Nissan has reduced the price of the Leaf by £1,650 across all grades and secured additional supply for 2020.

The announcement follows a previous price hike of £1,800 earlier in the year.

With improved supply of the fully-electric model, Nissan expects to cut lead times for retail buyers.

The starting price of a Leaf 40kWh is now £26,345 for an Acenta version (including the £3,500 Plug-in Car Grant), whilst range-topping Tekna models are available from £29,345.

Nic Verneuil, marketing director of Nissan GB, said: “Nissan is always improving the competitiveness of its vehicles, ensuring customers enjoy a better buying and ownership experience.

“We’ve not only secured additional factory production to make Leaf more accessible, but as a result we’ve also been able to significantly lower the price tag of the car in market, making it more affordable. If customers are ready to make the switch, they shouldn’t have to wait to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle.”

All new Leaf models now feature two rear USB connections fitted to the reverse panel of the centre console. On Tekna versions (and optional on N-Connecta versions) the LED fog lights have also been upgraded to include a cornering function.

Combined with zero VED, off-peak electricity for charging, substantially lower maintenance costs, free ULEZ and London Congestion Charge entry, and free parking in some towns and cities, Nissan says buyers could save thousands of pounds a year in running costs compared to a petrol or diesel vehicle.

Demand from company car drivers has also increased following the announcement of a zero percent Benefit-in-kind tax rate for fully-electric cars, coming into force in April.

In the UK, the electric vehicle market continues to buck the overall industry trend and is seeing impressive year-on-year growth. In the first 11 months (Jan-Nov), the market share for 100% electric vehicles had more than doubled from 0.6% in 2018 to 1.5% in 2019. This is thanks to EV registrations almost tripling, up +135.6% to almost 33,000 units. In November alone, electric vehicles achieved an impressive 3.0% market share, with 4,652 sold – 537 of which were the Nissan Leaf, making up 12% of EV sales.