All-new Nissan Leaf to transform into funky high-riding fastback

The next generation Nissan Leaf is in store for a wholesale reimagination when it arrives in showrooms in 2026, dropping the existing car’s hatchback form for something more eccentric and stylish. Spotted testing with a production-relevant body and even some styling elements beneath its camouflage, Nissan’s new EV could be quite a head-turner. 

That’s because the new Nissan Leaf will find direct inspiration from the Chill-Out Concept from 2021, a high-riding fastback with large wheels, expressive lighting and a far more distinctive silhouette. As with all concepts, the Chill-Out takes many of the new styling elements to an extreme, but new images of Nissan’s prototypes do reveal many will be carried across. 

The overall proportions are more conservative, with smaller wheels and a taller body and driving position. But Nissan will likely carry across the bi-colour bodywork, separating the windows and front and rear screens from the main body with the use of a black or contrasting coloured roof and pillars.

At the front and rear, LED lighting will dominate with blocky, geometric signatures. We’ve already seen other new-age Nissan models feature horizontal lighting bars at the front within a V-shaped black mask, while the rear could see a more three-dimensional set of lighting elements inspired by the Nissan Z sports car available in most overseas markets. 

In order to clean up the side profile, Nissan looks to be using flush-fitting door handles on the front, with hidden rear door handles high up on the c-pillar to give that coupe-like look. The wheels are also a direct carry-over from the dramatically proportioned concept, albeit quite a few inches smaller in diameter. 

Nissan’s new-generation cabin design is expected to be employed inside, sharing lots of elements with the Ariya. This will likely include the dual-screen layout and clever integration of some of the physical controls into various trim and material elements, as with the Ariya’s faux-woodgrain control panel. 

Yet the new Nissan Leaf’s underpinnings are set to be just as progressive as its design, riding on the AmpR platform co-developed with Renault. As a result, the new Leaf should adopt many of the same battery and e-motor configurations as already seen in various Renault models like the Megane E-Tech. In the Renault’s case, a 217bhp e-motor is front-mounted and connected to a 60kWh battery, a layout we suspect should be carried across in the new Leaf. 

But the most intriguing element of the new Leaf is that this cutting edge design and chassis will continue to be manufactured in Nissan’s Sunderland plant. Nissan’s commitment to UK manufacturing will also take into account its other forthcoming electric models, which should include new all-electric variants of both the Juke and Qashqai, both of which have been phenomenal successes in the UK and Europe. 

What do you think of the new-look Nissan Leaf? Let us know in the comments below...