New Nissan Leaf Or Chevy Equinox EV: Which Is America

• Edmunds tested the new Nissan Leaf against the acclaimed Chevrolet Equinox EV.
• Both are front-wheel-drive compact crossovers with at least 300 miles of range and price tags in the $30,000 range. They each show how EVs are getting better and more affordable.
• Edmunds recommends the Equinox EV overall, but says the Leaf does a few things better. 

It’s a notable sign of progress that electric vehicles are becoming more than just expensive status symbols for wealthy buyers. As technology improves and battery costs go down, car shoppers everywhere are getting more and more reasonably priced EV options that won’t break the bank. 

We’re really seeing this trend in full effect in Europe and China, but even the United States is no slouch these days. Case in point: the Chevrolet Equinox EV and new Nissan Leaf. These are both solid choices if you want an EV with more than 300 miles of range for under $40,000, or even under $35,000, depending on their equipment. But which one is the best choice right now?

Edmunds correspondent and friend of InsideEVs Emme Hall put both to the test in a recent video. And right away, she calls it: the Equinox EV is probably the all-around choice. But there are several things the new Leaf does better here that make an outright “winner” a bit less clear.

We’ll start with what these cars have in common, which is actually a lot. The Equinox EV—impressive enough to be our Breakthrough Award EV of the Year in 2024—is powered by an 85-kilowatt-hour battery pack and offers up to 319 miles of range depending on the trim level. It has a maximum DC fast-charging speed of 150 kilowatts, and should be able to charge from 10% to 80% in about 35-40 minutes on a powerful enough plug. It starts at $33,600 before destination fees or incentives, but can run to nearly $50,000 with all the bells and whistles. 

Meanwhile, the Leaf—an all-new model unrelated to the cheap but outdated older Leaf—gets a 75 kWh battery and is good for up to 303 miles of range. Charging performance is nearly identical: maximum 150-kW speeds, 10% to 80% in an estimated 35 minutes.

It does get a Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug for fast-charging, as well as a conventional J1772 plug for slower charging; that’s an odd setup, but I can tell you it works just fine. However, the Equinox EV is available in front- or all-wheel-drive configurations, unlike the FWD-only Leaf. The Leaf’s base price is $29,990, but that version may be hard to find in the wild. 

Interestingly, both cars also use an Android Automotive OS-based software system with Google Built-In, so you get first-rate voice recognition systems and native Google Maps for navigation. But the Leaf has one thing buyers love that the Equinox EV doesn’t: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. No smartphone mirroring if you go with any of GM’s EVs.

However, Hall notes that the Equinox EV comes with an eight-year subscription to all those Google software services for free. “You only get one year in the Nissan,” she said.

But then there’s the matter of pricing on paper vs. what you get in reality. Hall’s loaded Leaf, like one I tested recently, was a little over $40,000. “Our money is on the SV Plus” Leaf trim, Hall said. That’s the mid-trim one starting at $34,230. “For an extra $4,000 [from the base car], you get all kinds of cool stuff. You get better upholstery, better stereo, better wheels. You get a bigger screen with Google.
You get USB ports and air vents for the back seat. Plus, you get a heat pump, so it’ll be really efficient in the winter.”

However, a Chevy Equinox EV in the mid-$30,000 or low-$40,000 range wins the day thanks to more size, a bit more range, a more generous tech feature subscription package and other perks. “It is more versatile, it’s more spacious, has a better ride quality, and if you can keep those options in check, it still holds a lot of value,” Hall said. 

I’ve driven both extensively, and I actually prefer the Leaf just a bit—although I wouldn’t need the Equinox EV’s additional space and cargo capacity. If you’re in the market for either, drive both, see which one you like best and can get the best deal on. But neither is a bad choice, and that’s great news for the EV market in America as we close out 2025.

Check out the video above and drop your thoughts in the comments. 

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com