European Car of the Year juries have picked some right dogs for undeserved elevation at times – wasn’t it them that selected the Renault 9 one year? – but this year’s choice of the Nissan Leaf was right on the money.

First practical electric car on sale in Europe. Full stop. To the dais, Mr Ghosn and your team, and well deserved.

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Several members of the j-a crew have driven the Leaf on both UK and European roads and we liked it a lot. Take a proper C-class five-door hatchback with all the latest active and passive safety gubbins, expected levels of equipment, practical space for five and stuff; hoick out the petrol drivetrain and tank, substitute lecky motor and batteries and put on sale. In December. Neatly beating the Volt/Ampera to these shores by at least a year. Or even two. Range anxiety? As this US article shows, owners will develop strategies to cope and improvements in battery life will come.

Until now, EVs have mostly been ‘orrible little glorified golf carts with the crash safety of an origami model. The Leaf is a proper car, with an electric drivetrain, marketed by a global biggie with lots of projects in hand to develop sustainable recharging networks and all the other support apparatus such a big new step requires. Mitsubishi‘s i-MiEV is a worthy effort but it’s too small to be as practical as the Leaf – the C segment hatch is Europe’s dominant size – and there have been pricing mis-steps. An honourable mention, maybe.

So, for once, I wholeheartedly agree with the Coty jury. A round of applause, please, for Nissan.

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