The survey of over 6,500 Nissan LEAF owners in the UK found that 64% said the electric car is better to drive than a petrol or diesel vehicle.

And nine in 10 now use it as their main family car, for reasons ranging from practicality to simple enjoyment of driving. One owner ended up ditching his Aston Martin to buy a second LEAF to avoid arguments with his wife about who would take the Nissan to work every day.

Meanwhile more than a third said that they do not have to plan journeys in advance any more than they did before owning an electric car, especially as 89% of them charge up their LEAF overnight at home.

The majority (89%) of those surveyed also reported significant savings against more traditionally fuelled cars. One driver calculated that he had spent just £400 travelling more than 22,000 miles in his Nissan LEAF, with many reporting savings of £200-250 per month.

The research follows the recent announcement by Nissan Motor GB Limited managing director James Wright that sales of the British-built model were “reaching tipping point”, with ownership now doubling month-on-month. More than 3,599 LEAFs have been sold so far in 2014 – almost double the figure of 1,812 for all of 2013.