Nissan will finally roll out a Leaf electric car with a battery big enough to take on a growing number of long-range rivals. The Leaf 3.Zero e+ has a 62kWh battery, more than 50 percent larger than the standard car’s 40kWh pack.

This gives it a range of 239 miles on a single charge, compared to the standard car’s rather paltry 168 miles (that’s a 40 percent increase). Both figures are judged according to the strict new WLTP test cycle.

But despite a more competitive battery, the new Leaf’s range is still behind that of new rivals such as the 64kWh Hyundai Kona Electric (292 miles) and Kia e-Niro (282 miles)…

The Leaf 3.Zero e+ does boast more performance though, thanks to a boost in power to 217hp. The top speed is raised 10 percent to 97mph and Nissan says it’s 13 percent faster accelerating from 50mph to 75mph.

Just to confuse things, Nissan is also launching a range-topping Leaf 3.Zero limited edition, with new body colours and two-tone combinations. This costs £31,095, including the government Plug-in Car Grant – but does NOT get the larger capacity battery.

Only the Leaf 3.Zero e+, which is priced from £36,795 including grant, gets the battery boost. Look for the ‘e+’ symbol to spot the longer-range Nissan Leaf. Ordering for both models is open now; deliveries of the 62kWh car start in the summer.

Nissan adds both cars get an improved, larger 8.0-inch infotainment screen, an improved NissanConnect EV app and standard ProPilot ‘hands-on, eyes-on’ driver assist.

Europe’s favourite EV

The launch of the longer-range Leaf comes after a successful 2018, says Nissan. It sold more than 39,000 cars in Europe last year, making it the region’s favourite electric car.

It’s also the world’s best-selling EV, with sales of over 380,000 since 2010.

Gareth Dunsmore, director of electric vehicles and connected services at Nissan Europe, said: “The Nissan Leaf 3.Zero e+ Limited Edition broadens the appeal of the Leaf family even further, adding more range to an award-winning package that remains great to drive and live with.

“Since we launched the new Nissan Leaf last year, the customer response has been outstanding. In an EV market that is constantly growing, sustaining the Leaf’s status as the most popular EV in Europe in 2018 is a testament to the strength of the product.

“We hope the Leaf 3.Zero models will help continuing this extraordinary growth in 2019.”

Fully Charged, Robert Llewellyn’s electric car YouTube channel, has undertaken a comprehensive survey of its audience. It showed that just one in 10 EV owners would ever switch back to internal combustion.

This, among an array of fascinating tidbits on people’s electric car sentiments, was gleaned from more than 7,700 respondents.

“Having experienced how impressive electric cars are, we were not surprised to see so many other drivers saying that they won’t go back to the combustion engine,” said Robert Llewellyn.

“It might shock those that have yet to switch.”

• Volkswagen is going to deploy mobile electric car charging stations

The study, answered by 7,723 of the channel’s audience, was comprised of 50 questions designed to investigate public attitudes to ‘the array of technologies that are set to dominate the next decade’.

On top of establishing that 90 percent of EV drivers would never go back, it was found that 56 percent of the Fully Charged audience who aren’t yet behind the wheel of an EV intend to buy one within the next two years. Perhaps that’s to be expected for viewers for an electric car and clean motoring outlet. Moreover, three quarters plan on cutting out the middleman by going fully electric, rather than buy a plug-in hybrid.

Also interesting were the audience’s main turn-offs for EVs in the past and now. Contrary to popular wisdom that infrastructure was chief among consumers’ worries, it’s the perceived cost of electric cars that stalls people the most – 33 percent said the cost of brand new EVs was a bridge too far.

Not surprising is that the Fully Charged audience is interested in clean energy and new technology as a whole – on a similar level to EVs, at 88.6 percent. Curiously, the technology itself is of greater interest than the good it serves. Air pollution and climate change were mentioned by a respective 39 and 44 percent of respondents.

Read more:

• Resale values for new Suzuki Jimny ‘in the supercar league’
• This amazing advert is packed with famous cars from Hollywood history
• In pictures: 60 years of the Mini

The UK’s pothole plight is by no means breaking news. Every other week, it seems we’re lamenting the state of our roads. Official local authority figures have circled the one million mark per year for the past three years, with a peak of 1,088,965 potholes recorded in 2016.

The 2019 budget (announced in October 2018) saw a £420 million pledge to local authorities to patch up our shattered roads. But what exactly are they up against?

• Severe weather to blame for rise in pothole compensation

The headline by-year figures above were obtained via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from Yorkshire-based insurance provider The Insurance Emporium. It approached 205 local authorities, of which 175 responded.

