The Volvo XC40 has been named the 2018 winner of the prestigious European Car of the Year Award.
The small SUV took a commanding victory in voting for the award, The result was announced on the eve of this year’s Geneva motor show. The XC40 received 325 votes, placing it well ahead of the runner-up Seat Ibiza (242 votes). The BMW 5 Series was third, with 226 votes.
Autocar's Volvo XC40 road test
The XC40’s victory marks the first time a Volvo has won the prize. Company boss Håkan Samuelsson said: “This is the right car to win. I’m glad we got votes from each of the countries that took part in the judging: it shows this car really is a success.
“This car represents the future of Volvo. With an all-new platform developed with [parent firm] Geely, it goes into new markets for us.”
Geneva motor show 2018: latest news and updates
The XC40 is no stranger to trophies, having also won the 2018 What Car? Car of the Year prize.
The Car of the Year award is run by seven European automotive publications, including Autocar. The award is voted on by a jury comprising 60 journalists from 23 countries, which include Autocar’s Matt Prior and Andrew Frankel.
Matt Prior: It wasn't my winner, but I'm happy the XC40 topped COTY 2018
The award was established in 1964, with the Rover 2000 claiming the inaugural victory. The other finalists for this year’s award were the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Audi A8, Citroën C3 Aircross and Kia Stinger.
Read more
Autocar's Volvo XC40 road test
Matt Prior: why I'm being brave with my Car of the Year vote
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Along with all the latest Volvos
Avoid if you want a decent satnav. It is terrible.
Well done Volvo, but the
Ultimately......who cares?
I mean, seriously, who cares about the European car of the year? Just look at some of the recent winners: Peugeot 3008, Opel Astra, Volkswagen Passat, Peugeot 308, Volkswagen Polo, Opel Insignia, Toyota Prius.
Granted, there were a couple of interesting cars in there - Fiat 500, Nissan Leaf, Opel Ampera, but by and large it a snooze fest of boring, tedious cars that very few people who actually care about cars would actually aspire to owning, let alone driving.