Today's award is the latest in a string of accolades for the mass-market, all-electric vehicle, which was also named European Car of the Year 2011.
Nissan Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn said the accolade validates Nissan's clear vision and the values of sustainable mobility that the company wants to offer to customers around the world.
The World Car Awards jurors called the Leaf 'the gateway to a brave new electric world' from Nissan.
In the category awards, the Ferrari 458 Italia was voted the 2011 World Performance Car; the Aston Martin Rapide the 2011 World Car Design of the Year; and the Chevrolet Volt the 2011 World Green Car.
The competition was launched in 2004, with winners chosen by a panel of automotive journalists from Asia, Europe and North America. The Irish juror is Padraic Deane from Roscommon, a leading Irish motoring journalist and publisher.
