2026 Kia EV6 vs 2026 Nissan Leaf
Too close to call: Kia EV6 86.2 vs Nissan Leaf 85.4 with these weights. The Nissan Leaf is ahead on space & cargo and price. Raise the space & cargo weight from 2 to 2.3 and it flips.
2026 Kia EV6
The 2026 Kia EV6 is sold in the U.S. as an electric compact hatchback with 5 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the EV6 Long Range RWD, is EPA…
2026 Nissan Leaf
The 2026 Nissan Leaf is sold in the U.S. as an electric compact hatchback with 3 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the LEAF 75kWh (18 inch st…
2026 Kia EV6
Toss-upToo close to call: Kia EV6 86.2 vs Nissan Leaf 85.4 with these weights. The Nissan Leaf is ahead on space & cargo and price. Raise the space & cargo weight from 2 to 2.3 and it flips.
| Category · weight | 2026 Nissan Leafoverall 85.4 | 2026 Kia EV6overall 86.2 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricew 4 | 100 | 79.1 | ||||||||||||
Base MSRP of the trim (or the model's lowest trim). Lower is better. | ||||||||||||||
| Fuel & rangew 3 | 100 | 93.3 | ||||||||||||
EPA annual fuel cost and combined mpg / MPGe; EV range when both are electric. | ||||||||||||||
| Safetyw 4 | 56.2 | 100 | ||||||||||||
NHTSA 5-Star rating, WhichTrim Safety Signal (open recalls by severity), owner complaints, standard driver-assist features (from the press kit, or from what the manufacturer filed with NHTSA where there is none). Open park-outside / do-not-drive advisories cost 25 points. | ||||||||||||||
| Space & cargow 2 | 100 | 44 | ||||||||||||
Seats, cargo volume behind the 1st and 2nd rows, rear legroom. | ||||||||||||||
| Performancew 2 | 100 | 83.5 | ||||||||||||
Horsepower, torque and horsepower per ton. | ||||||||||||||
| Tech & comfortw 3 | 71.1 | 100 | ||||||||||||
Standard (1) and optional (0.5) infotainment, convenience, climate and interior features from the manufacturer's press kit. | ||||||||||||||
| Warrantynot compared | No data | No data | ||||||||||||
| Overall | 85.4 | 86.2 | ||||||||||||
Trim vs trim · 6 of 7 categories compared
Nissan Leaf: open park-outside / do-not-drive advisory (−25)
Nissan Leaf: base trim S+ FWD · Kia EV6: base trim Light RWD. Pick a trim in the tool to compare any other trim.
Raise the space & cargo weight from 2 to 2.3 and the answer flips.
Where the gap is
the biggest differences, from the scorecard's own numbersWhere the 2026 Kia EV6 wins
- It has the cleaner recall record (Safety Signal 100 against 78).
- It lists more comfort and tech equipment (45 points against 32 on the press-kit count, standard = 1, optional = ½).
- It lists 32 standard driver-assist features against 29.
Where the 2026 Nissan Leaf answers
- It holds 55.5 cu ft behind the second row against 24.4.
- It starts $7,910 lower ($29,990 against $37,900 base MSRP).
What they share
- The same EPA fuel cost ($650 a year).
Ranked by how far apart the two score on each measure, so a price gap and a horsepower gap are compared on the same scale. Every figure is on this page.
