The new Nissan Leaf debuted back in 2025, bringing the pioneer BEV nameplate into the modern era. While the previous generation (the one available in the Philippines) was a five-door hatchback, it has since grown into a subcompact crossover. And now, it’s putting on its best hot hatch impression with a new Nismo version for Japan.
The new Stealth Gray paint job with Arterial Magma accents along the aggressively styled aero package certainly makes it look the part. Aside from helping emphasize a planted stance, the bodykit is also functional, claims Nissan: The front, rear, and under spoilers all supposedly reduce drag and add downforce.
That said, Nissan hasn’t tweaked the Leaf’s power output for the Nismo. The superior ‘B7’ trim still makes 215hp and 355Nm of torque, while the ‘B5’ trim makes slightly less at 174hp and 345Nm. At the very least, it does have suspension tweaks. Specifically, Nissan says that the Leaf Nismo gets exclusive Nismo-branded and tuned springs, stabilizers, bushings, and other suspension bits.
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Nissan claims that the revised suspension tuning contributes to a feeling of surprising agility. The brand also mentions that like the earlier X-Trail Nismo, the Leaf Nismo gets the swing-valve-equipped shock absorbers that reduce body roll and smooth out road surface response. A set of 19-inch Enkei aluminum wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires rounds out the handling package. The drive modes (Standard, Eco, and Sport) have also been recalibrated for the suspension tweaks. Also, Sport mode has been renamed to Nismo mode—talk about an essential tweak.
The interior is a similarly aggressive black-and-red theme, which can be spec’d with Recaro sport seats. The steering wheel also gets a sportier look with a red center marker. Nissan highlights the use of its in-house ‘TailorFit’ synthetic leather material—supposedly, it mimics the feel of napa leather while maintaining the durability of other synthetics.
The lower B5 Nismo trim stickers for¥6,601,100 (around P2.5 million), while the B7 Nismo trim goes for ¥6,952,000 (around P2.63 million). The Recaro seats are an added cost, bringing up the grand total for a fully optioned Leaf Nismo to ¥7,227,000 (around P2.74 million).
We’d still love to see the new Leaf succeed the existing one in Nissan’s Philippine lineup one day, but what do you think about this Nismo version? Hot or not? Did Nissan do enough to justify giving it the Nismo name tag? Let us know what you feel in the comments.
More photos of the 2027 Nissan Leaf Nismo:
