The Electrified GV70’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Leaf doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
Both the Electrified GV70 and Leaf have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Electrified GV70 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Leaf’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.
The Electrified GV70 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Leaf doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.
Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Electrified GV70 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Electrified GV70’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Leaf’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Genesis Electrified GV70 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 Nissan Leaf has not been tested.
The Electrified GV70 has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Leaf doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Electrified GV70’s standard Downhill Brake Control allow you to creep down safely. The Leaf doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.
Both the Electrified GV70 and Leaf have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Electrified GV70 has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Leaf’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.
Both the Electrified GV70 and the Leaf have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.
The Genesis Electrified GV70 weighs 713 to 1356 pounds more than the Nissan Leaf. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.
The Genesis Electrified GV70 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Leaf has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2026.