Kia e-Niro is first EV to be named What Car? Car of the Year
AnelectriccarhasbeennamedtheWhat Car? Car of the Year for the first time ever.
At the 2019 awards, the consumer magazine named the Kia e-Niro its overall winner, beating 23 other models to claim the prestigious title.
The pure electric crossover was Kia’s first winner of the Car of the Year title and the e-Niro also triumphed in the electric car category.
What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said: “The demand for electric cars has grown exponentially in recent years, and 2019 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet.
“Most of the leading manufacturers have plans for new EVs, and the fact that the Kia e-Niro was able to beat all its petrolanddieselrivalstowinthe2019What Car?CaroftheYearAwardshowshowfar this technology has developed.
“The e-Niro stood out because it addresses the key issues of cost and range that have traditionally prevented many motoristsfromtakingtheplungeintoEV ownership.Hereisaspaciousandpractical family SUV which demands very few compromises.”
Thee-Nirooffersareal-worlddriving range of more than 250 miles and was praised for offering space, practicality andauseableelectricrangewithveryfew compromises.
Among the other winners were Hyundai, who joined Kia in being recognised for their work with alternative fuels, being named winner of the Technology Award for its progress with electric and fuel cell technology.
The 2019 What Car? Awards saw the introduction of three new categories, recognising the best models in the plugin hybrid, sports SUV and pick-up markets.TheseawardswerewonbytheVolvo XC90 T8, Cupra Ateca and Volkswagen Amarok respectively.
Last year’s overall winner, the Volvo XC40, was family SUV of the year for a second year running, while the Skoda Octavia continued its run of success in the family car category, and the Peugeot 5008 reclaimed the crown for the best large SUV.
There were two titles for BMW with its 3 and 5 Series picking up the executive and luxury car titles and Mercedes’ A-Class scooped the safety award 2019 while the upcoming Honda Urban EV won the reader award.