Nissan has celebrated the sale of its 100,000th Leaf in Europe, proving demand for electric vehicles is growing.

Globally, the brand has sold more than 320,000 fully-electric Leaf models, making it the most sold EV in the world.

In the UK, dealers have shifted more than 25,000 Leafs.

Sales of alternatively fuelled cars rose by 36% in May alone, according to the SMMT, and sales of battery-electric cars grew by 18%.

An all-new version of the Leaf launched this year and has already amassed orders of more than 37,000 across Europe.

It offers a range of more than 200 miles, can be charged to 80% in half an hour and is the first Nissan model in Europe to feature Nissan’s ProPilot driver assistance system.

The new Nissan Leaf is also equipped with e-Pedal, which allows drivers to start, accelerate, decelerate and stop – simply by increasing or decreasing the pressure applied to the pedal.

Gareth Dunsmore, electric vehicle director of Nissan Europe, said: “For us it’s no surprise that the Nissan Leaf is the world’s best-selling electric vehicle. We have been developing our electric vehicle mass-market offering for longer than any other brand and are proud to bring an affordable, visionary car to customers across Europe. In less than 10 years, we managed to make electric vehicle a mass market reality. This milestone proves once again that our Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision is embraced by our customers who believe in a more confident, more exciting, and more connected future.”

European Nissan Leaf customers have now driven more than two billion kilometres and saved more than 300,000 tonnes of CO2. They also boast a 92% customer satisfaction rate – more than any other Nissan model.