Shock £28k car named best in UK - beats Audi, BMW and Land Rover
The All-New Nissan LEAF, the third generation of the mass-market electric car, has picked up three prizes at Auto Express' Car of the Year awards, including the top trophy. The new EV secured the honours for Small Company Car of the Year and Affordable Electric Car of the Year as well as the main 2026 Auto Express Car of the Year.
The judging panel praised the new Nissan LEAF for offering an unbeatable combination of technology, ride comfort and impressive range. Auto Express deputy editor Richard Ingram declared the car was a "homegrown triumph”. Nissan is a Japanese company, but the LEAF is manufactured at the UK factory in Sunderland.
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He said: “Against every yardstick, Nissan’s Leaf is an outstanding Car of the Year. Rivals can’t beat its mix of long range, keen pricing and a powertrain that blends performance and efficiency like few others.
“Add in a premium ride quality, tight handling plus an interior that offers impressive space wrapped in a dynamic design, and its victory is richly deserved. Engineered and manufactured in Britain, it’s a homegrown triumph to boot.”
From the outside, the new LEAF looks a step above its predecessor,with a new body style and a futuristic front grille. Inside, the new model is fitted with a spacious interior as well as impressive technology suhc such as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-load (V2L).
The car is capable of hitting up to 386 miles and is on sale in four different grades depending on budgets. Prices start from £28,849 for models fitted with a 52kWh battery, and £32,249 for a slightly bigger 75kWh battery offering.
BMW picked up some awards, with the iX3 securing the Mid-size Premium SUV of the Year and Premium Electric Car of the Year prizes. The BMW 2 Series also won the Coupé of the Year award.
The Audi A5 was voted the Premium Hybrid Car of the Year, with Audi’s Q3 the Small Premium SUV of the Year and the A6 e-tron the Large Company Car of the Year.
Meanwhile, Range Rover secured the Large Premium SUV of the Year award, but didn't do quite enough to secure the top Car of the Year prize.
James Taylor, Managing Director of Nissan Motor GB said: “We’re over the moon that All-New, British-built LEAF has been recognised with not just one, but three awards from Auto Express. A big thanks to the team for recognising the hard work that’s gone into making this third-generation model the best yet!
“To see LEAF recognised as Auto Express Car of the Year is something all of us at Nissan can be incredibly proud of – not least the incredible team at our Sunderland plant, which has now built three generations of award-winning LEAFs."