After a long hiatus, Mitsubishi is getting back into the EV game in America. The 2027 Eclipse Sportback will hit the US in late summer or early fall, the automaker announced on Tuesday. The compact crossover is a rebadged Nissan Leaf. And the three exterior photos Mitsubishi posted reveal a slightly sportier look with more aggressive front and rear bodywork. The Mitsubishi version also offers striking triangle-shaped wheels you can't get on the Leaf.
Mitsubishi hasn't shared any details about pricing, range, or other specifications. But the Nissan underpinnings tell us a lot about what to expect. The Nissan uses a 75-kilowatt-hour battery pack, which translates to around 225 miles of range per charge, and offers a healthy 303 miles of range in its base trim. All Leafs are front-wheel drive, featuring a 214-horsepower motor.
Charging power is rated at 150 kilowatts, or around 120 miles of charge in 35 minutes. Like practically all new EV models, the Leaf has a native Tesla-style NACS charging port for fast charging. What's more unusual is that it also has a J1772 port on the other side for home or destination charging.
View Price on AmazonWe at InsideEVs have found the Leaf to be a basic yet charming grocery-getter. The car earned our Breakthrough EV of the Year Award for 2026 for its combination of practicality, solid EV specs, and—most importantly—a price that's hard to find in the electric world. The Nissan Leaf hints at what we can expect from the Mitsubishi Eclipse Sportback
The Leaf, revamped for the 2026 model year, starts at right around $30,000. And I wouldn't expect the Mitsubishi version to stray too far from that. It means the US is on track to get another much-needed cheap EV. Things could be better for the movement toward cheaper EVs in America. The end of the $7,500 tax credit of course dealt an overnight blow to affordability.
Many automakers have scaled back their plans and canceled models—like the Volvo EX30 and Nissan Ariya—as the ground shifted beneath them. High tariffs and a looming ban on Chinese vehicle technology means we won't see any ludicrously cheap BYD Seagulls or Geely EX2s on American shores anytime soon.
But the dream isn't dead either. The revamped Leaf and Chevy Bolt landed in recent months as two of the best low-cost EVs America has ever seen, featuring respectable charging power, solid range, and sub-$30,000 starting prices. The Subaru Uncharted recently debuted too as a $34,995 electric Crosstrek with over 300 miles of range. And more options are on the way.
Kia is coming out with the EV3 soon. Slate, the EV startup, plans to start taking orders for its back-to-basics pickup truck (and finally reveal the specifics of its "mid-twenties" price tag) later this month. Ford has touted an overhauled assembly process and EV platform that will yield a hyper-efficient $30,000 pickup truck to start. Next year we'll see if that pays off.
Source: insideevs.com
