Electric and ultra low carbon emission vehicles for sale in the UK are set to be eligible for 25% off the purchase price of their sticker price (limited to £5,000 or $7,760 USD) from January 2011. The move was initially announced by the previous British government in 2009 but was put on hold until the Autumn spending review this year. This new subsidy will drop the price of the Nissan Leaf in the UK from £28,350 to £23,350 ($44,000 to $36,240 USD).

The number of electric cars and ultra low carbon emission cars in the showrooms is set to climb rapidly over the next 2 years and markets like the UK where fuel prices are significantly more expensive than other developed nations are likely to see a notable swing towards low and zero emissions vehicles if for no reason other than the fuel savings they offer. The Nissan Leaf has a 3 pence per mile (4.5 USC) operating cost, a cost so low that gasoline vehicles would have to go back to the mid 1960’s to operate as cheaply.