the 75kWh model costs £32,249 after discounting the Government’s Electric Car Grant, or £28,849 for the standard-range, 52kWh edition.
But the Leaf’s appeal goes far deeper than mere specs. On the move, its plush ride quality is its standout feature, but not at the expense of response: the Nissan jinks sweetly to follow your inputs and clings on gamely. The cockpit’s clean lines are calming, with an unobstructed view over big, intuitive but low-set touchscreens. These run Google’s operating system, enabling seamless electric route planning and Gemini AI assistance.
The haptic air-con switches are a bit indistinct and the transmission selector needs a quality upgrade, mind you. But the standard spec includes Nissan ProPilot Level 2 driving assistance, a 360-degree camera and a heat pump to maximise range.
And the package is brilliant. This is a seriously compact car, measuring just 4.35m long, yet there’s good rear-seat space and a decent-sized boot. And it’s all wrapped in a genius crossover design, with a coupé-like glasshouse and roofline on top of a chunky, clean body with plenty of SUV attitude.
Nissan’s London design studio shaped the look, its R&D team in Cranfield, Beds, helped with engineering, and the finished car rolls off a production line near Sunderland, fed by the UK’s first and only battery gigafactory. All that makes the Leaf a home win for the UK, and a deserving Auto Express Car of the Year.
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See all the winners...
Click on the gallery below to see all the winners of our 2026 New Car Awards...
You can find all the information on our New Car Awards 2026 winners and the reasons why we chose them on the pages below. Just follow the links to read more…
New Car Awards 2026: the winners
Great car leasing deals on the Nissan Leaf and its rivals
Nissan Leaf
KIA EV3
Skoda Elroq
