Nissan LEAF grabs a 2019 Car of the Year gong

The electric Nissan LEAF has been declared the Car of the Year at the 2019 Stuff Gadget Awards thanks to the big improvements in the latest model.

Tesla may be the star car maker for proponents and lovers of electric cars, but it’s Nissan, and the Nissan LEAF, which we can thank for the rise and rise of the EV.

Arriving almost a decade ago as a rather odd-looking hatch with a quite unimpressive range, the LEAF has now morphed in to a capable and appealing hatch with more mainstream styling and much better range.

But despite that the LEAF is under pressure from a raft of newcomer EVs – and probably most under threat from the new VW ID. 3 market launch next year – and Nissan has failed to capitalise on its EV lead with a range of new EVs to go with the LEAF.

But the LEAF is still the best-selling electric car to date, and the recent improvements, and the arrival of the 62kWh LEAF, makes the LEAF still relevant in a rapidly changing market, so much so that despite increased competition in 2019 it has been declared the Car of the Year at the Stuff Gadget Awards, judged by the team at the world’s biggest gadget magazine.

James Day, Stuff’s Editor-in-Chief, said:

Cars are big gadgets on wheels and 2019 has been an amazing year for automobiles with ever more connected features and eco-friendliness without forfeiting performance. Nissan’s LEAF has been a trailblazer for electric vehicles ever since its inception, and the latest model comes packed with a number of smart driver aides that guarantee massive grins when getting from A to B… or parking in a multi-storey.

So if this award turns your mind to a LEAF, then the fact the LEAF has just gone down in price – and supply has been improved – should make it very easy for you to step in to an EV.