The winners of the annual What Car? Car of the Year Awards have been announced, with many new cars receiving awards in their respective categories. Here's a breakdown of all the winning cars from the brands we proudly represent.
Audi
The enduring appeal of two founding fathers of the fast-expanding modern day Audi range – the Q7 SUV and the TT Coupé – has been acknowledged yet again by What Car?. The Best Coupé honour was awarded to the TT, which brings its total trophy tally to an incredible 17. Commending the TT Coupé, the What Car? testers commented: “The TT is more exquisitely put together than cars that cost a lot more yet is still thoroughly contemporary inside. And with the new engine, it delivers truly rapid performance to go with its composed handling and compliant ride.”
Launched in 2015, the second generation Q7 has had less time to make its mark, but is nevertheless already amassing an impressive haul of honours, its win as Best Luxury SUV in the 2020 awards being its fourth in as many years. Branding the air-suspended seven-seater “the ultimate automotive polymath”, they commended the 50 TDI S line version for its ability to “accelerate like a hot hatch, pamper like a limo, handle like a saloon and accommodate like an SUV.”
BMW
It was a hugely successful night for BMW, with its latest 3 Series winning Best Executive Car, Best Plug-In Hybrid and the Safety Award, while the bigger 5 Series was named Best Luxury Car.
Testing the BMW 330e, the What Car? reviewers were impressed with its new hybrid system, saying that the 330e is "better than any other hybrid saloon, being very nearly as engaging as regular 3 Series variants, relaxingly refined and rather comfortable – especially on the motorway." Also receiving the Safety Award, the 3 Series was commended as "one of the safest cars you and your family could be in".
Retaining Best Luxury Car for the third year in a row, the 5 Series beat tough competition from the new Audi A6 and updated Mercedes E-Class. Testers praised the 5 Series, saying: "Not only is it the most comfortable and quietest car in its price bracket, but it also offers a better driving position than any comparable car and its feature-packed, user-friendly infotainment system is light years ahead of everything else."
Honda
Honda has taken a brace of honours at the 2020 What Car? Car of the Year awards, with the Civic Type R taking Best Hot Hatch for the third year in a row, and the CR-V hybrid taking Best Hybrid over £30,000, for the second year in a row.
Steve Huntingford, editor at What Car? commented: “Few cars can be described as ‘perennials’ in our awards, but the Honda Civic Type R is getting to that stage. Over the past three years, the Type R has simply demolished all comers. It has remarkable traction for a powerful front-wheel-drive model, huge grip in corners and handling that feels as well-honed as a racing car. Yet it's also one of the roomiest, most comfortable and best-equipped hot hatches you can buy, so it's as easy to live with as it is fun.
“The fact that the Honda CR-V has now spent two years as our favourite hybrid car costing more than £30,000 is a huge achievement, given how fast things are moving in this class. It offers precise steering, and good grip and refinement. What’s more, its soft suspension makes for a compliant ride, and the CR-V is absolutely huge inside – a major selling point given that most large SUVs are used as family cars.”
Land Rover
Land Rover has won three coveted What Car? Awards at the 42nd running of the annual ceremony. The Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar and Defender all won major titles, while the Discovery was also named Best Luxury SUV under £60,000.
The Range Rover Evoque was named Best Family SUV, cementing the success of the latest evolution of Land Rover’s compact SUV. The judges said: “The original Range Rover Evoque was such a huge success that it redefined its maker’s image, and this all-new Mk2 version brings everything up to date while still upholding Land Rover traditions for off road.
In the category for Best SUV Coupe, the Range Rover Velar took the gong with the judging panel saying: “The Velar is like those people you see at music festivals who somehow define glamour while effortlessly shrugging off the mud; that ability is in its genes. It balances style and substance without losing its grip on the realities of daily life, and our favourite engine and trim combo keeps its price down. High fashion has never been so rational.”
Land Rover’s third win of the evening came courtesy of the Reader Award for most anticipated car of 2020. What Car? readers were asked to place their vote on the car they were most looking forward to seeing this year, and the new Defender received more than twice as many votes as any other car.
Lexus
The world-famous lasting quality of Lexus cars has earned the company the 2020 What Car? Reliability Award. The honour follows on from Lexus’s exceptional performance in the 2019 What Car? Reliability Survey, in which the brand was the highest-ranked manufacturer for the third year running and its CT 200h hybrid luxury hatchback recorded a 100 per cent fault-free performance across the previous 12 months.
What Car? Editor Steve Huntingford acclaimed Lexus’s track record, saying: “Lexus managed a clean sweep of wins the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, claiming the top spot for cars aged up to five years old, with an almost perfect 99 per cent, and for those aged six to 15 years old. A score of 93.3 per cent in the latter category demonstrates just how well the Japanese luxury brand builds its cars and why it’s such a worthy winner of our 2020 Reliability Award.”
Mercedes-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet has been awarded the ‘Convertible Car of the Year’ award for the second year in a row.
The sophisticated S-Class Cabriolet was praised for its interior space, smooth ride and exceptional build quality. Steve Huntingford said: “As you would expect, Mercedes-Benz’s flagship convertible is simply exceptional. Although you can choose more powerful versions, even the S 560 offers more than enough punch to ruffle your bouffant along a twisting country road and its hooked up to a nine-speed gearbox, which always responds smoothly, whether you’re pottering about town or taking on fast motorway jaunts.
