Usually, when an automaker announces that it's converted a car into a crossover, everybody groans. But Nissan kind of nailed this.

Nissan revealed new details about the upcoming 2026 Leaf, which will return as a crossover SUV with up to 303 miles of estimated range, dual charge ports, and Google’s software built-in. The reborn Leaf will reach dealerships in the US starting this fall at a yet-to-be-announced price.

How things might have been for Nissan if it had taken advantage of that car’s early success – we could be talking about Nissan as an EV leader, rather than the follower that it has become. The second-generation Leaf in 2018 lacked the original’s groundbreaking thinking and was merely an also-ran in a rapidly expanding market.