ASK any potential electric-vehicle customer what their biggest concern or fear is when considering a plug-in car and without any hesitation the answer will be range anxiety.

And in all honesty it's a very fair response. After all if we are out in the country in a ‘standard' car and the fuel light comes on we know we have a minimum of 30-40 miles in which to find a garage and fill up and any old garage will do.

That's not the case with an electric vehicle (EV) which needs charging or will simply come to an abrupt standstill.

The other issue that always crops up is the infrastructure - do we have enough charging points throughout the UK to support these vehicles in a practical manner?

Well, Nissan has addressed the first issue to some extent with the launch of its latest third generation Leaf model which now has a more powerful 30kWh battery as an alternative to the existing 24kWh one.

An extra 6kWh may not sound like much but what it means is additional miles. In fact, according to official figures the new Leaf with the 30kWh battery has a range of 155 miles (an increase of 31 miles over the standard battery).

The new battery which is available on Acenta and Tekna grades but not on the entry-level Visia, weighs 21kgs more than the lesser-powered version, but there is no increase in size.

Nissan says the extra performance is thanks to clever packaging and chemistry with the introduction of carbon, nitrogen and magnesium to the electrodes to improve efficiency.

Another new feature of note is the introduction of the very latest NissanConnect infotainment system.

Leaf owners have always enjoyed the benefits of being able to control features within the vehicle remotely such as checking the car's charge status or warming the cabin on cold mornings - all via a smartphone.

Now this technology has become more advanced with a new map that displays which charging points are available and which ones are being used, a new navigation system, maintenance checks and alerts, plus a car-finder function.

The NissanConnect EV infotainment system also features a new interface, digital radio, a seven-inch touchscreen with zoom and swipe capabilities and once again this new system is available on all Acenta and Tekna models.

The Leaf is the number one best-selling EV in the world and with economy of 2p per mile the financial savings do stack up.

Add in the tax benefits from zero emission motoring, along with exemption from congestion charges plus a number of other benefits and it's clear to see why Leaf sales are growing at a rapid rate.

In fact, since it was introduced in 2012 with 749 sales, the increase has been very impressive with 1,814 sales in 2013, 4,500 in 2014 and 6,951 already in 2015.

The latest five-door, five-seat family sized Leaf is beautifully smooth and very comfortable with ample room for two adults in the back - three at a bit of a squeeze and the boot is generously sized too.

This range-topping Tekna model was fitted with a top-end Bose sound system which reduced the boot capacity slightly to 355 litres, which is still plenty big enough.

The car can reach from 0-62mph in 11.5 seconds, has a top speed of 90mphand is priced at £26,490. It handled well and the great all-round visibility is very beneficial when traversing hair-pin bends with a cautious eye on the information screen that tells you how much energy is being spent or regenerated - it can become a little addictive!

As for the matter of charging infrastructure, Nissan claims recharging the new model is easy and stress-free with customers able to use charging points at their homes, in public or from the network of rapid chargers expanding across Europe.

In the UK there are approximately 500 Leaf-compatible rapid chargers which cover more than 95 per cent of the UK's motorway network. The 30kWh battery can be charged to 80 per cent on a quick charger in 30 minutes.

The new 2016 Leaf 30kWh will be on sale from December priced from £24,490 for the Acenta trim - a price rise of £1,600 over the lower-range 24kWh option.

And Nissan is so confident about the quality of the vehicle they have offered an eight-year/100,000-miles battery warranty on the 30kWh version, which is yet another best-in-class for the Leaf.