European Car of the Year shortlist 2010

The shortlist of entries for the 2010 European Car of the Year award were announced today. No doubt bound to cause controversy with our readers, the cars which made it onto this year’s seven-strong shortlist are:

• Citroën C3 Picasso
• Mercedes-Benz E-class
• Opel/Vauxhall Astra
• Peugeot 3008
• Skoda Yeti
• Toyota iQ
• Volkswagen Polo

Chosen by automotive journalists from all over Europe, the competition will come to a close at the end of the year when an all-out winner is announced.

Vauxhall took top honours in 2009's contest, with its Insignia stealing top spot from Ford’s new Fiesta by a single point. The latest VW Golf also made the podium, coming third ahead of some strong competition.

Our very own Phil McNamara and Georg Kacher are among the judges charged with picking the winner. Stay tuned for news.

By Gareth Evans