Specifications side by side
43 specs · manufacturer press kits| Spec | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Base MSRP (excludes destination) | $29,990 | $37,900 |
| Engine Basics | ||
| Engine type (full description) | 160 kW AC synchronous electric motor | AC Synchronous Permanent Magnet Motor |
| Engine Output | ||
| Horsepower | 214 hp | 167 hp |
| Torque | 261 lb-ft | 258 lb-ft |
| Fuel Economy | ||
| MPG (city) | 131 mpg | 128 mpg |
| MPG (combined) | 121 mpg | 115 mpg |
| MPG (highway) | 111 mpg | 103 mpg |
| Transmission | ||
| Final drive ratio | — | 10.65:1 |
| Transmission type | Electric single-speed | Gear Reduction Unit |
| Dimensions Exterior | ||
| Ground clearance | 5.3 in | 6.1 in |
| Overall height | 61.3 in | 60.8 in |
| Overall length | 173 in | 185 in |
| Overall width | 71.3 in | 74 in |
| Wheelbase | 106 in | 114 in |
| Cargo | ||
| Cargo volume behind 2nd row | 55.5 cu-ft | 24.4 cu-ft |
| Total interior volume | — | 103 cu-ft |
| Seating | ||
| Passenger seating capacity | 5 | — |
| Headroom | ||
| Front headroom | 39.9 in | 39 in |
| Second-row headroom | 37.2 in | — |
| Third-row headroom | — | 38 in |
| Legroom | ||
| Front legroom | 42.4 in | 42.4 in |
| Second-row legroom | 31.8 in | — |
| Third-row legroom | — | 39 in |
| Weights | ||
| Curb weight (maximum) | 4,187 lbs | — |
| Curb weight (minimum) | 4,187 lbs | 4,132 lbs |
| Gross vehicle weight rating | — | 5,114 lbs |
| Suspension | ||
| Front suspension type | — | MacPherson type suspension with inclined strut bearing and Single Lower Arm Type |
| Rear suspension type | — | 5 Multi-link |
| Steering | ||
| Steering type | Vehicle-speed-sensitive electric power-steering | Rack-Mounted Electric Power Steering (R-MDPS) |
| Turning radius (curb-to-curb) | 35.4 ft | 19.1 ft |
| Brakes | ||
| Front brake diameter | — | 325 mm |
| Front brake type | — | ventilated disc |
| Parking brake type | — | epb |
| Rear brake diameter | — | 325 mm |
| Rear brake type | — | solid disc |
| Wheels | ||
| Wheel diameter | 18 in | 19 in |
| Wheel material | steel | forged alloy |
| Wheel width | — | 7.5 in |
| Tires | ||
| Tire size | 215/55 R18 | 235/55R19 |
| Connected Services | ||
| Connected services brand | NissanConnect | — |
| Shoulder Room | ||
| Front shoulder room | 56 in | 57.8 in |
| Second-row shoulder room | 54.6 in | — |
| Third-row shoulder room | — | 55.6 in |
Green marks the better value where the direction is unambiguous (more room, more power, lower price). Blank rows are specs the press kit does not publish.
Equipment, feature by feature
173 features · differences first, then sharedSafety31 differ · 46 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic Emergency Braking (with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection) | std | — |
| Forward Collision Warning | std | — |
| Forward Collision-Avoidance (FCA) with Car / Pedestrian / Cyclist detection (Fusion-type with sensor) - Junction Turning | — | std |
| Lane Following Assist System (LFA) | — | std |
| Surround View Monitor (SVM) | std | — |
| Highway Driving Assist (HDA) | — | std |
| Lane Departure Warning | std | — |
| Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control - Curve with Stop and Go (NSCC-C) | — | std |
| Rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines | — | std |
| Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) | — | std |
| Parking Distance Warning - Front and Rear | — | std |
| Blind Spot Warning | std | — |
| Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with auto hold | — | std |
| Front and rear 3-point seat belts | — | std |
| Front seat-belt pretensioners | — | std |
| Front Wide View | std | — |
| Height-adjustable front seat-belt anchors | — | std |
| Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) | — | std |
| Impact sensing auto door unlock | — | std |
| Intelligent Hood View | std | — |
| Lane Departure Prevention | std | — |
| Post-collision auto-hazard and emergency call | std | — |
| Predictive Forward Collision Warning | std | — |
| Rear Door Alert | std | — |
| Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) door-logic based | — | std |
| Secondary Collision Mitigation Braking | std | — |
| Speed sensing auto door locks | — | std |
| Traction control system | std | — |
| Traffic Sign Recognition | std | — |
| Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) | — | std |
| Immobilizer | — | std |
| Smart Cruise Control (SCC) with Stop and Go | std | std |
| Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance (RCCA) | std | std |
| Dual front advanced airbags | std | std |
| Dual front seat-mounted side airbags | std | std |
| Full-length side curtain airbags | std | std |
| Lane Keep Assist System (LKA) | std | std |
| Driver Attention Warning (DAW) | std | std |
| Dual rear seat-mounted side airbags | std | std |
| Parking Distance Warning - Front and Rear | std | std |
