The Leaf is very sophisticated and you really need the instrumentation in order to get maximum efficiency and maximum range from it. I was impressed. It drives beautifully. Better than the Fluence and much more classy than the i-MIEV clones. I can't tell you what will happen to prices. I would have thought that when the government grants get used up they will go up rather than down. But in 2013 all major car manufacturers have to get their corporate average tailpipe emissions down below 130g/km and if they don't achieve this they will get fined. If Nissan hasn't got to 130g/km that might make it worth Nissan's while to discount Leafs to get a few more out the and get its corporate average CO2 down.

The whole thing is, of course, completely ridiculous because no one is measuring the CO2 emissions of Britain's coal fired power stations like Ferrybridge and Kegworth. The Renault Fluence ZE has come in much cheaper at £18,000, but with the Renault you lease rather than buy the battery.