Nissan LEAF Charging Stations and Chargers

Nissan LEAF Charger, Battery and Mile Range

The Nissan LEAF EV originally had a 24 kWh battery pack, but Nissan has upgraded the LEAF’s battery three times since 2011. In 2016, Nissan offered an optional 30 kWh battery for the LEAF, increasing its driving range from 84 miles to 107 miles of range. Then, in 2018 a 40 kWh lithium-ion battery was introduced, which has an EPA range rating of 151 miles of range. Most recently, in 2019, Nissan added the LEAF e-Plus to the lineup, which has a 62 kWh battery. The base LEAF with the 40 kWh battery pack is still available.

For the Level 1 and Level 2 EV charging session, the LEAF uses the industry standard SAE J1772 connector in North America. The Nissan LEAF charger port is located in the front center of the vehicle, above the bumper. The LEAF has undergone a couple charging rate and battery capacity upgrades in its nine-year existence, demonstrated in the chart below. Match up your LEAF with the model year, charging rates and battery size, to see how long an EV charger can take to charge your LEAF.

Level 3 DC fast charging: CHAdeMO

All model years of the Nissan LEAF are capable of level 3 DC fast charging, which is what you'll find at many public charging stations. The LEAF uses the Japanese DC fast charging standard, CHAdeMO. Unlike the North American standard, the SAE Combined Charging System or CCS, CHAdeMO requires the vehicle to have a second inlet for the CHAdeMO connector.

Charging session times for the Nissan LEAF on a Level 3 fast charger is about 45 minutes to achieve 80% charge. The Nissan Leaf’s charge times are similar for the 40 kWh and 62 kWh models, because in 2019 Nissan increased the level 3 charge rate from 50 kW to 100 kW on the LEAF e-Plus with the 62 kWh battery. Like the 40 kWh LEAF currently offered, older versions of the LEAF with the 24 kWh and 30 kWh batteries are limited to 50 kW. The 24 kWh LEAF takes less than 30 minutes to reach 80%, and the 30 kWh LEAF takes about 30 minutes to reach 80% state of charge from empty.

DC fast charging can be found at public charging stations, which are often located at office or mall parking lots. Nissan LEAF EV owners should know that although using a public EV charger is not typically the most convenient charging option for an EV, it is the fastest way to charge up your Nissan LEAF's battery when you are out and about. If you are an EV owner looking for home charging station, see our recommended Nissan LEAF level 2 charging stations below. Any of these can serve as your Nissan LEAF home charger.