Nissan Leaf is The Most SORNed EV in UK

Wessex Fleet has done some research to fund out which electric cars are declared SORN with the DVLA. The off-the-road notification ratio is one of those data nuggets which can prove useful for insurance brands, as they calculate overall risk.

The Nissan Leaf, one of the very early electric cars launched in the UK back in 2011, is the top of the list, which suggests that the battery performance may well have declined over ten years, which limits range to just a few miles, even after 8 hours of charging. Many owners might have now chosen to park it on their driveway, as they wait for battery pack prices to fall, or other Leaf owners to require spare parts. Either way, it’s pretty much at the end of its economic lifespan.

Here’s the word;

The Nissan Leaf is the most SORNed EV in the UK. There is 701 declared off the road, compared to the  49,000 registered. Tesla Model 3 is next on the list with 349, and BMW i3 is third with 177.

The Leaf and Tesla Model 3, have been on our roads for quite some time, with The Nissan Leaf first appearing in 2010. Despite being popular models, as tech has advanced, have EV owners also traded in for newer models?

Nissan and Tesla are the brands with the most SORNed EVs

When looking at the total SORNed EVs for each major car manufacturer, it’s Nissan and Tesla that take the top two spots here too, with 701 and 624 cars taken off the road respectively. Not a surprise as they are early adopters of battery car technology.

French manufacturer Renault’s combination of the all-electric Zoe and Twizy models sees them take a probably unwanted third place overall, with 264 of their cars being given SORN status. The Twizy is really more of a jazzed up quadbike than a car, so it’s easier to store in a typical garage or shed.

Tesla’s Model 3 is the most popular EV, with over 76k currently on UK roads

Despite having the second most SORNed vehicles, The Tesla Model 3 is still the most popular licensed EV on UK roads with 76,688.  The technology that’s included in the Model 3 quite simply blows older EVs like the original Leaf out of the water, showing how far electric cars have come since the early days over a decade ago.

The fully electric Kia Niro EV hasn’t been available for too long, but it’s become popular in a flash, with 28,406 licensed vehicles on the UK roads already, which is the third most of any all-electric car.