The Nissan Leaf was one of many first trendy electrical autos to go on sale, however Nissan has been slower to undertake plug-in hybrids. It’s solely simply now getting one in its lineup, and solely by borrowing from one other automaker.

At first look, the 2026 Nissan Rogue Plug-In Hybrid looks like an easy addition to the Rogue’s resume. Many rivals have already checked that field, giving clients who aren’t able to make the leap to an EV lots of the advantages of electrical energy — so long as they often plug in these plug-in hybrids, that’s.

There’s a twist right here, although. As an alternative of including a plug-in hybrid powertrain to the usual Rogue, Nissan repurposed the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, swapping the Mitsubishi badges for its personal. It’s, as they are saying, a daring technique. Let’s see if it pays off.

Borrowing from the most effective

Earlier than touchscreens and piano black plastic trim, low-effort rebadges have been the bane of automotive journalists. Promoting the identical automotive underneath completely different manufacturers names — often known as “badge engineering” — produced duds just like the Cadillac Cimarron (a Chevrolet Cavalier with additional chrome) and redundancies just like the Mercury Tracer (a Ford Escort by one other title). It’s a lot much less frequent now, which makes the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid an much more puzzling transfer at first look.

Nissan knew what it was doing, although. Since 2016, it’s been Mitsubishi’s largest shareholder, having acquired a 34% stake within the smaller automaker after Mitsubishi was hobbled by an emissions-cheating scandal within the two firms’ mutual residence market of Japan. In consequence, the current-generation Rogue and Outlander have been designed round a typical structure. Below the pores and skin, the Outlander-based plug-in hybrid mannequin is thus nonetheless technically a Rogue.

Mitsubishi can be more adept with plug-in hybrids. Debuting in 2012 (though U.S. gross sales got here a lot later), the original Outlander PHEV was the primary plug-in hybrid SUV. So Mitsubishi has had a lot time to revive its plug-in hybrid system, giving Nissan well-developed tech to briefly plug (no pun supposed) a gap in its lineup till a brand new, in-house hybrid system is prepared for the U.S.

Design dissonance

The Outlander is a handsome-looking crossover. It received’t be confused with a station wagon, but additionally has trendy styling that avoids SUV cliches. It’s simply bizarre seeing a Nissan badge affixed to this design, contemplating that it was meant to be purely Mitsubishi. Customers may also probably be confused seeing two fully different-looking autos carrying the Rogue badge at their native Nissan dealership.

The inside is much less jarring, primarily as a result of the Outlander components are plainer, if nonetheless good-looking. The tech is a step behind the non-hybrid Rogue, nonetheless. Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are customary, however with a 9-inch touchscreen, slightly than the 12.3-inch display obtainable in high-end variations of the usual Rogue. Graphics on each the touchscreen and the usual 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster seem to have come from a Nineteen Nineties arcade recreation, however vital features are managed by analog buttons and knobs anyway.

Infotainment isn’t the one space the place the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid lags behind the original-flavor Rogue. That mannequin could be outfitted with Nissan’s most-advanced ProPilot Help 2.1 driver-assistance system, however the plug-in hybrid (together with its Mitsubishi twin) is just obtainable with model 1.1 of the system. Meaning you don’t get hands-free freeway driving.The Rogue Plug-In Hybrid will get the Outlander’s third-row bench seat, making this mannequin a seven-seater. Nevertheless, the again seats are too small to be of any actual use, and as in different three-row autos, they take a giant chunk out of cargo house. Fold it, and also you get comparable house to different small crossovers. Headroom and legroom within the first two rows are segment-appropriate as properly.

Maintains an EV-like driving expertise

Specs are an identical to the Outlander PHEV. A 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is usually used as a generator to take care of cost within the 20-kilowatt-hour battery pack, however can assist energy the entrance wheels when wanted. As an alternative, the system is designed to depend on a pair of electrical motors, one offering energy to every axle. Whole system output is 248 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque — lower than plug-in hybrid variations of the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, and Toyota RAV4.

