Compare the2026 Nissan LeafVS 2025 Hyundai Nexo

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Leaf have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Nexo doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Leaf are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Nexo doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Leaf has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Nexo doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Leaf has standard Secondary Collision Mitigation Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Nexo doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Leaf has standard Rear Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Nexo doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

Both the Leaf and the Nexo have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available front parking sensors.

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Leaf for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Nissan will pay for tire rotations, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Hyundai only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Nexo.

There are over 25 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Leaf’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Hyundai.

The Leaf S’ standard electric motor produces 13 more horsepower (174 vs. 161) than the Nexo’s electric motor. The Leaf +’s standard electric motor produces 53 more horsepower (214 vs. 161) than the Nexo’s electric motor.

On the EPA test cycle the Leaf gets better mileage than the Nexo:

For better stopping power the Leaf’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Nexo:

The Leaf’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Nexo are solid, not vented.

The Leaf’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Nexo’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Leaf has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Nexo.

The Leaf has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Nexo doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better maneuverability, the Leaf’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Nexo’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.7 feet).

The Leaf is 10.5 inches shorter than the Nexo, making the Leaf easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Nissan Leaf amounts to more than styling. The Leaf has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .26 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Nexo (.32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Leaf get better fuel mileage.

The Leaf has .5 inches more front headroom and .9 inches more front legroom than the Nexo.

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Leaf to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for tire rotation, based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Hyundai doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Nexo.

When two different drivers share the Leaf Platinum+, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Nexo doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Leaf Platinum+’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Nexo doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Leaf Platinum+ has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Nexo doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

On a hot day the Leaf’s driver can lower the front windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Nexo can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Leaf’s power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Nexo’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Leaf’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Nexo’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

When the Leaf Platinum+ is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Nexo’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Leaf and the Nexo offer available heated front seats. The Leaf Platinum+ also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Nexo.

The Nissan Leaf outsold the Hyundai Nexo by over 71 to one during 2024.