Here’s a breakdown of the UK’s pothole epidemic from 2015-2018.

Potholes per kilometre

Scotland seems to suffer worst from potholes, with the top two per-kilometre locales being north of the border. The City of Edinburgh has struggled with 73 potholes per kilometre on average from January 2015 to April 2018, while Dundee is just behind at 69.

Moving down to Kirklees in Yorkshire, there’s a massive drop to 43 per kilometre on average. Sheffield is next with 39 per kilometre.

Only the next seven locales suffer with a per-kilometre pothole number that’s into double figures.

Numbers of potholes

The raw numbers of potholes are telling, also. Devon is way out in front, with 150,395 potholes covering 13,027 miles of road. That said, poor old Edinburgh comes second with 112,619 potholes covering just under an eighth of that mileage – 1,536 miles of road.

Northamptonshire and East Riding in Yorkshire are the only other two that are into six figures, with a respective 108,816 potholes over 4,635 miles of road, and 104,001 over 3,477 miles of road.

• ‘Shocking’ rise in pothole reports revealed

Professor Nicholas Thom, UK pothole expert, chalks the numbers up to various issues with how the roads are maintained.

“The number of potholes per kilometre on a given authority’s roads depends not only on the repair budget, repair strategy and the climate – frosts are bad news – but also on a historical policy choice, namely what surfacing materials to use. It is a choice that badly needs to be reviewed.”

What’s worse is that successfully claiming damage or injury as a result of damaged roads is seemingly quite difficult. Figures pertaining to cyclists’ claims show that just nine percent prevailed, among which personal and dental injuries comprised 16 percent and damage to the bike was 26 percent.

Read more:

• ‘Shocking’ rise in pothole reports revealed
• This amazing advert is packed with famous cars from Hollywood history
• Bid to win the FIRST new A90 Toyota Supra off the line

Overall new car registrations were down almost 7 percent in 2018, making it a bad year for the UK car industry. The working title for this particular article was ‘The winners and losers of 2018’, but this was changed when we realised that there are far more losers than winners.

Instead, check out Britain’s most and least popular car brands of the year, kicking off with the top 10 in terms of overall registrations.

ALSO SEE: 2018’s most popular used cars

2018’s top 10 new car brands in Britain

10. Hyundai – 89,925 registrations

All but one of the brands in the top 10 saw a fall in the number of registrations in 2018, with Hyundai down 3.7 percent. Not that the South Korean firm will be too disappointed with a top 10 finish, with the Tucson also finishing 18th on the list of the best-selling cars in 2018.

9. Kia – 95,764 registrations

Kia registrations were up 2.7 percent in 2018, making it one of only a few companies to record an increase. Brands absent from the top 10 include Peugeot (11th), Land Rover (12th), Skoda (13th), Renault (16th), Honda (17th) and Citroen (19th).

8. Toyota – 101,922 registrations

After 101,985 registrations in 2017, Toyota’s figure is down just 63 units. Another absentee is Volvo. The Swedish brand finished 18th, but registrations were up 9.1 percent. Similarly, SEAT finished 15th, but the number of registrations rose by 12 percent. That’s what a couple of good SUVs can do for a company’s fortunes.

7. Nissan – 102,637 registrations

It was a mixed year for Nissan. The ever-popular Qashqai secured a top-four spot on the list of best-sellers, but the Juke was conspicuous by its absence. Meanwhile, overall registrations were down a massive 32.1 percent. Ouch.

6. Audi – 143,739 registrations

It’s not good news for Audi, with registrations down 17.9 percent to 143,739. This year, the company will launch its first all-electric car, with the e-tron SUV offered in three versions. Prices start from £71,490.

5. BMW – 172,048 registrations

BMW registrations might be down 1.7 percent, but this isn’t a terrible result for the German company. A new 3 Series is about to hit the streets and a new 1 Series will follow soon after. These cars will almost certainly deliver a sale upturn in 2019.

4. Mercedes-Benz – 172,238 registrations

Mercedes-Benz emerges victorious in the battle of the big three premium German brands, although registrations are down 8.3 percent. Mercedes will be hard to beat in 2019, with a new CLA, GLA, GLB, GLE, AMG A45, B-Class and EQC SUV primed for launch.

3. Vauxhall – 177,298 registrations

In 2017, Vauxhall shifted just over 195,000 cars. That number dropped to 177,298 in 2018 – a fall of 9.1 percent. The way things are going, a top-five spot in 2019 is far from guaranteed.

2. Volkswagen – 203,133 registrations

Registrations might be down 2.6 percent, but just look at the total – that’s an incredible result for a company said to be recovering from dieselgate. The evergreen Golf accounted for just shy of 65,000 of those registrations, with the Polo chipping in with 45,149.

