Nissan Leaf electric: Less than £100 per week to buy

The electric car pioneers who buy the world’s first mass-produced car, the Nissan Leaf, in Britain next year can choose to pay less than £100 a week.

The low residual value of current electric vehicles placed a question mark over the estimated running costs of the Leaf, but used-car experts have predicted it will retain a 47 per cent of its value after three years.

Individuals who buy a Leaf through Nissan’s Personal Contract Purchase scheme, and pay a deposit of £3,850 and take advantage of the £5,000 government grant for electric cars, will have a monthly repayment of £376 – a sum that can be increased or decreased depending on the size of deposit.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA): “The Leaf is quite unlike any electric car before – a refined family vehicle that can travel 100 miles on £1.50 of electricity.”

The Leaf was recently voted European Car of the Year for 2011 and goes on sale in Britain in March 2011.