With nine categories up for grabs in 2020, the UK Car of the Year Awards had eight different manufacturers emerging victorious after the first round of voting. Taking the top spot in two categories, Porsche won the judges over with its petrol and electric powertrains. The 911 was voted Best Cabriolet – a title the manufacturer first won in 2015 with the Boxster GTS – while the all-electric Taycan came out on top in the Best Performance category.

There was a further endorsement for electric vehicle technology from the judging panel as Tesla triumphed in the Best Executive category. It is the first win at the UK Car of the Year Awards for the relatively young manufacturer – and an impressive one in what is a fiercely competitive sector. Kia made it a trio of wins for battery-powered vehicles – reflective of improving technology and a changing market – as the e-Niro was named Best Crossover.

One manufacturer returning to winning ways at the UK Car of the Year Awards was Land Rover, as the Range Rover Evoque was crowned Best Premium Crossover – the brand’s first win since the inaugural awards in 2014 when the Range Rover Sport triumphed. Elsewhere at the premium end of the market, Bentley made it back-to-back wins, with the Flying Spur named the judges’ choice in the Best Luxury category, hot on the heels of the Continental GT’s win in 2019.

In the compact categories, Renault’s Clio was chosen by the judges as Best Supermini, while the Best Small Hatch category was won by the Mazda3. BMW, which has claimed more UK Car of the Year titles than any other manufacturer since the awards were launched, came out on top in the Best Estate category, with the 3 Series.

This year’s judging panel, which comprises 29 motoring journalists based all over the UK, were asked to choose their winners in vehicle classes ranging from Best Supermini to Best Crossover to Best Performance. The top model in each of the segments has now qualified for the next stage – the category of UK Car of the Year 2020, which will be announced on 28th February 2020.

 

UK Car of the Year Awards 2020 category winners:

Best Supermini – Renault Clio

Best Small Hatch – Mazda3 

Best Executive – Tesla Model 3

Best Luxury – Bentley Flying Spur

Best Estate – BMW 3 Series

Best Crossover – Kia e-Niro

Best Premium Crossover – Range Rover Evoque

Best Cabriolet – Porsche 911

Best Performance – Porsche Taycan