Home › Nissan › Leaf › 2020

2020 Nissan Leaf

Electric Midsize car

20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
F
Safety Signal
50 / 100
FSafety Signal · 50 / 100
6Recalls · 1 critical
164Complaints · owner reports
5★Crash rating · NHTSA overall
226 miEV range · best configuration

The 2020 Nissan Leaf is sold in the U.S. as a electric midsize car with 3 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the Leaf (62 kW-hr battery pack), is EPA-rated at 226 miles with 108 MPGe combined efficiency. NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 164 complaints, most often about electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombRangekWh/100miCharge (240V)Annual fuel*
Leaf (40 kW-hr battery pack)ElectricFWD110 kW DCPM12399111 MPGe149 mi30.48 h$700
Leaf (62 kW-hr battery pack)ElectricFWD160 kW DCPM11897108 MPGe226 mi31.311 h$700
Leaf SV/SL (62 kW-hr battery pack)ElectricFWD160 kW DCPM11494104 MPGe215 mi32.311 h$750

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

Out of factory warranty soon?

The 2020 Nissan Leaf is in the years where high-voltage electronics and module repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

Compare coverage →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Data on this page is never influenced by that.

Recalls (6)

Electrical System

critical
25,704 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 LEAF vehicles equipped with a Level 3 quick charging port. The lithium-ion battery may overheat during Level 3 charging.

Risk: A quick charging battery that overheats increases the risk of a fire.

Fix: Dealers will update the battery software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed June 3, 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R24B2, P4A38, and P5A22.

NHTSA campaign 24V700000 · reported Sep 19, 2024 · Nissan North America, Inc.

Back Over Prevention

high
57,914 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2022 LEAF vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23D7.

NHTSA campaign 24V071000 · reported Feb 2, 2024 · Nissan North America, Inc.

Vehicle Speed Control

high
66,159 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control.

Risk: Unintentional acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module (VCM), free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A6.

NHTSA campaign 23V494000 · reported Jul 17, 2023 · Nissan North America, Inc.

Visibility

high
64,732 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The Owner's Manual instructions for defroster operation are incorrect, and may result in reduced defroster performance under specific conditions. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."

Risk: Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will mail an addendum with updated instructions on how to operate the defroster, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 1, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22C5.

NHTSA campaign 23V048000 · reported Feb 2, 2023 · Nissan North America, Inc.

Visibility

high
150 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf vehicles. The rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.

Risk: Rear window glass that separates from the vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the back window glass, free of charge. The recall began November 4, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC752.

NHTSA campaign 20V570000 · reported Sep 22, 2020 · Nissan North America, Inc.

Back Over Prevention

minor
6,157 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 LEAF electric vehicles. Under certain circumstances, the images for the back-up camera can disappear while in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. This recall began August 31, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.

NHTSA campaign 20V412000 · reported Jul 17, 2020 · Nissan North America, Inc.

NHTSA investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Owner complaints

164 complaints filed

1 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 0 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2020: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2025: 85 · 2026: 52

Most-cited components

  • Electrical System — 121
  • Fuel/Propulsion System — 34
  • Unknown Or Other — 22
  • Power Train — 13
  • Forward Collision Avoidance — 8
“A yellow warning âš ï¸� and two cars crashing comes on and during driving the car applies sudden breaking. I took the car in for repairs but no time line was given for repairs or parts. Also even though it's under warranty the dealer and the headquarter would not give me a rental car until the repairs are made.”May 5, 2023 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report
“The backup camera of my 2020 Nissan Leaf does not consistently work. Often, the screen is bright pink and does not show the view of behind the vehicle. Clearly, it is a safety issue to have a malfunctioning backup camera. I am getting it serviced by a Nissan dealer next week. The failure seems to be related to opening …”Jan 19, 2023 · Unknown Or Other · NHTSA owner report
“What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? AEB may have malfunctioned. Yes, I will provide the car for official inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Possible injuries from abrupt braking; possible and likely rear-end collision if dr…”Sep 29, 2022 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
5 HB FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%
5 HB FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning.

Other Leaf model years

C

2026 Leaf

2 recalls · 2 complaints

A

2025 Leaf

0 recalls · 7 complaints

A

2024 Leaf

0 recalls · 5 complaints

C

2023 Leaf

3 recalls · 20 complaints

D

2022 Leaf

4 recalls · 92 complaints

D

2021 Leaf

4 recalls · 54 complaints

F

2019 Leaf

5 recalls · 253 complaints

C

2018 Leaf

4 recalls · 66 complaints

B

2017 Leaf

2 recalls · 17 complaints

D

2016 Leaf

4 recalls · 36 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 42561, 42562, 42563). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API