Further awards for Mercedes-Benz included the Mercedes-AMG A 35 4MATIC Saloon, which won the ‘Best Performance Car for less than £45,000’, while the CLA 250 AMG Line was named ‘Best Coupé for between £32,000 and £50,000’. The Mercedes-AMG E 63 S also won ‘Best Performance Car for more than £70,000’.
Škoda
Škoda has started the new decade with a remarkable haul of What Car? awards. The brand took home two outright category titles along with six price point wins.
The new Scala was the first victor, taking the prestigious Best Family Car award. Steve Huntingford said: “The Scala is the latest in a long line of hugely impressive cars from Škoda, with its main strengths lying in its comfort and interior space. It is a remarkably complete car for the money.”
While the Scala picked up its first What Car? award, the Superb recorded a remarkable fifth title in succession with a comfortable victory in the Estate Car category. “The Superb estate beats every other rival, regardless of price, for cargo capacity, while its rear seats are spacious enough for even those well over 6ft tall to sit back in comfort.” commented Steve Huntingford.
Along with its two outright category wins, Škoda models also drove off with no fewer than six price point titles – the most the brand has ever won. Leading the charge was the Fabia hatch, which was named as the best buy in the £14,000 - £16,000 price range. The Fabia Estate was also named as the Best Estate car for less than £20,000, repeating its achievement of 2019. The new Kamiq was another Škoda newcomer named as the best in its price sector, seeing off tough competition to be named best SUV for less than £20,000.
Toyota
The Toyota Corolla has taken the title of Best Hybrid Car in the 2020 What Car? Awards, leading a haul of three honours for the brand. The awards also saw the Toyota Yaris Hybrid taking the title for Best Hybrid Car for Less Than £20,000 and the Toyota Aygo being named the Best Value Car (priced between £10,000 to £12,000).
Steve Huntingford said: “The Toyota Corolla comfortably beats the fuel economy of pure petrol-powered rivals and betters a fair few diesels in its 1.8-litre form that we recommend. Better still, it manages this while delivering more performance than most people will need. Plus, in stop-start traffic, near-silence descends when you use electric power alone.”
The strength-in-depth of Toyota’s hybrid technology helped the Yaris compact hatchback claim the award for Best Hybrid Car costing less than £20,000. Editor Huntingford explained: “The Toyota Yaris Hybrid is one of the most efficient cars we’ve ever tested, returning 80mpg around town and doing decently on the motorway.”
Toyota’s third award recognised the great value of its Aygo city car. Huntingford commented: “Aygo has plenty more going for it than just funky looks. Not only is it cheaper to buy than rivals in our recommended x-play trim, but its 1.0-litre petrol engine is gutsy yet efficient, so should be cheap to run.
Volkswagen
Volkswagen has scooped three prizes at this year's ceremony, with particular success for the Polo. Beating others in its category to take the title of ‘Best Small Car’, the Polo retains the title for the second year in a row, maintaining its position at the top of the ever-more competitive supermini segment. Steve Huntingford said: “When it comes to comfort, the Polo is the small car in which you’ll feel freshest after covering lots of motorway miles... It really is the complete package.”
The newest member of the Volkswagen SUV family, the T-Roc R, has also been presented with its first award from UK media, just weeks after its arrival. The newcomer, and flagship of the T-Roc range, collected its price point award of ‘Best Sports SUV under £40,000’ – a strong start for Volkswagen’s first compact performance SUV. “The Volkswagen T-Roc R is more reminiscent of a hot hatch than an SUV in terms of the way it handles, despite offering the sort of elevated driving position that SUV drivers prize, and it has a corker of an engine under the bonnet."
The Touran, meanwhile, continued its run of success, picking up a win in its price point as ‘Best MPV £22,000 – £30,000’. The 2020 awards mark the fifth consecutive year in which the Touran has been applauded in the MPV category by the What Car? judges. “The Touran offers a plush interior, along with an enormous boot and seven seats with plenty of flexibility."
The Volkswagen Amarok has also retained its position at the top of the class, having retained its title as Best Pick-up Truck. Commenting on the result, Steve Huntingford said: “Just because a pick-up truck is expected to lead a hard-working life, that doesn't mean quality in other areas must be compromised, and the Volkswagen Amarok presents the most compelling all-round package in the class. In fact, the Amarok even gives conventional SUVs a run for their money.”
Volvo
The XC90 T8 Twin Engine, flagship of the Volvo range, picked up the honour of Best Plug-in Hybrid over £50,000.
Steve Huntingford, expressed the judges' appreciation of the qualities that set the XC90 apart from its plug-in hybrid competition. He said: "Unlike rivals, the Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine comes with seven seats and has no less space for luggage than its conventionally powered siblings.
"Despite weighing well over two tonnes, it can sprint if needed; 0-62mph takes just 5.8 seconds thanks to a combined 385bhp from the petrol engine and electric motor. And so long as you keep the battery topped up with electricity, it has a very useful electric-only range of 29 miles."