The KIA EV6 has been chosen Car of the Year 2022 in Europe. The 59th edition of these prestigious awards given by the COTY (Car of the Year) has been almost completely monopolized by zero-emission models, something that shows that the future (and the present) of the automotive industry passes through the electric car.
This is the first time that a KIA car has won this coveted award, which is handed out by a professional jury made up of 61 automotive journalists from 23 different countries. Although these awards are usually associated with the celebration of the Geneva Motor Show, their cancellation has not prevented a winner from being chosen.
The truth is that the first three places have been very close, as the KIA EV6 (first position), Renault Megane E-TECH Electric (second position), and Hyundai IONIQ 5 (third position) obtained very even scores (279, 265, and 261 points respectively). Fourth place was taken by the only thermal model on the list, the Peugeot 308, which achieved a total of 191 points.
However, we must not lose sight of the fact that next year it will receive a 100% electric version called e-308; In addition, it currently has two plug-in hybrid versions. The Skoda Enyaq iV, for its part, took fifth place (185 points), while the list of finalists is closed by the Ford Mustang Mach-E (150 points) and the CUPRA Born (144 points).
Electric cars have more and more weight for the jury of the Car of the Year in Europe
The truth is that, in the last decade, electric cars have little by little been gaining ground in this type of competition until they have practically monopolized them completely. The first such model to win the top spot was the Nissan LEAF, which was named European Car of the Year 2010 after beating the Volkswagen up! and Ford Focus.
The Chevrolet Volt/Opel Ampera, two electric cars with a range extender, took the title in 2012; In addition, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, crowned in 2013, had a 100% electric version (e-Golf). Something similar happens with the Volvo XC40 and Peugeot 208, winners in 2018 and 2020 respectively. The Jaguar I-Pace, available exclusively as electric, also managed to win in 2019. Will all European Car of the Year winners from now on be 100% electric models? If we take a look at the list of finalists for this year’s edition, everything seems to indicate that this will be the case.
