Nissan EV drivers in the UK have travelled a collective three billion miles in the 15 years since the first-generation all-electric Leaf debuted.
The figure was obtained using DVLA mileage data about Nissan EVs registered in the UK. According to the Japanese carmaker, the 3,027,603,141-mile number is the equivalent of driving to the moon and back over 6,000 times, or from Sunderland – where the current Leaf is built – to Tokyo more than 340,000 times.
Were this distance covered by similarly sized internal combustion-engined cars, tailpipe emissions could have totalled more than 500,000 tonnes of C02.
Following the Mk1 Leaf, which was built at the Sunderland site between 2013 and 2024, Nissan then introduced its electric-only NV200 Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) in 2014. A second-gen Leaf arrived in 2018, while the Ariya crossover debuted in 2022. 
Fast-forward to 2025, and Nissan introduced the Micra as an EV-only model. This marked the first time since its 1982 debut that the Micra was offered with a fully electric powertrain. That same year, a third-gen Leaf arrived. It immediately scooped several awards, including Car of the Year, Affordable Electric Car of the Year, and the Best EV award.
In spring 2027, Nissan will introduce an all-electric version of the Juke crossover to its EV roster. Like all three generations of Leaf, it will be manufactured in Sunderland. Both models adhere to the brand’s EV36Zero plan, which includes using renewable energy generated on-site by wind and solar power. The battery packs are made at Nissan’s AESC battery factory next door.
After hitting its “incredible landmark” of 3bn miles, Nissan UK’s managing director, James Taylor, commented: “Nissan has been a pioneer and leader in electric vehicles for more than 15 years, and figures like this only underscore that point.
“For our EVs to have covered more than three billion electric miles across the UK is an incredible milestone, and one that everyone at Nissan should be proud of.
“The first-generation Leaf kicked off the EV revolution back in 2011, so it’s fantastic to see in real terms the impact that Nissan’s ever-growing electric model range has had since then. Now, with the all-new Leaf and Micra in showrooms and on our roads, joining thousands of Ariya, Townstar and Interstar models, we are helping even more people experience the benefits of all-electric motoring.
“A big thanks must go to our fantastic customers too, who in many cases were real trailblazers in the early days of EVs: believing in our vision of fully electric motoring from day one, and without whom we couldn’t have reached this incredible landmark.”
In addition to its Sunderland factory, which is the UK’s single biggest car plant, Nissan has a design centre in Paddington, central London, and an R&D engineering centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. More than 7,000 staff are employed by Nissan in the UK.
