New 2018 Nissan LEAF EV starts rolling out of Nissan’s UK plant

The new 2018 Nissan LEAF EV has started rolling of the line at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland, with first European deliveries expected in February 2018.

It’s a bit over three months since the 2018 Nissan LEAF was revealed – and a couple of months since it went on sale in the UK – and now production of Nissan’s much-improved LEAF has started at Nissan’s UK Plant in Sunderland.

From being a slightly odd-looking electric car, albeit one which helped turn a surprising number of car buyers on to EVs, the new generation LEAF is much more mainstream and usable – and all the better for it.

Those more mainstream looks are properly appealing, but under the skin the LEAF has grown up too, with the battery pack growing to 40kWh (a big improvement on the original LEAF) and a range of 235 miles (although more like a, still very useful, 175 miles in the real world).

Add to that a decent spec – including 17″ alloys, auto high beam, Climate, E-Pedal, good connectivity, surround cameras and more – and you have an electric car which is now almost an alternative to an ICE car in terms of practicality.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, Nissan’s Europe VP Manufacturing,s aid:

Nissan led the way in introducing electric vehicles to Europe in 2011, and every year since then it’s been clear that more and more customers share our vision for the future of driving.

We’re excited to start production in Sunderland and to bring the new Nissan LEAF to European markets from February.

Nissan has sold more than 85,000 LEAFs in Europe since they launched in 2011, and judging by what’s on offer with the new LEAF – even taking in to account rising competition – it’s not much of a leap of faith to predict the new LEAF will sell even more.

2018 Nissan LEAF Photos