The upcoming all-new 2026 Nissan Leaf will DC fast charge better than any previous generation. Additionally, it will be the first version with a NACS (SAE J3400) charging port instead of CHAdeMO.

With an MSRP of just under $30,000 for the 75-kWh battery version (potentially $25,000+ for the entry-level 52-kWh version), the new Leaf leaves the old Leafs in the dust. Let’s take a look at the difference between the old and new Leaf range replenishing rate.

The Old Nissan Leaf

The Nissan Leaf is a piece of EV history. The model entered the US market in December 2010 and was a pioneer of electrification. It was one of the very first EVs with DC fast charging, initially as an option.

The 2011 model year featured a 24-kWh battery and could be recharged up to 80% state of charge (SOC) in about 30 minutes at a 50-kW CHAdeMO DC fast charger — a rare novelty at the time.

Such a configuration was available for several years (the 2011-2016 models), which had an EPA Combined range of 73-84 miles. Assuming that we would recharge from 10 to 80% SOC in 30 minutes, the average range replenishment rate was just 2.0 miles/minute.

*Nissan does not state the base SOC for the 2011-2025 Leafs.

This charging speed was considered “fast” at the time, though it was very constrained by the lack of a liquid cooling system (or a thermal management system, if you wish). This not only affected the power level but also often prevented consistent charging during long-distance travel. Charging in cold or hot weather was also an issue.

The CHAdeMO charging standard failed to succeed despite being early in the market. The plug was bulky and heavy, while chargers could usually only provide power up to 50 kW, and later, roughly 100 kW. The connector was designed for DC charging, so a separate SAE J1772 AC charging inlet was necessary.

For the 2016-2017 model year, Nissan launched a 30-kWh battery version with an EPA Combined range of 107 miles. The charging time remained the same (up to 80% SOC in 30 minutes), which improved the range replenishment rate by 25% to 2.5 miles per minute.

The 2018-2025 Nissan Leaf with a 40-kWh battery and 149-151 miles of EPA Combined range could be recharged up to 80% SOC in 40 minutes. It had more range, but charging took longer, so its effective range replenishment rate remained mostly the same at 2.6 miles per minute.

The 2019-2022 Nissan Leaf with a 62-kWh battery had an even higher EPA Combined range of up to 226 miles. The charging time up to 80% SOC was 45 minutes, according to specs, which increased the range replenishment rate to 3.5 miles per minute.

The 2023-2025 Nissan Leaf with a similar 60-kWh battery had an EPA Combined range of up to 212 miles and a different charging time up to 80% SOC: 60 minutes, according to specs. This lowered the range replenishment rate to 2.5 miles per minute, though it may just be on paper, since we saw a 45-minute time assuming a 100-kW CHAdeMO charger.

The New 2026 Nissan Leaf

The all-new 2026 Nissan Leaf has a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack and NACS (SAE J3400) charging port for DC charging scenarios (the company left the SAE J1772 for AC charging).

There are two battery versions: a 75-kWh variant with an EPA Combined range of up to 303 miles and a 52-kWh battery variant. The driving range of the smaller pack is not yet known, but we can assume that it will be at least 210 miles.

Both battery packs can recharge from 10 to 80% SOC in 35 minutes, although the 75-kWh version accepts power up to 150 kW, while the 52-kWh version accepts up to 105 kW.

Overall, the average range replenishment rate of the new Leaf (75 kWh) is estimated at 6.1 miles per minute. The smaller battery will probably be closer to 4.2 miles per minute, but that’s just our guess.

Comparison: New vs. Old Leaf

Below, we have attached a graph to highlight how the 2026 Nissan Leaf compares to the older 2011-2025 Leafs.

The difference is quite significant, as the new 2026 Nissan Leaf (75 kWh) replenishes range roughly twice as fast as the previous generations (6 vs. 3 miles per minute). The difference compared to the original 2011 Leaf (2.0 miles per minute) is even higher: x3.

This means that in the real world, one should be able to easily add 100 miles of range in less than 20 minutes. The older Leafs needed about half an hour for that (62-kWh version) or even 40 minutes (40-kWh version).

It’s great to see that Nissan has finally improved the Leaf —  because liquid cooling was one of the most desired features for the model ten years ago.

The new range replenishment rate is significantly better. However, in 2026, 6 miles per minute is quite basic — just to have an option of DC fast charging from time to time.

We assume that the Japanese manufacturer wasn’t pursuing a higher charging speed, as it was not the priority for the model, and it would have negatively affected the price.