1. Ford – 254,082 registrations

It comes as no surprise to find Ford sitting at the top of the tree, although an 11.6 percent slump is far from ideal. Predictably, the Fiesta was the star pupil, amassing 96,000 sales on its way to becoming Britain’s favourite car of 2018.

Bottom 10: overall 2018 registrations

10. Alfa Romeo – 4,161 registrations

A change of direction here, as we look at the bottom 10 in terms of overall registrations. Alfa Romeo sales are down 17.3 percent, which follows a positive performance in 2017 when just shy of 5,000 cars left the showrooms.

9. Subaru – 3,141 registrations

This might be a relatively small number, but it represents a good result for Subaru, with registrations up 17.3 percent. Other brands worthy of a mention, but not included in this gallery, include MG (registrations up 103.8 percent), Mitsubishi (up 31.5 percent) and Abarth (up 26.8 percent).

8. SsangYong – 2,754 registrations

This won’t go down well at SsangYong, with registrations down 23.3 percent. SsangYong prices start from £14,495 for the Tivoli compact SUV, with the flagship Rexton available from £28,995.

7. Bentley – 1,542 registrations

Bentley registrations are down 12 percent, which suggests that the Premier League players have found something else to spend their goal bonus cash on.

6. Aston Martin – 1,455 registrations

Aston Martin shifted 16 fewer cars in 2018. Time to engage some new influencers for some hashtag love?

5. Maserati – 1,297 registrations

Maserati registrations were down 23.8 percent in 2018, which suggests that not enough people are buying the Levante SUV.

4. Infiniti – 750 registrations

If you’re looking for the biggest slump of 2018, look no further than Infiniti. Nissan’s posh brand saw a 78.7 percent fall in registrations, down from a relatively healthy 3,515 in 2018. Ouch.

3. McLaren – 626 registrations

Meanwhile, McLaren registrations were up 10.4 percent. Great news for Woking.

2. Lotus – 247 registrations

From Woking, we head to Hethel, where registrations were down 11.5 percent. That Christmas tree on an Evora video might have come a little too late for Lotus.

1. Alpine – 142 registrations

This bodes well for the future, with 142 Alpine A110s registered in 2018. Please order more A110s, because we want a healthy supply of used examples to choose from when we’ve saved our pennies for this little gem.

If recently leaked images of the new Toyota Supra have piqued your interest, get ready for the opportunity to own the first car off the production line.

This month will, finally, see the big reveal of the finished production Supra. Years of teasing, with disguised concepts and special racers will finally be over.

The Detroit Auto Show 2019 will see the official debut of the new Supra on the 14th January. Five days later, the first production Supra will head under the hammer in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Supra-rare model

Taking home the first Supra also means a unique design combination. Externally, the first Supra will be finished in matte grey paint, complemented by red mirror caps and black alloy wheels. The interior is finished in a combination of red and black.

More important to the winning bidder will be the engine cover, hand-signed by Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda. A number of other features will also be announced just before the auction, but the biggest prize will be the chassis stamped with VIN number 20201.

Although the official specification for the Supra is yet to be announced, the listing on the Barrett-Jackson website does confirm much of what we already know. With engine details listed as 3.0-litres and six cylinders, this is the BMW-sourced unit which powers the latest BMW Z4.  

Loads more under the hammer

All proceeds from the sale of the first Supra will be given to charity. The American Heart Association, along with the Bob Woodruff Foundation, will be the two beneficiaries of this important auction sale.

The epic Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction will see hundreds of cars head across the block, in a sale lasting eight days. Amongst the diverse lots are a 1981 Jeep owned by actor Gary Sinise, along with a set of four Chevrolet Camaros from the Transformers movie franchise.

Lamborghini has unveiled an updated variant of its Huracan supercar, dubbed the Evo. The headlines? Updated aerodynamics, Performante power, rear-wheel steering and more sophisticated dynamic control systems. The end result? A “sensory and agile driving experience,” reckons Lambo…

Visually there’s certainly an air of the track-focused Aventador SVJ about its updated snout. Out back, that high-up twin-pipe exhaust remains from the Performante, giving it the look of the Blancpain racer. A boot lip takes the place of the ALA wing found on the Performante.

Re-shaped intakes and Aesir design 20-inch alls wheels complete the overhaul of the ‘baby’ bull’s look.

Overall the design, both inside and out, is intended to maximise the scope for customisability. Specification programs like Lamborghini’s Ad Personam, Aston Martin’s Q and McLaren’s MSO are becoming increasingly popular, creating more and more opportunities for individualisation for buyers.

