Here in Europe we previously crowned the Renault Scenic E-Tech Electric as car of the year, but the rest of the world does not necessarily agree with that. In addition to the European election, a World Car of the Year vote also takes place every year, which is specifically intended for car models that are available in at least two world markets. Previously, the more than 100-member jury was kind enough to provide the complete list of finalists, and now we know exactly which models have won prizes.
5 Series beats E-Class
Kia in particular is celebrating today, because its EV9 is taking home not one but two trophies. The electric SUV not only won the overall title of World Car of the Year, but was also voted World Electric Car of the Year. The competition was clearly not easy in that category because the winners of two other categories are also EVs. For example, the Volvo EX30 can now call itself World Urban Car of the Year, or the best city car in the world, while the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N wins gold in the sports car category under the title World Performance Car of the Year.
The best luxury car also has a purely electric variant, because the title of World Luxury Car of the Year goes to the BMW i5/5 Series. To be clear, this leaves rival Mercedes E-Class behind, but that is not the most surprising result. For example, the trophy for World Car Design of the Year – call it the most beautiful car of the year – goes to the Toyota Prius… And if you had told us that a few years ago, before the launch of its latest generation, we would have told you never, ever believed.
Below you will find all winners listed per category:
World Car of the Year: Kia EV9
World Electric Car of the Year: Kia EV9
World Urban Car of the Year: Volvo EX30
World Luxury Car of the Year: BMW i5/5 Reeks
World Performance Car of the Year: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
World Car Design of the Year: Toyota Prius