Officially unveiled with fanfare at the end of 2025, Nissan’s new electric compact remained almost invisible on European roads. By the end of August, barely 1,937 units had been registered in Europe, even though production had started at the Sunderland plant in England as of December 2025. A hiccup for this third generation that is meant to play a key role in Nissan’s electric strategy on the continent.
After several months of stall, the Japanese brand now insists the ramp-up is finally underway. Production of the new Nissan Leaf for Europe is “now fully engaged” at Sunderland, after a start-up hampered by issues described as “very technical.”
Sunderland Finally Steps on the Gas
On paper, the Sunderland plant was supposed to become a backbone again thanks to this third generation Leaf. The target volume was around 100,000 cars per year. In reality, the British plant, which can churn out more than 500,000 vehicles annually, produced only 273,174 in 2025. And among them, only 3,260 brand-new Leafs, according to Nissan. By comparison, more than 27,000 Leafs were produced at the Tochigi site in Japan since June 2025 for the Japanese and North American markets. Europe was clearly last in line.
When asked in mid-September about the slow ramp-up, Jordi Vila, head of Nissan Europe, simply explained that “the reason for the delay was very technical,” without giving further details. “The majority of production is now arriving,” he asserted. Nissan did not provide further specifics on the exact nature of these problems.
At the same time, the automaker has undertaken a deep reorganization of the Sunderland plant: the announced closure of one of the two assembly lines to reduce costs, an investment of about £450 million under the EV36Zero plan, and alignment with upcoming EU local-content rules, which could boost exports of British-built electric vehicles to the EU.
What the Leaf’s Revival Means for Europe and for France
This time, the volumes leaving Sunderland are expected to finally match the production ambitions. The new Leaf is no longer a tall compact but a crossover with a sloping roof, more aerodynamic and better aligned with market expectations. It offers two batteries: a 52 kWh pack for about 440 km WLTP, and, notably, a 75 kWh battery rated at 622 km WLTP. Fast charging reaches 150 kW DC, with roughly 420 km recovered in about thirty minutes. Under the hood, European versions come with motors of 177 or 217 hp, a 0-100 km/h time around 7.6 seconds, and an interior featuring a 14.3-inch dual-screen layout with Google services integrated.
For European customers, and French buyers in particular, the production restart comes at a key moment. Sunderland already builds the Leaf, the Qashqai, and the Juke, and is set to welcome from 2027 the new Nissan Kicks as well as an all-electric Juke. The batteries are supplied locally by the nearby gigafactory AESC. A plus for meeting future battery-origin rules and limiting the risk of tariffs on models exported to the EU.
Meanwhile, Nissan has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese automaker Chery for contract production at the British site. “We expect Chery to finalize the volumes,” said Max Messina, head of Nissan Europe. The automaker has not disclosed which Chery models would be produced at Sunderland, nor the volumes contemplated. The question now is how quickly this better-made, better-equipped Leaf will actually begin to spread on French and European roads.
