BMW i3 grabs new award

THE REVOLUTIONARY BMW i3 electric car has been awarded the top prize in the first UK Car of the Year Awards.

After grabbing the prize for Best Supermini the i3 won the overall title in the new awards, as voted for by a group of 27 respected UK-based motoring journalists.

In the overall vote, which featured the likes of the Porsche Cayman, Range Rover Sport, BMW 5 Series, Citroen C4 Grand Picasso and Audi A3, almost half of the 27-strong judging panel chose the i3.

“Alternative vehicles have made a big impression on UK car buyers in recent years, and the i3 takes things to the next level,” said John Challen, Managing Director of UK Car of the Year Awards, and Editor of ukcoty.co.uk. “It might be a new direction for BMW, but the i3 successfully retains the driving characteristics from BMW’s more established models.”

Uwe Dreher, BMW UK Marketing Director, commented on the win: “For the BMW i3 to be voted as the first-ever UK Car of the Year is real testament to the years of research and development that have gone into making BMW’s first electric production car. The BMW i3 has pushed the boundaries in every way from sustainable production, to its unique construction and revolutionary ownership proposition. The judging panel clearly recognise this and we are delighted to be given such an independent accolade.”

Runner-up to the BMW i3 for the UK Car of the Year 2014 prize was the Ford Fiesta ST, which won the Best Performance Car category. Joint third place went to the Skoda Octavia Estate and Jaguar F-type, which topped the Best Estate and Best Open Top Car categories respectively.

The complete list of winners were:

Best Supermini – BMW i3

Best Small Hatch – Audi A3

Best Family Car – Skoda Octavia

Best Executive Car – BMW 5 Series

Best Luxury Car – Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Best Estate Car – Skoda Octavia Estate

Best MPV – Citroën C4 Grand Picasso

Best 4x4 – Range Rover Sport

Best Coupé – Porsche Cayman

Best Open Top Car – Jaguar F-type

Best Performance Car – Ford Fiesta ST

By Press Association reporters