Compare the2026 Nissan Leaf VS 2026 Subaru Uncharted

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Leaf are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Uncharted doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Nissan Leaf achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Subaru Uncharted has not been tested.

The Leaf has standard NissanConnect Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Uncharted doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Leaf and the Uncharted have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available front parking sensors.

The Nissan Leaf achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Uncharted has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

There are over 64 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Leaf’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 11th.

The Leaf can travel longer on a full charge than the Uncharted on a full charge:

			Miles
Leaf
	FWD	S+ Electric Motor	303 miles
Uncharted
	FWD	Electric Motor	301 miles
	AWD	Sport/GT Electric Motors	286 miles

For better stopping power the Leaf’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Uncharted:

	Leaf	Uncharted
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.9 inches

The Leaf stops shorter than the Uncharted:

	Leaf	Uncharted
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

The Leaf’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Uncharted Premium’s standard 60 series tires. The Leaf Platinum+’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Uncharted Sport/GT’s 50 series tires.

The Leaf has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Uncharted doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Leaf Platinum+ handles at .81 G’s, while the Uncharted GT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Leaf’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Uncharted’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.1 feet).

The Leaf is 4.4 inches shorter than the Uncharted, making the Leaf easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Leaf has .8 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom and 6.7 inches more rear hip room than the Uncharted.

The Leaf Platinum+ has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Uncharted doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Leaf SV+/Platinum+’s standard GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Uncharted’s navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

The Nissan Leaf has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located for the driver. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Subaru charges extra for Homelink® on the Uncharted.