NISSAN has sold more than 1,300 of its new all-electric Leaf vehicles in the UK.

The Japanese company says the success of its second generation Leaf, which started rolling off its Sunderland production line in March and hit forecourts in early summer, means it has sold more than 3,000 of the cars in the UK.

The second generation car features more than 100 improvements on the original model that was launched in the UK in 2011.

The Leaf was revealed as the best-selling car in Norway in October, overtaking the Volkswagen Golf, after claiming six per cent of the total passenger vehicle market in the Scandinavian country.

Jon Pollock, Nissan UK sales director, said: “The Leaf is a true pioneer in every sense and in its lifetime it's already done a huge amount to change attitudes and open minds in the UK and across the world.”

The landmark came as Nissan revealed European sales hit 51,651 vehicle in November, with yearly sales standing at 585,234.

In Russia, its sales increased by about 35 per cent compared to last November, and bosses also revealed its Sunderland-built Qashqai and Juke maintained their popularity.

Raoul Picello, Nissan Europe sales operations vice-president sales, said: “The rest of the financial year will be challenging for the entire automotive industry but consistent growth across our high performing products gives us the confidence we need to weather the economic storm.

“Our performance is healthy and demonstrates the popularity of our extensive model range.”