Also see: 30 of the most extreme Lamborghinis ever made

Sat amidships is the 640hp 5.2-litre V10 previously found in the Performante track-focused model, complete with titanium intake valves and a lightweight exhaust.

New to the Evo over the Performante is a rear-wheel steering system. This works in combination with advanced torque-vectoring and a battery of accelerators and gyroscopic sensors. Together they are unified by Lamborghini Dynamic Veicolo Integrata –  Lamborghini’s new central processing unit.

All in, it could make for a driving experience that’s sharper still than that of the stupendous Performante track-oriented model.

Inside the Evo brings the Huracan well up to date, with a new vertical tablet-like 8.4” HMI capacitive touch screen. It’s Apple CarPlay compatible and envelopes much more of the car’s interior controls, including the seats and climate control. It can also display imagery from the optional dual-camera telemetry system.

All we need to know now is how much it costs. Happily, unlike for many supercar reveals, Lamborghini has come out with near-on global pricing for the Huracan Evo.

Excluding taxes, it’ll set you back £165,256 in the UK, $261,274 in the USA or Y29,843,274 if you’re in Japan. In China, taxes included, it’ll be RMB 3,298,100. Cars should be arriving with customers in time for summer 2019.

Start-up supercar manufacturer Brabham Automotive is answering the dreams of lucky customers by launching a conversion pack that makes its BT62 track car road-legal.

Called the Road Compliance Conversion, it is not cheap – £150,000 on top of the £1 million price of the car – but will allow customers to occasionally use it on the road.

Apparently, some of them have requested the kit so they can drive the BT62 to and from a circuit.

All conversions for Europe will be carried out in the UK, and Brabham Automotive will handle the process for customers ahead of registration. A similar scheme is already underway in Australia.

However, customers don’t have to carry it out before delivery – they can, for example, complete the Brabham Driver Development Programme before converting their car.

The conversion process involves readying the Brabham BT62 for the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) test. This makes sure the car passes all regulatory standards required for road use.

Changes include a front and rear axle lift kit to raise the ride height, a greater degree of steering lock range, plus fitting door locks and immobilisers (track cars, of course, don’t need either).

Brabham also installs air conditioning and fits higher-quality upholstery inside. The weight goes up slightly, but there’s no change to the 700hp power output, so performance should be similar.

“We designed the BT62 to be an unrestricted, thoroughbred track car and our extensive test programme has revealed it to be all of those things. This isn’t a car for the road,” explained company founder David Brabham.

“With that said, it’s clear some customers are keen to have a road-compliant option with their BT62, particularly to drive to and from the track.

“My father Jack was always customer-focused and we will continue with that ethos.”

Brabham added we can expect more surprise announcements regarding the BT62 at Autosport International 2019 later this week in Birmingham. Stay tuned…

2018 was a bad year for new car sales, with overall volumes down almost 7 percent on 2018. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) blames three things – Brexit, diesel and supply issues caused by new WLTP fuel economy tests. 2019 isn’t going to be much better either, it adds.

But in a market that was down, which were the cars that stood out? Here, we run down the 20 most popular new cars in 2018, to find out which were the motors Brits were still buying despite the market gloom.

20: Fiat 500

2018 sales: 24,666

The Fiat 500 just displaced the ageing Nissan Juke into 20th place… not that the little Fiat is exactly in its first flush of youth. However, careful updates over the years, and an extensive refresh of its infotainment system, combine with ever-sharp finance deals to see its appeal continue. Last year, almost 25,000 found new homes in the UK.

19: Hyundai Tucson

2018 sales: 27,634

This is not a bad result for Hyundai: its most popular car is the high-margin Tucson family SUV, rather than the low-margin i10 that proved so popular during the scrappage years a decade ago. But as we’ll see, this is a case of Hyundai being outsmarted by sister company Kia.

18: BMW 3 Series

2018 sales: 28,074

A former top 10 best-seller, the 3 Series is another BMW that age hasn’t been kind to. At least the new one is coming soon: BMW dealers will be hoping it starts to flow through their doors sooner rather than later.

17: BMW 1 Series

2018 sales: 28,125

Another ageing car is the BMW 1 Series premium hatchback. Never the prettiest or roomiest of cars, it once flirted in the top 10 best sellers, but no more. A replacement is on the way which will be, whisper it, front-wheel drive. Sorry, enthusiasts…

16: Toyota Yaris

2018 sales: 29,191

The UK’s most popular Toyota continues to be the Yaris. It’s not standout or exciting, but delivers the goods for thousands of people – helped in no small part by the affordable, low-emissions Yaris Hybrid, still unique in bringing proper hybrid tech to the supermini sector.

