Nissan sells 300,000 Leafs in 7 years, remains king of EVs

Despite looking a little silly when it came out, the Nissan Leaf has become the world's best-selling electric car, with more than 300,000 of them flying out of showrooms since 2010.

The Leaf made a name for itself by being the first truly affordable, mass-produced electric vehicle. At a time when other manufacturers were merely dipping toes into the water with somewhat hastily designed electric versions of gasoline-powered cars, the Leaf was something entirely new and different.

Plug yourself into the new 2018 Nissan Leaf

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If you weren't a hardcore electric vehicle nerd in 2010, the Nissan Leaf seemed kind of silly. It was odd-looking, its range was less than stellar and it wasn't exactly super cheap, particularly when compared to any of the well-established hybrids. Over the years though, with more EVs hitting the market at nearly every price, the Leaf has become a much more attractive option, particularly for the first-time EV owner.

Over the past seven years, the Leaf has continued to sell well even in the face of much stiffer competition from companies such as , though in its price segment, the Leaf remains king. The 2018 model year sees the Leaf available with more tech and a bigger battery -- 40 kWh, up from the outgoing car's 30 kWh pack -- finally addressing people's biggest complaint about the car.

Watch this: 2018 Nissan Leaf takes a new tack in the EV wars

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