| Antilock Brakes System (ABS) | std | std |
| Blind Spot Collision Avoidance (BCA) | std | std |
| Driver's knee airbag | std | std |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | std | std |
| High Beam Assist (HBA) | std | std |
| Tire-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) - high line | std | std |
Infotainment18 differ · 18 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi Hotspot | — | std |
| 12.3-inch navigation display unit with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, HD Radio, SiriusXM, Bluetooth, Voice Recognition, with integrated Modem (AVN 5.0 with TMU) | — | std |
| 4-speaker audio system | std | — |
| Amazon Alexa Built-in | std | — |
| Bluetooth® hands-free phone system | std | — |
| Front and rear door speakers (x4) | — | std |
| Front tweeter (x2) | — | std |
| Hands-free text messaging assistant | std | — |
| NissanConnect® telematics – 5G | std | — |
| NissanConnect® with 12.3-inch touchscreen | std | — |
| Second-row USB-C charge ports (x2) | — | std |
| Shark fin antenna | — | std |
| SiriusXM® 360 | std | — |
| Steering wheel-mounted audio, Bluetooth®, voice recognition and cruise controls | — | std |
| USB Type C ports (front) | std | — |
| Wireless Android Auto™ | std | — |
| Wireless Apple CarPlay® | std | — |
| Wireless phone charger | — | std |
Convenience11 differ · 11 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Key with Push-button start, burglar alarm, escort headlamp, immobilizer, panic | — | std |
| 12-volt power outlet (front) | std | — |
| Floor console tray with 12V power outlet (x1), USB-A data port (x1) and USB-C charge ports (x2) | — | std |
| Nissan Intelligent Key™ with push-button start | std | — |
| Portable charge cable (120V / 240V EVSE) | std | — |
| Power door locks with auto locking system | std | — |
| Power windows with remote open for driver's window | std | — |
| Vehicle to load (V2L) connector | — | opt |
| Manual liftgate | std | — |
| Central door locks | — | std |
| Power driver's window with auto up/down and pinch protection | — | std |
Climate4 differ · 4 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| Air filter | — | std |
| Automatic climate control with rear foot ducting | std | — |
| Dual-zone automatic air-conditioner, front and rear vents with auto-defog | — | std |
| Front and rear air conditioning vents | — | std |
Seating10 differ · 10 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| 10-way power driver's seat | — | std |
| Heated front seats (3-levels) | — | std |
| 2nd row reclining | — | std |
| 6-way manual adjustable | std | — |
| 60/40 folding rear seats | std | — |
| Cloth | std | — |
| Combination recycled fabric / SynTex seat material | — | std |
| Front and rear adjustable headrests | — | std |
| Manual passenger seat, sliding and reclining | — | std |
| 2nd row side seats armrest with cupholder (x2) | — | std |
Interior31 differ · 33 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| Electric chromic inside rear-view mirror | — | std |
| Ambient lighting, white | std | — |
| Artificial leather steering wheel | — | std |
| Bottle holders – 4 (door panels) | std | — |
| Cargo area LED lighting | std | — |
| Center console storage | std | — |
| Cloth trim roof | — | std |
| Coat hook (x1) | — | std |
| Cup holders – 2 in center console | std | — |
| Door courtesy reflector | — | std |
| Front and rear door map pockets with bottle holder | — | std |
| Front console arm rest with storage box and cup holders (x2) | — | std |
| Front passenger seat back pocket | — | std |
| Glove box with illumination | — | std |
| Glove compartment | std | — |
| LED center room lamp | — | std |
| LED map lamp | — | std |
| LED puddle lamps | — | std |
| Manual-dimming inside rearview mirror | std | — |
| Matte silver metallic paint inside door handles | — | std |
| Recycled fabric crashpad | — | std |
| Room lamp | std | — |
| Sun visors with extension | std | — |
| TailorFit™ steering wheel | std | — |
| Illuminated sunvisor vanity mirrors, extendable | — | std |
| Carpeted floor mats | — | opt |
| LED rear cargo light | — | std |
| Trip computer | — | std |
| Carpet flooring | — | std |
| Plastic scuff plates | — | std |
| Rheostat (Dimmer Switch) | — | std |
| 12.3-inch Color TFT LCD panoramic curved display cluster | std | std |
| Manual tilt and telescoping steering column | std | std |
Exterior25 differ · 27 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| Full Projection LED headlamps | — | std |
| Power folding outside mirrors with integrated side-repeater lamps | — | std |
| 18-inch steel with full wheel covers | std | — |
| 19-inch Alloy wheels | — | std |
| 215/55 R18 Yokohama AVID GT | std | — |
| Acoustic film windshield | — | std |
| Auto pop-out aero flush outside door handles | — | std |
| Black-painted wheel arches | — | std |
| Body-color outside door handles | — | std |
