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What do you think will win Car of the Year?
These are the European Car of the Year finalists for 2021, with much electricity
The shortlist for this year's Car of the Year award is out. All the significant new cars launched in Europe in the past year, 29 of them, were eligible. From the Hyundai i10 to the S-Class Benz.
The top seven, alphabetically, are:
Citroën C4
Cupra Formentor
Fiat New 500
Land Rover Defender
Škoda Octavia
Toyota Yaris
Volkswagen ID.3It's an interesting list because each car can be seen for its own merits. There are no very similar pairs that'll split the vote. For instance, the long list contained all of the renewed VW MQB hatches – the Octavia, Leon, Golf and A3. But in the final round of voting, the Octavia can sidestep sibling rivalry.
The jury is 60 road testing journalists from 23 countries. (Brexit plays no part by the way – Russia, Turkey and Switzerland are among the non-EU nations represented.) I'm one of the six UK members.
What are we looking for? The statutes say: "design, comfort, safety, economy, handling, performance, functionality, environmental requirements, driver satisfaction, and price. Technical innovation and value for money are particularly important factors."
Also, we rule out cars that too few jurors have driven. Which in this COVID year did for the Ferrari SF90 and Rolls-Royce Ghost. But even if they'd been eligible, past years show they likely wouldn't have been voted onto the shortlist, because of the price and value criteria.
So you might not expect the Defender to win. But remember, two years ago the Jaguar I-Pace did just that, after an amazingly close runoff with the Alpine A110.
The next and final stage of the contest is a vote by all jurors to select a single winner from among the seven. That'll be announced on 1 March.
Click through for the Top Gear verdict on each finalist...
Advertisement - Page continues belowCitroen C4
“Citroen's hatch isn't like all the rest and plays big on comfort. Plus, it's not a crossover.
“It’s good to find a hatch that isn’t like all the rest. The comfort and quietness proposition is met, and there’s plenty of interest in the design. It’s also better to drive than Citroen’s previous ‘advanced comfort’ cars.”
Cupra Formentor
“Cupra’s first standalone model is a handsome crossover with decent road manners and plenty of space.
“If you want to dabble in the Porsche Macan experience for a whole heap less cash, the not-a-Seat ticks that particular box.”
Advertisement - Page continues belowFiat 500
“It looks like a Fiat 500 all right. But you won’t find any component in this car that was in the old one. The new 500 is bigger and uses a new interior, chassis, body and platform. Most obvious and significant, the propulsion is new too. It’s electric only.”
Land Rover Defender
“The amazing thing is how well it drives. It’s stately and dignified and feels good.
“We usually recommend 4WD estate cars over expensive crossovers, because there’s not much a crossover can do that an estate can’t. But the Defender isn’t a crossover and skittles that argument. If you can make use of it, there’s nothing to match it.”
Skoda Octavia
“Skoda might just have turned things on its head. You’d now recommend an Octavia over the Golf or Leon.
“It’s easily the most practical of the three and doesn’t just feel like a Volkswagen Group copy and paste job. A turn up for the books indeed.”
Read Top Gear's Skoda Octavia review here
Toyota Yaris
“Efficient, interesting looking and updated inside, but the Yaris remains forgettable to drive. But then again, if you want something that looks like this and is a little more memorable to be behind the wheel of, then you’d be best getting your name down for a GR Yaris.
“That’s surely what the madcap four-wheel drive Yaris was built for, and the more people that buy that thing the better.”
Advertisement - Page continues belowVolkswagen ID.3
“VW makes no secret of the fact it considers the ID’3 its next definitive people’s car, after the Beetle and the Golf. And to please most people most of the time, the ID.3 is deliberately not an oddball.
“Digest its slabby-yet-slippery silhouette, get your head around the chunky drive selector, and the ID.3 has few surprises left up its sleeve. That, of course, is exactly the point.”
