The new Vauxhall Corsa has been voted the AUTOBEST Best Buy Car of Europe 2020. The Vauxhall supermini edged ahead of the 2020 Peugeot 208 in the final rankings – by a points margin of just 0.2%.
A total of 31 jury members from across Europe – it’s one member per nation – awarded the Corsa a total of 17,617 points, just 157 more than the new Peugeot.
The Skoda Kamiq came third, with 16,848 points. The other two finalists, the Renault Clio and Nissan Juke, followed.
The judging process included a two-day test at the former Formula 1 racetrack, Istanbul City Park. Jurors, who represent 95 percent of the European population, carried out extensive tests and attended detailed presentations from finalist brands.
“It was a very balanced final five,” said jury president Ilia Seliktar. “All the finalists are great examples of what is today a ‘Best Buy Car’ on our continent.
“Last year at AUTOBEST, we said that the next winner of Best Buy Car of Europe should be an electrified new product,” said AUTOBEST founder and chairman Dan Vardie. “It is exactly what happened, and the new Corsa is a perfect example of electrification for the masses.
‘The new Corsa is the first car to democratise the future of electric motoring, helping people in Europe embrace the future confidently as the next normality.”
AUTBEST 2019 winners
Other AUTOBEST awards have also been revealed. Hyundai Motor Group design chief Luc Donckerwolke has been named DESIGNBEST 2019 victor, for a track record that includes work at Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini.
His current portfolio includes the Hyundai, Kia and upmarket Genesis brands.
Mazda’s Skyactiv-X technology has won the TECHNOBEST 2019 prize, for combining the best of petrol and diesel engine tech – and potentially giving a new lease of life to the internal combustion engine.
Skoda’s ‘Laura’ personal assistant has won the SMARTBEST 2019 tech. This in-house development by Skoda took the prize for showing that cars needn’t merely be software carriers for technology companies.
Finally, Volkswagen’s promising new ID.3 electric car has scooped the ECOBEST 2019 prize.
AUTOBEST awards aim to find the best offering for Europe’s real-world car buyers. Jurors, including the author, vote using a matrix of 13 criteria, weighted to price, service network and versatility. Design and new technologies are also significant voting criteria.
AUTOBEST member countries
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Holland
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Malta
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Republic of Macedonia
- Romania
- Russia
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- UK
- Ukraine