The new Nissan Leaf and so many other modern EVs ask you to pay more money for less range. That shouldn’t be the case.
Electric vehicles are radically different compared to combustion-powered ones. Yes, both types of cars transport people, but that’s like comparing a wood-burning stove to an induction one. Or the telegraph to the smartphone.
Both can cook food and transmit messages, but they are so vastly different in how they accomplish those tasks that they have fundamentally changed how we choose to cook and communicate today. Can you imagine modern-day van life with wood stoves and no Wi-Fi?
Electric vehicles signal a similar transformation. The benefits of batteries and electric motors should rewire how we think about cars entirely, because in many cases, the cheapest iteration is often the best version you can buy.
Take the new Nissan Leaf, for example. The 2026 Leaf starts at $31,485—for now—and will have up to 303 miles of range. Step up to the mid-grade trim, which comes with extra kit and fancier wheels, and you’ll pay more, but you’ll also get less range—$35,725 for 288 miles. Upgrade to the top Platinum+ trim, which I recently drove, and you’re paying the most for the least—$40,486 for 303 miles.
It’s not just a problem for the Leaf. It’s a consequence. The Tesla Model 3, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Hyundai Ioniq 5 also suffer from this—the more expensive an EV gets, the less range it has.
2026 Nissan Leaf
The features we love about modern cars—such as heated seats, supple leather, large screens, and connectivity—are now a liability. Buyers also crave bigger, flashier wheels, which results in a significant hit to the overall range. Not only do we have to pay real money for extra features, but it often results in a lousier electric vehicle.
It shouldn’t be surprising that high-priced, high-performance electric vehicles are struggling. Automakers face an endless loop of adding more power, which lowers the range. That then requires a bigger battery, which increases the weight. This requires more power, only inflating the price tag for no real performance benefit.
It’s an improbable calculus, but one that could greatly benefit consumers and enthusiasts if automakers are brave enough to exploit the technology, accepting the limits as an opportunity.
Instead of adding more power and bigger batteries, performance EVs should focus on reduction—reduce the battery size, reduce the weight, and eliminate unnecessary features. Then, you’ll reduce the price and increase the enjoyment.
Colin Chapman would be proud.
The Nissan Leaf I drove was engaging, a great example of a slow car that’s fun to drive fast. It’s quick below the 50-mile-per-hour mark and can zip away from stop lights and squeal the tires coming out of a roundabout.
The soft suspension and dull steering do sap some of that fun—it is a family crossover, after all—but it offers that low-speed, somewhat safe, everyday enjoyment so many of us complain no longer exists.
Affordable sporty cars are disappearing, and sales remain abysmally low. The cheapest one you can buy today is the Mazda Miata, and that’s a $30,000 car now—and wildly impractical. The go-to practical performance option, the Volkswagen Golf GTI, now starts at $35,000.
That’s not a price the average 20-something car enthusiast can easily afford.
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT
Cars are expensive and becoming increasingly so. Loan terms have exploded in length alongside ballooning MSRPs. It’s hard not to see cheap, lower-range EVs as a possible solution to rethink how we get around when it’s so expensive in its current form.
If Nissan were to cut the $30,000 Leaf’s battery size in half, give it 150 miles of range, strip it down to just the essentials, and leave the output unchanged—214 horsepower and 261 pound-feet of torque—it’d be an even better, and cheaper, EV.
Yes, range anxiety is a genuine concern, and the charging infrastructure in America is subpar, but the average person drives less than 50 miles a day. It would be nice if more EV options catered to this lifestyle.
A smaller battery would also charge more quickly.
EVs will never be able to capture the thrill of a Porsche flat-six or the sound of a Ferrari V-12—there’s no argument against that. But as affordable sports cars disappear, those of us wanting something cheap and fun are left wanting.
Many of today’s entry-level cars pair a nasally, naturally aspirated four-cylinder with a soulless CVT. EVs aren’t packed with personality, and the Leaf is lacking, but I’d rather have the power of an electric powertrain than the drone of the typical Toyota Corolla if I’m spending my own money.
What other choices do enthusiasts have left?
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