Nissan LEAF ‘forever’

Most Nissan LEAF owners say they will never buy a conventionally-powered car again, according to new research.

Nissan has been surveying owners of its LEAF electric car and found that more than nine in 10 owners (93%) use it as their main family car, while 64% say it’s better to drive than a petrol or diesel vehicle.

As well as pointing out the significant financial savings made by owners, the research also highlights how living with the Nissan LEAF in the real world has turned it from a second car into the main family car for many motorists.

Also, two in five owners (41%) said the LEAF has positively changed the way they drive, while 95% of them were happy to recommend it to a friend.

With a cost per mile of just two pence or less, 89% of those surveyed reported significant savings against more traditionally-fuelled cars. One driver calculated that he had spent just £400 travelling more than 22,000 miles in his Nissan LEAF. Many others reported savings of £200-250 per month.

“Electric car ownership was a big step for motorists to take when we launched the LEAF in 2011 but we are now seeing that owners who were bold enough to take that step are reaping the benefits,” said Nissan Motor GB Limited Managing Director, James Wright. said:

“The issues that the naysayers said would hinder ownership have not materialised and, in fact, the feeling from LEAF owners is that they would never go back to a traditional combustion engine.

“We were the first to bring a mass-produced electric car to market, so it stands to reason that we are also the first to prove the genuine viability of electric motoring.”

The Nissan LEAF boasts a 64% pure EV market share in the UK. More than 3,599 cars have been sold in 2014 – almost double the volume sold in 2013 (1,812).

In September, Nissan’s British-built all-electric car sold a record 851 cars – more than double the number sold in the same month last year and the largest volume ever sold in one month in a European market.