The announcement was made at the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show and this is the first time in the award's 32-year history that an electric vehicle has won.
The Tokyo Motor Show runs until Sunday 11th December.
The LEAF 5-seater family car is on sale here from €29,995. It has the performance of a 1.6 petrol-engined car and can be recharged to 80 per cent battery capacity in around 25 minutes from a fast charging point.