| Heated (Defroster) tailgate | — | std |
| High-gloss black front grille (Digital Tiger Face Design) | — | std |
| High-Gloss black lower fascia bumper | — | std |
| High-gloss black outside mirrors | — | std |
| High-gloss black side sills | — | std |
| Power adjustable heated outside mirrors | — | std |
| Rear (left) charge port door | — | std |
| Rear spoiler (integrated into rear taillamp) | — | std |
| Roof spoiler (located at leading edge of backlight) | — | std |
| Tire Mobility Kit (TMK) | — | std |
| Variable intermittent windshield wipers | std | — |
| Windshield wiper blade | — | std |
| Auto Light Control headlights | — | std |
| Privacy glass (rear doors, tailgate, quarter glass) | — | std |
| Rear window defroster | std | — |
| LED High Mounted Stop lamp | — | std |
| LED Daytime Running Light (DRL) | std | std |
| Rear LED combination lamps | std | std |
Powertrain15 differ · 15 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| 125 kW Electric Motor Output | — | std |
| 160 kW AC synchronous electric motor | std | — |
| 214 horsepower, 261 lb-ft of torque | std | — |
| 63.0 kWh | — | std |
| 7.2 kW onboard charger | std | — |
| 75 kWh lithium-ion battery | std | — |
| Charging timer – set desired charge time | std | — |
| Drive Mode Select (DMS) with Eco, Comfort, Sport and Snow modes | — | std |
| In-Cable Control Box (ICCB) | — | std |
| J1772 charging port | std | — |
| North American Charging Standard (NACS) port | std | — |
| Plug & Charge capability | std | — |
| Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) | — | std |
| Shift-by-Wire gear selector | — | std |
| Vehicle-to-load capability (V2L), 1,500 watts (requires adapter for exterior J1772 port) | std | — |
Chassis5 differ · 5 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| Front Selective Damping Control Valve and Hydraulic Rebound Stop (HRS) shock absorber | — | std |
| McPherson Strut Single Lower Arm Type front suspension | — | std |
| Motor Driven Power Steering (R-MDPS) | — | std |
| Multi-link rear suspension | — | std |
| Rear Selective Damping Control Valve shock absorber | — | std |
Cargo4 differ · 4 listed
| Feature | Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD |
|---|---|---|
| Cargo cover | — | opt |
| Cargo power outlet | — | std |
| Hidden storage tray in cargo area | — | std |
| Luggage board | — | std |
Highlighted rows are where the two differ. Wording is the manufacturer's own.
Safety record
NHTSA recalls, complaints, NCAPNissan Leaf
Top recalls
- critical Electrical System 26V188000 · 51 vehicles
- high Seat Belts 26V425000 · 3,788 vehicles · filed unfixed
Kia EV6
Top recalls
No recalls on file.
Ownership
EPA, manufacturer warranty| Nissan LeafS+ FWD | Kia EV6Light RWD | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29,990 (base trim) | $37,900 (base trim) |
| Price range across trims | $29,990 – $38,990 3 trims | $37,900 – $53,000 8 trims |
| Powertrains | BEV | BEV |
| EPA configuration compared | LEAF 75kWh (18 inch steel Wheels) | EV6 Standard Range RWD |
| Combined mpg / MPGe | 121 | 115 |
| EPA annual fuel cost | $650 | $650 |
| EV range | 303 mi | 237 mi |
| Basic warranty | — | — |
| Powertrain warranty | — | — |
| Roadside assistance | — | — |
Common questions
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsWhich is better, the 2026 Nissan Leaf or the 2026 Kia EV6?
Too close to call: Kia EV6 86.2 vs Nissan Leaf 85.4 with these weights. The Nissan Leaf is ahead on space & cargo and price. Raise the space & cargo weight from 2 to 2.3 and it flips. On WhichTrim's default weights the 2026 Kia EV6 scores 86.2 and the 2026 Nissan Leaf 85.4. The weights are yours to change — move what you care about and the verdict recalculates on the page.
Which is cheaper, the 2026 Nissan Leaf or the 2026 Kia EV6?
The 2026 Nissan Leaf starts lower — $29,990 against $37,900, a gap of $7,910 at the trims compared here. Both are manufacturer MSRPs before destination, options and dealer charges.
Which has the better safety record, the 2026 Nissan Leaf or the 2026 Kia EV6?
2026 Nissan Leaf: no NHTSA rating yet, grade C, 2 recalls (1 filed with no repair available). 2026 Kia EV6: 5 NHTSA stars, grade A, 0 recalls. Crash ratings come from NHTSA's own tests; the grade is WhichTrim's read of the recall record, and the two can disagree.
What are the biggest differences between the 2026 Nissan Leaf and the 2026 Kia EV6?
Where the 2026 Kia EV6 wins: it has the cleaner recall record (Safety Signal 100 against 78), lists more comfort and tech equipment (45 points against 32 on the press-kit count, standard = 1, optional = ½), and lists 32 standard driver-assist features against 29. Where the 2026 Nissan Leaf answers: it holds 55.5 cu ft behind the second row against 24.4 and starts $7,910 lower ($29,990 against $37,900 base MSRP). What they share: the same EPA fuel cost ($650 a year).