Talk about ancient and modern – Nissan’s all-electric Leaf parked outside the side gates of Windsor Castle. The gate guard asked a few questions about the car, laughed at my accent, then said I could take pics if I was quick and didn’t block traffic.

With my Herald on Sunday photos sorted, we whispered off down the road. The Leaf is an impressive beastie, not least because you can treat it just like any other runabout. Except it’s one with prodigious torque off the line and silent running – so silent Nissan had to develop a subtle sci-fi noise to alert pedestrians at low speeds.

As you pick up speed, tyre noise takes over. It’s tempting to keep a gimlet eye on range, but the 120km or so I achieved despite a good stretch of motorway running is generously over the average commute. Still, I did make use of the lever to go from ‘drive’ to ‘eco’ modes for better engine braking (and energy regeneration) where appropriate, and enjoyed seeing little trees grow and form a tiny forest by the speedo. Plant boot and the trees die back to discourage hoonery.

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There we sat, awaiting the green light, wet tarmac shining under the streetlights when there was a squeal of brakes and a mighty bang. Someone had gone through a red. With our car the only other vehicle on the scene, my man leaped out with his cell phone while I flicked on the hazard flashers and hoped not to get rear-ended at this usually busy junction.

The ute driver sat dazed and confused, plucking at her seatbelt as if she didn’t recognize it; the Peugeot pilot darted about the junction, rubbing her chest and insisting, repetitively, that she’d had a green.

Reassuring her a seatbelt and airbag might cause bruises but will have saved her from injury, while talking to our ute driver and preventing keen passers-by from moving the wreckage off the junction, kept us busy until a fire engine, then ambulance and police arrived, with cameras to record the scene.

Meanwhile sporadic traffic tried to ignore inconvenient police directions diverting them well away from the damage; suddenly I see why coppers get a bit brusque at times.

But by golly they’re efficient. It wasn’t long before the tow truck and ambulance had been and gone, the glass was swept up, my cardi efficiently returned and we were once again on our way home.

“Lucky we stopped to buy bread and spread” said my now ravenous bloke, tearing into it as I drove. “Yep, but if we hadn’t we’d have been home by now…”