Kia EV6 wins prestigious motoring award

FOR the third time, a fully electric car has won the European Car of the Year (COTY) competition.

With 279 points to its name, the Kia EV6 has won the overall prize.

This also happens to be the first time the full podium has been battery powered, with the Renault Megane E-Tech following in second place (265 points) and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 managing 261 points.

In fact, only one of the top seven contenders was not fully electric, this being the Peugeot 308 in fourth place (191 points).

It was followed by the Skoda Enyaq iV (185), Ford Mustang Mach-E (150) and Cupra Born (144).

One thing that makes this competition relatively unique is that it does not have any categories - while the runnersup are announced, there is only one winner.

'We’re independent from the motoring industry so have no categories. We have only one winner at the end, we don’t provide a trophy for each participant, which is why this prize is so recognised.'

The Kia EV6 is the Korean company’s first dedicated electric car to be built around the new E-GMP high-tech architecture for EVs.

The EV6 claims to have class-leading cabin space as well as a driving range of up to 528km between charges, while 800V fast-charging capabilities allow it to be charged from 10% to 80% in just 18 mintues.

'The EV6 is truly a landmark development that has been designed from the outset to make electric mobility fun, convenient and accessible by combining a highly impressive real-world driving range, ultra-fast charging capabilities, a spacious high-tech interior and a truly rewarding driving experience,' said Kia Europe president Jason Jeong.

'The EV6 is an exciting sign of what’s still to come in our evolving electrified line-up.'

But who judges the competition?

The European Car of the Year jury consists of 59 members representing 22 European countries.

The objective is to find the best new car on sale among those launched in the preceding year.