Gateshead car salesman clocks up record with LEAF

A Gateshead car saleman has become the first in the country to sell 200 pure electric Nissan LEAFs.

Benfield Nissan’s Gareth Chandler has outsold entire dealerships and has now been invited to speak at a national electric vehicle conference.

The 34 year-old said the secret to his success was “living and breathing” the LEAF - which gave him unrivalled knowledge to convince former petrol or diesel users to make the switch.

Gareth said: “Many potential customers have questions about moving away from a conventional car to an all-electric vehicle and, because I drive one all the time, and have immersed myself in the product, I’m able to talk to them knowledgably and from personal experience.

“The LEAF is actually the perfect car for many people – it’s so cheap to run and there are loads of charging points all over the place – and my experience of using one day-to-day in and around their area is a great way of proving that to them.

“We’re also able to offer extended 24-hour drives so potential customers can get a feel for the car and see for themselves just how it fits in with their lifestyle.”

He continued: “I hadn’t actually sat down and worked out how many sales I’d done until Nissan approached me about it.

“It came as a big surprised but I was really proud to be asked to speak at the conference and feature in their video.”