2020 Nissan Leaf gets safety upgrades, larger touchscreen

The Nissan Leaf electric hatchback gets updates for 2020 that include more safety features and infotainment technology, along with a $1,640 price increase for the base Leaf S model.

Nissan Safety Shield 360 technology goes standard across the lineup, bringing pedestrian-detecting automatic emergency braking, lane departure and blind-spot warnings and rear automatic braking. It also gets forward collision warning, intelligent lane intervention and blind spot intervention. The 8-inch touchscreen from the longer-range Leaf Plus is now standard in all trim levels, up from 5 and 7 inches in the previous Leaf S and SV, respectively. Also going standard across the lineup, finally, is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.

There are a few other changes, too, including new air bags added to the driver and front passenger knee areas and mounted in the rear seats for side impacts. The Leaf’s “Canto” pedestrian safety sound for warning pedestrians of its presence has also been updated in tone and volume, Nissan says. And finally, there will be a new exterior color on offer, called Sunset Drive ChromaFlair.

There are now just two trim levels for the base 40 kWh, 149-mile range Leaf, S and SV, down from three, while the 226-mile range Leaf Plus comes in S, SV and SL trims. Pricing for the Leaf S starts at $32,525, including the $925 destination fee, which is $1,640 more than the 2019 model. Leaf Plus models start at $39,125, up $1,680 from last year.

Nissan last redesigned the basic Leaf in 2018 to boost its driving range to 150 miles, and in addition it introduced the longer-range Leaf Plus last year, with a 62 kWh battery pack, upgrades to the electric motor and a range of 226 miles. Both models are now on sale at dealerships.