Spain

The research shows that the cheapest place to buy an electric vehicle is currently Spain, where a new Nissan Leaf starts at £17,733 (€21,000), which was 39% less than the global average of £29,296. The reason for this bargain price is that Spanish drivers get subsidies of up to €7,000 for buying an electric car, as part of a plan that will run through to at least 2023.

Malta

In second place is another Mediterranean nation, Malta, with a list price of just under £18,000. Drivers in Malta enjoy a very generous government grant of €12,000 (recently raised from €9,000) when buying a Nissan Leaf and are also exempt from paying registration tax. The island is also installing 1,200 new charging points over the next three years too.

Norway

Norway has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to the adoption of electric vehicles, with more than half of vehicles in the country being electric. The cheapest Nissan Leaf model in Norway costs just £19,118 and that’s without any government incentives. The fact that EVs are so popular in Norway means that they’re mass-produced and thus much cheaper to make and buy.

Singapore

At the other end of the scale, the country that was the least affordable when it comes to buying an electric car was Singapore, with a sky-high cost of £104,530 (S$190,800).

Cars in Singapore are expensive on the whole, as the Government tries to cut down the number of vehicles on the roads by driving prices up, and with electric vehicles costing even more than your traditional car, the number of EVs in Singapore remains fairly low for now.

Argentina

South America is another region where the electric vehicle is seeing limited uptake, with prices that are still unaffordable to most.

In Argentina, a Nissan Leaf will cost £48,617 (ARS$6,648,500), far more than the global average of £29,296.

Thailand

New cars are generally very expensive in Thailand, due to high taxation and a new Nissan Leaf will set you back £43,682 (฿1,990,000).

While the number of EVs in the country is gradually on the increase, the charging infrastructure of Southeast Asia is still a way behind Europe and a lack of government incentives means they’re yet to really take off.