New Nissan LEAF Now In Production In UK

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The new Nissan LEAF is one of the most exciting new electric cars I’ve seen introduced in a while. Seemingly trying to reach back into its EV leadership long, long ago, Nissan has developed an updated crossover LEAF that looks like everything a human could want on four wheels at a truly competitive low price. For me, it’s the EV announcement of the year outside of China. (China is a different EV universe….)

We have news this week that production of the new Nissan LEAF in the UK has now begun in Sunderland. (Interesting enough, Sunderland AFC just beat local rivals Newcastle FC in one of the biggest rival football games around. They hadn’t played each other in the Premier League for years due to Sunderland not being in the top tier of English football for a while, yet Sunderland came through with the win after a very scrappy game against Saudi Arabia–backed Newcastle. Ironic that Sunderland became the birthplace of a notable EV model in the same week.)

The 3rd-gen LEAF launches today in the UK. With 282,704 units of the LEAF produced in Sunderland to date, this new, updated, much better version should easily push that total past 300,000 — and, who knows, perhaps it could get up to the 500,000 marker in time?

“Nissan said it has invested more than £450m into manufacturing the new Leaf, including more than £300m directly into the company’s UK operations,” The Guardian writes. “The site is Britain’s biggest car factory, with 6,000 employees and the theoretical ability to make 600,000 cars a year.”

The country’s industry minister, Chris McDonald, was visiting the factory today, demonstrating that this is a big deal broadly, not just for EV enthusiasts like you and me. (The real question of whether McDonald supports Sunderland, though, is whether he was cheering after Woltemade’s own goal on Sunday.)

Despite Nissan shutting down 7 factories and laying off 20,000 jobs around the world in the midst of troubling times, its electric vehicle progress is keeping things running strong in the UK now. Perhaps a lesson — or canary in the coal mine — for some other automakers?

The new Nissan LEAF does qualify for the £3,750 UK electric car grant and starts at £32,249 in the country.

If you’ve missed our previous coverage of the updated model, I encourage you to check out the following articles in particular:

• First Drive of the 2026 Nissan LEAF
• New 2026 Nissan LEAF Shows How Far Electric Vehicles Have Come In 15 Years!
• The Super Exciting Thing Michael Liebreich & I Are Loving These Days
• The Best Electric Car Deals in $/Mile of Range
• Can the Nissan LEAF Shoot to the Top of EV Sales Charts?
• 2026 Nissan LEAF Named Car of the Year, Best EV, & Best Budget Vehicle in 1st-Ever Buzz Awards