- All-New Nissan LEAF chosen as The Sun’s Car of the Year
- Qashqai with New e‑POWER voted ‘Hybrid Car of the Year’ for a second consecutive year
- Both models engineered in Cranfield, built in Sunderland, exported around the world
London, UK – Nissan has won prestigious double honours at The Motor Awards 2025, organised by News UK: the just-launched All-New Nissan LEAF has been named The Sun’s overall Car of the Year; while Qashqai with New e‑POWER has been recognised as Hybrid Car of the Year for a second consecutive year – and both are engineered and manufactured in the UK, before being exported around the world.
The Motor Awards 2026 combines the collective expertise of News UK’s motoring journalists Rob Gill, Motors Editor at The Sun, Nick Rufford, Assistant Editor at The Sunday Times, and Will Dron, Digital Driving Editor at The Times, who together judge the automotive industry’s latest new models.
Rob Gill said: “Let’s all raise a pint of Hawkstone Lager in appreciation of the radically improved, British-built Nissan Leaf. It looks fresh. It’ll do 380 miles in one go. Families will love the bigger cabin and Google tech. Hands-down The Sun’s favourite car of 2025.”
Commenting on the Qashqai’s award, Gill said: “Qashqai is the OG family SUV and it just keeps getting better and better. The latest version of Nissan’s e‑POWER hybrid technology is smoother, quieter and more efficient, returning up to 62mpg. Super easy to drive like an EV but there’s no plug. Another home-grown hit.”
James Taylor, Managing Director, Nissan GB commented; “We’re absolutely thrilled the All-New Nissan LEAF has been recognised as The Sun’s Car of the Year. As the brand’s newest 100% electric model and most aerodynamic production car to date, it showcases the latest Nissan technology and engineering know-how and, of course, follows in the footsteps of the groundbreaking original LEAF, the world’s first mainstream electric car.
“We’re also tremendously proud that Qashqai with New e‑POWER has been named Hybrid Car of the Year for a second consecutive year. It’s recently been updated with an all-new, third-generation e‑POWER system and delivers the best of all worlds: the responsive refinement of an EV, the convenience of petrol and the range of a diesel car. Even better, both Qashqai and the LEAF represent the best of British: engineered and built right here in the UK.”
The updated, award-winning Qashqai with New e‑POWER is available now from Nissan dealerships across the UK, while the All-New LEAF will be available to order very soon, before arriving in showrooms in February 2026 – however, from next Monday, 6th October, British car buyers have an opportunity to enjoy an exclusive preview of the LEAF at their local Nissan dealership as part of Electric Encounters Live, a tour of more than 130 Nissan dealers nationwide, where it’ll be displayed alongside the All-New MICRA.
For more information, please visit https://www.nissan.co.uk/
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About Nissan in the UK
Designed, engineered, built and loved by Britain: Nissan employs around 7,000 people across the UK including at its design centre in Paddington, London, and its R&D engineering centre in Cranfield. Sunderland is home to the UK’s biggest single car plant, which builds two of the nation’s best-selling cars – the Juke and Qashqai.
These models will soon be joined by the European version of the new LEAF, which will be manufactured in Sunderland as part of Nissan’s EV36Zero project.
EV36Zero is Nissan’s vision for the future of sustainable manufacturing – a blueprint that will transform Sunderland Plant into a flagship EV hub, bringing together electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery production. This is part of Nissan’s goal to become a truly sustainable company and usher in a cleaner, safer and more inclusive world.
Press Contacts:
Nic Shaw
Media Communications Manager
M: (+44) 07785 609956 / E: nic.shaw@nissan.co.uk
Martin Bayntun
Corporate and Product Communications Manager
M: (+44) 07989 666412 / E: martin.bayntun@nissan.co.uk