A total of 12 different automotive manufacturers have been recognised as best-in-class following the first round of voting for the UK Car of the Year Awards 2018, which are supported by Cox Automotive – whose UK brands include Manheim and Motors.co.uk. The number of categories this year has been expanded to 13, ranging from Best Supermini to Best Performance and the winning model in each sector now goes forward to determine the overall prize of UK Car of the Year 2018.
BMW was the only manufacturer to pick up more than one award as the 5 Series scooped the top honour in the Best Executive category, while the Touring version was named Best Estate. Peugeot and Lexus picked up their first category wins at the UK Car of the Year Awards as the 3008 was named Best Family car and the LC won the Best Coupe class. Mazda – overall winner in 2016 with the MX-5 – triumphed with the folding hard-top MX-5 RF to win Best Cabriolet.
There was a strong performance from the Volkswagen Group, with honours for SEAT, Volkswagen and Skoda. In the Best Supermini category, the SEAT Ibiza triumphed and the latest generation of the Volkswagen Golf was voted Best Small Hatch. Recognising Skoda’s successful move into the world of crossovers, the Kodiaq was a clear winner of the Best Large Crossover class.
Crossovers accounted for three categories in the UK Car of the Year Awards 2018. As well as the Skoda, the other two victorious models were clear winners. Best Small Crossover was Citroën’s C3 Aircross, while Volvo’s XC60 was named Best Medium Crossover. In total, there were 23 crossovers in the three categories – proof of the change in consumers’ vehicle tastes and demands.
Rolls-Royce made it a hat-trick of wins in the Best Luxury category as the Phantom triumphed. Previous wins in that class for the Goodwood-based manufacturer were the Ghost in 2015 and the Dawn in 2017. In contrast, there was a first win at the UK Car of the Year Awards for Kia, which saw off stiff competition from many highly regarded names to take the Best Performance crown. Fellow Korean manufacturer Hyundai prevailed in the new Best Hot Hatch category with its i30 N.
The overall UK Car of the Year 2018 will be announced on 23rd February 2018.
Full list of UK Car of the Year Awards 2018 category winners:
Best Supermini – SEAT Ibiza
Best Small Hatch – Volkswagen Golf
Best Family – Peugeot 3008
Best Executive – BMW 5 Series
Best Luxury – Rolls-Royce Phantom
Best Estate – BMW 5 Series
Best Small Crossover – Citroën C3 Aircross
Best Medium Crossover – Volvo XC60
Best Large Crossover – Skoda Kodiaq
Best Coupe – Lexus LC
Best Cabriolet – Mazda MX-5 RF
Best Hot Hatch – Hyundai i30 N
Best Performance – Kia Stinger