Nissan has committed to going all-electric in Europe by 2030, stopping sales of combustion-engined cars by the end of the decade.

Nissan committed to going EV-only in Europe as it unveiled its ‘Concept 20-23’ hot hatch

From the end of this decade, the carmaker will only sell fully electric models in the UK and across Europe, saying it’s the “right thing to do”. That’s despite the UK government have moved its fossil fuel ban back to 2035 to align with the EU.

And all new Nissans launched in Europe will be fully electric from now – described by the Japanese manufacturer as the “ultimate mobility solution”.

“More than a million customers have already joined our journey and experienced the fun of a Nissan electric vehicle, and there is no turning back now,” said Makoto Uchida, Nissan president and CEO.

He added that the switch would also support Nissan’s drive towards carbon neutrality.

“EVs powered by renewables are key to us achieving carbon neutrality, which is central to our Ambition 2030 vision. Nissan will make the switch to full electric by 2030 in Europe – we believe it is the right thing to do for our business, our customers and for the planet.”

Nissan is introducing 27 electrified vehicles, including 19 EVs, by 2030. Its plans are supported by its investment at its UK plant in Sunderland, which sits next to the UK’s only battery production site at present. The gigafactory is being expanded under a £1bn scheme that will also develop the site for the 2026 start of production on the Leaf successor.

Other Nissan EVs already confirmed for Europe include an all-new compact EV which will succeed the Micra as the entry-level vehicle in the brand’s line-up.

The commitment comes as Nissan unveiled its ‘Concept 20-23’ hot hatch, revealed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Nissan Design Europe (NDE) studio opening in Paddington, London.

The carmaker is investing more than €40m (£34.8m) across both its NDE and Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE) sites.

Future developments include the arrival of cobalt-free technology to bring down the cost of EV batteries by 65% by fiscal year 2028.

It’s also working to launch its proprietary all-solid-state batteries (ASSB) by the same date. These slash charging times by two-thirds while also cutting the costs of battery packs – helping to achieve cost parity with ICE-engined vehicles.

Guillaume Cartier, Nissan chairperson for the AMIEO region, said: “With breakthroughs in battery technology, electric vehicles will become even more accessible, and Nissan will continue to champion EV as the best way to provide cleaner, simpler and more affordable mobility.”