NISSAN'S all-electric LEAF model has smashed its own record with a 33 per cent increase in European sales in 2014 over the previous year.

In fact the British-built model has taken more than a quarter of the burgeoning electric car market with 14,658 cars sold.

Last year was the fourth in a row that the electric family car has topped the zero-emission sales charts in Europe.

The LEAF also clocked up 4,051 sales in the UK, more than doubling the volume it sold in 2013, ensuring it remains the UK's electric model of choice, boasting 55% of the pure EV market and outselling its nearest competitor by more than two to one.

Nissan Europe senior vice president Guillaume Cartier said: "We can now see the impact that word of mouth is having on our sales, with 95 per cent of our customers happy to recommend their car to a friend and 50 per cent saying they would never go back to diesel or petrol.

"This kind of powerful advocacy, combined with an increasing awareness of the massive running cost savings electric car drivers experience, is why our Nissan LEAF sales continue to grow."

And he added: "Data from our CarWings telematics system shows us that Nissan LEAF drivers drive 40 per cent more kilometres than the European average for petrol or diesel cars, covering over 16,500km per year.

"This data demonstrates that this car is the primary car for many households and that is changing the consumer perception of electric cars."

The LEAF was launched in early 2011 in the European market, followed by a revised version introduced in mid-2013 with more than 100 improvements led by customer feedback.

It is built at Sunderland, with batteries constructed in a new purpose-built facility on the same site and prices are from £13,885.

Last summer the 100 per cent electric Nissan e-NV200 light commercial vehicle was launched, built at the Japanese company's Barcelona factory, with batteries from the UK.