15: Audi A3

2018 sales: 29,207

A so-so result for the Audi A3, which on occasion makes it into the top 10 sales chart, but sits on the fringes for the full-year result. This generation has not quite managed to rouse enthusiasm like previous generations: BMW may be sniffing an opportunity when it finally brings the new 1 Series to market.

14: Volkswagen Tiguan

2018 sales: 29,538

Volkswagen will be pleased with this. The Tiguan is a smart family SUV that is nipping at the heels of the big sellers in the sector. We’re sure dealers will be pleased with the margin it commands, too.

13: Vauxhall Astra

2018 sales: 31,567

This is a quite remarkable result – and not in a good way for Vauxhall. The British-built Astra has slumped to 13^th place in the UK registrations chart, a shocking result for a car that, years ago, flirted with the number 1 spot. The latest Astra is an excellent car to drive but, for whatever reason, has undoubtedly been a failure in the showrooms.

12: Vauxhall Mokka X

2018 sales: 32,266

It’s getting on in years but, to Vauxhall dealers’ relief, the Mokka X continues to draw people in. It’s impressive how this roomy, reasonably-priced Vauxhall now clearly outsells the one-time sector leader, the Nissan Juke.

11: Mercedes-Benz C-Class

2018 sales: 32,600

Just outside the top 10 list is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Businesses love them, aided by extremely tempting leasing deals, meaning it’s now the top choice for the UK’s reps who, years ago, may have driven a lowly Ford Mondeo instead.

10: Kia Sportage

2018 sales: 35,567

Champagne corks will be popping at Kia HQ – it has delivered a top-10 best-selling car, a profitable family-sized SUV at that. Motoring Research is running a Sportage on long-term test at the moment, and we can undoubtedly see the appeal. It’s fair to say it trounced its sister car, the Hyundai Tucson, in the Kia-Hyundai sales battle…

9: Ford Kuga

2018 sales: 40,398

Ford will be thankful the ageing Kuga is still holding up and delivering the registrations. Years ago, the Mondeo would have appeared in the UK top 10 chart; such is progress that the Kuga SUV is here instead. Question is, how long can Ford keep drawing in people with a car that’s not in its first flush of youth?

8: Mercedes-Benz A-Class

2018 sales: 43,527

Well done, Mercedes-Benz: despite going through a model change with the A-Class, you have still managed to make it into the top 10. The new A-Class is such an appealing premium hatch, we have no doubt you’ll be staying here for a while yet.

7: Mini

2018 sales: 44,905

The evergreen Mini is built in the UK and is a British legend. We’ll be seeing a lot of it this year as the original celebrates its 60^th birthday. Look out for the special editions that will undoubtedly become collectables in future years.

6: Volkswagen Polo

2018 sales: 45,149

The new-generation Volkswagen Polo is now settling in quite nicely and starting to creep up the sales chart. There’s one more VW that’s more popular, though, as we’ll see in a few slides…

5: Ford Focus

2018 sales: 50,492

The Focus hasn’t performed quite as strongly as in previous years, as it’s gone through a model change cycle. The latest model is an excellent all-rounder so should rightly start to nip at the heels of the best-sellers: Ford will be hoping it doesn’t suffer the same fate as the similarly-excellent Vauxhall Astra.

4: Nissan Qashqai

2018 sales: 50,546

The Nissan Qashqai is now a regular top-placed seller in the UK. It’s built here, and has recently been refreshed with some clean, powerful new engines. It’s not the youngest car in its sector, but Nissan will be keen to keep sales up in 2019 with increasingly good value for money.

3: Vauxhall Corsa

2018 sales: 52,915

The current Vauxhall Corsa can rightly be called evergreen. It’s the oldest car in its sector, by far, but is kept at the head of the sales charts with strong value for money – the latest Corsa Griffin is an unbelievable package. Finally, a new one arrives in 2019: if this one can still sell so well, how might a fresh one perform?

2: Volkswagen Golf

2018 sales: 64,829

The Volkswagen Golf has cemented itself as the UK’s second best-selling car. It all came in the aftermath of dieselgate, proving Brits’ willingness to forgive and forget a company’s transgressions. What’s all the more impressive is that a new one is due this year – yet this model just keeps on selling.

1: Ford Fiesta

2018 sales: 95,892

The Ford Fiesta’s margin of market superiority over every other car on sale in Britain is awe-inspiring. Month after month, it stands clear as the UK’s most popular car, and this latest-generation model has only underlined that advantage, with sales an amazing 50 percent higher than its nearest rival. Remarkable.