Upcoming New Nissan Leaf Electric Car

Upcoming new Nissan Leaf electric car in 2011 - Nissan

The world's first mass-market electric car, the Nissan Leaf, will cost nearly £10,000 more than its equivalent petrol and diesel rivals. Nissan, which announced the European pricing for the fully electric Leaf today, said that the five-door car would set consumers back £28,350, dropping to £23,350 when a UK government grant is included.

The Leaf hopes to change the eccentric image of electric cars, which have been dogged by safety fears and a lack of recharging points. Similar-sized conventional cars such as the Ford Focus cost just under £19,000, and the Leaf's obvious direct rival, the Prius electric-petrol hybrid, costs £19,500-22,500.

"This is the first proper electric car on the market, and 100 miles is the minimum that serious drivers will be looking for,"

With a range of 100 miles, the Leaf will be able to go without the plug socket for more than double what first generations of the iconic G-Wiz electric car managed and should avoid drivers being worried they will become stranded after running out of power.