2026 Nissan Leaf Misses Top Safety Pick Designation From IIHS

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• Nissan Leaf is redesigned for 2026
• More than 300 miles of range available
• Leaf misses out on Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick award due to single test

The all-new 2026 Nissan Leaf is a comprehensive improvement over its predecessor. It boasts more standard power and range, sleek SUV-coupe bodywork, and a handsome minimalist interior packed with plenty of standard tech and available luxury features. We didn’t name it our Best Car of the Year for nothing. In recent testing, the Leaf barely missed out on further distinction from the IIHS.

Related: 2026 Nissan Leaf Review: Value Victory

A Moderate (Overlap) Shortfall

The Leaf fell short of IIHS’s coveted Top Safety Pick honor in a single crash test. The IIHS rates vehicles on a four-point scale: good, acceptable, marginal and poor. To earn the lower-tier Top Safety Pick honors, cars must receive qualifying marks in five different tests. Those that post sufficient results in a sixth earn Top Safety Pick+ status.

It was the moderate overlap front crash test that tripped up the Leaf, though it still scored acceptable in the test. In this evaluation, the vehicle is accelerated to 40 mph and strikes a barrier that covers 40% of the vehicle’s overall width. The barrier is fitted with a deformable aluminum honeycomb face, and the resultant forces simulate an offset head-on collision with a vehicle of similar size that’s also traveling at roughly 40 mph.

A Common Stumbling Block

The IIHS updated the moderate front overlap test in 2022, maintaining the speed and positioning of the barrier but adding a second crash-test dummy to the vehicle. The original dummy, representing an average-sized adult male, remains in the driver’s seat. The second dummy, representing a small woman or an average 12-year-old child, is positioned in the rear seat behind the driver.

The IIHS updated the test because the vast majority of vehicles it tested were earning the top rating of good — and the updated test illuminates an opportunity for improvement by the automakers. Many vehicles have seen their scores in the moderate overlap front test downgraded due to the backseat dummy showing a higher risk of injuries, usually from the seat belt failing to adequately control that occupant’s movement in a crash.

Otherwise Outstanding

Aside from that one test, however, the all-new 2026 Nissan Leaf turned in an excellent performance in IIHS evaluations, earning marks in the other five tests that qualify it as a Top Safety Pick+. It earned good scores in the small overlap front and side impact crash tests, and its headlights and crash-avoidance technology also performed well in how they illuminate the road and prevent collisions with pedestrians and other vehicles.

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