Nissan’s electric car, the Leaf, will effectively cost £23,350 when it goes on sale next February.
The headline price is £28,350, but Leaf buyers can avail themselves of a £5000 Government grant, bringing it much closer to the realms of affordability.
It has a range of around 100 miles, with a full recharge taking around eight hours although a high-voltage quick-charge cable (more and more of which are being rolled out across the country) can restore 80% of charge in just 30 minutes.
According to Nissan, the Leaf is around 90% efficient, meaning it turns nine tenths of its energy into motion.
By comparison, conventionally powered cars are around 30% efficient.
Of course, how environmentally friendly the car is also depends on where the electricity used to charge it comes from.
