Next-generation trailblazing electric car takes shape: 2025 Nissan Leaf previewed in new renders as hatchback swells into potential BYD Atto 3, Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID.4 rival: Report

As we patiently await Nissan's successor to the trailblazing Leaf — the world’s first-ever mainstream electric car — Japanese publication BestCar is keeping us occupied with fresh digital renders.

Well-regarded for its close ties to industry sources, BestCar has envisioned a new Leaf based on the 2021 “Chill Out” concept, while bringing it into more practical road-going guise.

Nissan discontinued production of the Leaf earlier this year to focus on production of an upgraded model, with the brand keen to maximise cost-effectiveness on its next generation of EVs.

The Leaf imagined by BestCar eschews its hatchback origins for crossover SUV styling, with a lifted sedan-like silhouette similar to the Polestar 4 and Peugeot 408. It's a shape synonymous with the electric car market.

It also gets a shorter bonnet to compensate for Nissan's new series of compact "X-in-1" electrified powertrains, which the brand is calling "3-in-1" for its next generation of pure-electric vehicles.

The name comes from Nissan combining the Leaf's electric motor, inverter and single-speed transmission into a single unit.

Nissan plans to roll the technology out as a low-cost EV solution, projecting a reduction in future manufacturing costs of up to 30 per cent.

The shrunken powertrain ultimately means a larger cabin space, with BestCar forecasting a small 20mm length increase over the old Leaf to 4510mm.

Height is also projected to increase by about 100mm to an approximate total of 1660mm. That would put its overall dimensions somewhere in the middle of rivals such as the BYD Atto 3 and Tesla Model Y.

As with Nissan’s Ariya flagship electric SUV, BestCar has imagined the next-generation Leaf in a rose gold and black two-tone theme, albeit with thinner front and rear fascias outlined in LED lighting, as previewed on the concept car version.

In terms of underpinnings, the next Leaf is expected to advance the CMF-EV platform built between alliance partners Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi.

It is currently employed on the Ariya and its sibling, the Megane E-Tech, and Nissan claims it can accommodate a multitude of different EV configurations.

BestCar is also expecting the next Leaf to be offered in a dual-motor version (in addition to a single-motor-front-wheel drive version) thanks to the inclusion of Nissan’s e-4ORCE electric all-wheel drive technology, as is offered on the Ariya.

Battery capacity is expected to be similar to what was previously offered on the Leaf in two 40kWh and 60kWh lithium-ion packs, albeit with improved energy density and efficiency that will see range exceed 500km on single-motor versions.

Nissan has confirmed the new Leaf will be produced at its Sunderland, UK, plant, with the British and European markets expected to be the first to receive the new model in late 2025.

That means we can expect to see it land in Australia by mid-2026, with BestCar forecasting a price tag of 5 million Yen ($51,241) in Japan.

A price tag around $60,000 is more likely once it arrives in Australia.