2026 Chevy Equinox EV’s Price Bump Is A Win For Nissan Leaf

2026 Chevy Equinox EV’s Price Bump Is A Win For Nissan Leaf originally appeared on Autoblog.

Nissan’s pricing advantage may not last long, though

Although the Chevrolet Equinox EV isn’t the most affordable EV in America—Nissan’s outgoing Leaf and the Hyundai Kona Electric are both cheaper—the Equinox EV has been regarded as the best value, so much so that it recently became the best-selling non-Tesla EV in the country.

But the Equinox EV’s status as the most appealing of the affordable EVs is under threat. Not only has Nissan announced a surprisingly low starting price for its all-new, much-improved Leaf, but the 2026 Equinox EV is set to get a fairly significant price bump. Here’s a closer look at the numbers.

2026 Chevy Equinox EV Will Soon Be $1,500 Pricier

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Based on an order guide obtained by CarsDirect, the price of the base Equinox EV LT1 will go up to $35,100 for 2026. That’s up from $33,600 for the 2025 equivalent and represents a 4.5% increase, while also pushing the Chevy out of the sub-$35k price category.

Other trims won’t see the same big increase, as the LT2 will stay at $41,900 and the RS will increase by $800 to $44,200. Not much changes for the Equinox EV for 2026, although Vehicle-To-Home capability is expected to become standard, which means the EV can be used as a power supply if there is a blackout.

This price increase for 2026 may not have mattered as much if the federal tax credit stuck around, but this incentive will fall away at the end of September, so any advantage the Equinox EV may have had over the all-new Nissan Leaf is effectively wiped out.

Related: Chevy’s Big-Selling EV Faces Major Price Shock

2026 Nissan Leaf Starts At Under $30k

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Nissan just announced that the new Leaf will start at just $29,990, making it the cheapest new EV in America. That’s before the base Leaf S arrives, which will be even cheaper. The outgoing Leaf previously held that title, but that model was outclassed in terms of range and performance.

Once the tax credits fall away, the Leaf S+ will be $5,110 cheaper than the Equinox EV LT1, a substantial gap in this price-sensitive corner of the market. You can even upgrade to the Leaf SV+ at $34,230 and still undercut the Equinox EV.

While the base Equinox EV has a 319-mile range, the Leaf can hit 303 miles. The base Equinox EV makes 220 horsepower, while the Leaf S+ produces 214 hp, so performance should be similar.

Where the Equinox EV does have an advantage is in its size. It’s quite a bit longer than the Leaf, so for people with kids who need more space, the Chevy is the better option.

Nissan Leaf Is The New Affordable EV King, But A Fresh Bolt Is Coming

On paper, the new Nissan Leaf looks like the EV to beat if you have a limited budget. Like its predecessor, it starts at under $30k, yet has a far more modern design, a better range, and more power. Amazingly, the base price of the 2026 model undercuts the base price of the 2011 Leaf, which started at $32,780.

Although the 2026 Chevy Equinox EV is still a good deal, the combination of its price bump and the imminent discontinuation of the federal tax credit has eroded its pricing advantage in a big way.

Luckily for Chevy, an all-new Bolt EV is on the way, with production expected to begin later this year. A few weeks ago, the first images of the Bolt were shared. This model is also expected to have an attractive price tag.

Hopefully, buyers looking for an affordable EV at around the $30k mark will have at least two strong options to choose from before the end of the year.

2026 Chevy Equinox EV’s Price Bump Is A Win For Nissan Leaf first appeared on Autoblog on Aug 20, 2025

This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Aug 20, 2025, where it first appeared.