Nissan LEAF UK sales hit 10,000 – but it’s a long way from being the nation’s favourite ULEV

Nissan has announced that the electric LEAF has sold more than 10,000 units in the UK since it went on sale in 2011, a massive 63.3 per cent EV market share.

We can no loner say that electric cars don’t sell in the UK, as the Nissan LEAF hits 10,000 UK sales since its launch in 2011, garnering a 63.3 per cent EV market share in the process.

Sales are also still growing, with Nissan reporting that almost 3,000 of the LEAF’s sales were made in the first six months of 2015, and half of the total LEAF sales in the UK have occurred in the last year alone.

All of which is very good news for Nissan – even if sales are nowhere near the levels they predicted when the LEAF launched – and does show that Nissan has succeeded in making the LEAF ‘mainstream’, even if its total sales in the UK in four years are still less than the monthly sales of the Ford Fiesta.

But despite the LEAF now selling in reasonable numbers, it’s a very long way off being the UK’s favourite Ultra Low Emission vehicle (ULEV).

That honour goes to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – Mistubishi’s plug-in hybrid Crossover/SUV – which with its low official emissions, impressive official economy, flexible electric/ICE powertrain, low BIK rates, sensible price and SUV kerb appeal, shows how to get the best from using electric power to drive a car.

The Outlander PHEV may not be a brilliant car, but it is a brilliant buy – especially for company car drivers – and shows that car buyers are willing to embrace new technology in big numbers if it’s packaged – and priced – sensibly.