Richard Yarrow’s opinion for Start Rescue, providing low cost Car Breakdown
The winner of the prestigious European Car of the Year (ECOTY) title has been announced, and it is the Nissan Leaf. The what? Good question. It might have won, but you would have to be an avid reader of car magazines to know what it is and you won’t find a single UK customer driving one yet.
The Leaf qualifies because it’s technically on sale – you can place an order and pay a deposit yet – but no one has taken delivery and won’t until into the spring. And yet there is a general feeling that the ECOTY jurors – made up of 58 journalists like myself across 23 countries – have got it right this year. Perhaps in a way that they haven’t in the past.
Let me explain; the Nissan Leaf is the world’s first electric family car. It drives like a regular compact hatchback – Nissan’s last was the Almera – and while rival vehicles with a petrol or diesel engine might cost £17,000 it costs £24,000 including a £5,000 grant from the Government for you going green. Without that it would be £29,000. The Leaf is pioneering technology and to a large degree that’s why it’s won the ECOTY. Nissan has taken a risk in developing it and that’s paying off.
Two points to make; last year’s winner was the worthy but dull VW Polo, which beat the highly innovative Toyota iQ into second place.
Most commentators, me included, felt that was a travesty and this year’s result goes some way to make up for that. Secondly, a study published yesterday – the very day the Leaf’s victory was announced – says the public aren’t yet sold on the idea electric cars. Great timing.
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