The Rogue Plug-In Hybrid additionally has the identical drive modes because the Outlander PHEV. What Mitsubishi calls the Tremendous All-Wheel Management (S-AWC) system contains three modes (Regular, Energy, Eco) for managing the combination of gasoline electrical energy and 4 (Tarmac, Gravel, Snow, Mud) to make the most effective use of that energy on completely different surfaces. As within the Outlander, the Tarmac mode felt fairly good on regular pavement (we didn’t have the chance to take the Rogue on gravel, snow, or mud) however not enjoyable. That’s compounded by floppy suspension that, as within the Outlander, doesn’t encourage confidence and corners whereas degrading journey consolation.

Nissan could not have addressed the Outlander’s vices, nevertheless it did protect this plug-in hybrid’s virtues. Mitsubishi’s powertrain is EV-like, delivering loads of torque off the road and easily ramping up acceleration no matter what the internal-combustion engine is doing. Drivers may reap the benefits of robust regenerative braking though, as within the Outlander PHEV, regeneration tends to abruptly minimize out when nearing a cease. Regardless, this offers drivers an awesome preview of what they’ll expertise in an all-electric car.

Sufficient electrical vary for brief journeys

The Rogue Plug-In Hybrid can be simply as environment friendly because the Outlander PHEV. It’s EPA-rated on the similar 38 miles of electrical vary and 26 mpg mixed as soon as battery cost will get low. Electrical vary ought to be sufficient to cowl brief journeys, nevertheless it’s price noting that Toyota is promising as much as 52 miles of electrical vary for the next-generation 2026 RAV4 plug-in hybrid. At this time’s Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage plug-in hybrids are rated at 32 miles and 34 miles, respectively, however with gas economic system of 35 mpg mixed in hybrid mode.

Nevertheless, the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t have the Outlander PHEV’s DC fast-charging {hardware}. However provided that the Mitsubishi makes use of the orphaned CHAdeMO connector and might solely quick cost at 50 kilowatts, necessitating 38 minutes for a ten%-80% cost, homeowners received’t be lacking a lot.

Even with the usual 3.5-kW AC onboard charger, the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid can totally recharge in a single day (Nissan particularly quotes 7.5 hours), which ought to be sufficient for each day use. Nissan additionally retained the Outlander PHEV’s twin 12-volt, 1,500-watt retailers so you should use the battery pack to run your espresso maker at a campsite.

The warmup act for Nissan’s next-generation hybrid system

Nissan hadn’t revealed pricing for the Rogue Plug-In Hybrid at press time, which is unlucky, as a result of that can decide this mannequin’s relevance. The Rogue seems to be and drives precisely like its Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV twin, and is simply as environment friendly. If it’s not cheaper, there’s no cause to purchase one.

Even Nissan doesn’t appear to care about promoting many Rogue Plug-In Hybrids. This rebadging train serves primarily as a placeholder till the next-generation Rogue arrives with a brand new hybrid system dubbed e-Energy. This method, already obtainable exterior the U.S. is exclusive as a result of the gasoline engine is totally separate from the drivetrain. All drive energy comes from electrical motors. Nissan guarantees as much as 41 mpg with EV-like driving dynamics, albeit with no plug.

Nissan equipped a European-market Qashqai e-Energy for this take a look at drive, and it definitely didn’t drive like different hybrids. The dearth of engine vibration was spectacular, as was the quantity of regenerative braking, which obtained the Qashqai fairly near one-pedal driving. If Nissan can ship on gas effectivity, this will probably be an awesome possibility for patrons who don’t have a spot to plug in. But it surely’s attention-grabbing to notice that, between the e-Energy and plug-in hybrid fashions, Nissan should variations of the Rogue that promise an EV-like driving expertise — with out including one other EV to its lineup.