Two electric cars manufactured in Catalonia, among the finalists for Car of the Year
For the first time in history all the cars finalists for the Car of the Year 2027 award are electric
Although electric cars have been among the winners of the Car of the Year in Europe award for several editions (in 2011 it was won by the Nissan Leaf, the 2012 edition by the Opel Ampera, in 2019 by the Jaguar I-Pace, in 2022 by the Kia EV6, in 2024 by the Renault Scenic and the 2025 edition by the Renault 5 E-Tech), this year's edition is the first in which all seven finalist candidates are fully electric vehicles, without internal combustion engine versions.
The finalists in the current edition, which collects the votes of 58 journalists from 22 European countries, are the BMW iX3, the Hyundai Ioniq 3, the Kia EV2, the Renault Twingo, the Volvo EX60, and the Volkswagen ID. Polo and the Cupra Raval that the Volkswagen group has assigned to the Seat plant in Martorell. It is the first time that two cars manufactured in Catalonia are finalists for the most prestigious automotive award in Europe, a clear recognition of the quality of the work done at the Baix Llobregat factory.
The Cupra Raval and the ID. Polo share a modular platform, accessories, engines and battery packs, but the fact that they are twin cars, practically identical (the Raval a bit more sporty and youthful than the rational and logical ID. Polo) may cost them some votes in the final test.
The jury will meet on November 25 and 26 at the Italian track of Balocco, on the outskirts of Milan, to thoroughly test all the finalist vehicles before casting their final vote, which will be before December 31. Each jury member must distribute 25 points among the various candidates, and this allows a maximum of 10 points for each model. The winning vehicle will be announced on January 8, 2027, at the opening of the Brussels Motor Show.
No Spanish winner in over sixty years
The Car of the Year in Europe award is the oldest in its category, as it has been granted without interruption since 1964. Fiat leads the list of winners with nine winning cars, followed by Renault with eight winning cars and Peugeot with six. Volkswagen has only won this award on five occasions (the last time was in 2015) while Seat/Cupra has never managed to win this prize, and the best historical result obtained was the third place of the Cupra Formentor in the 2022 edition.
It is curious that defunct manufacturers like Simca or Rover have won the award on two occasions, just like manufacturers with a long history like Mercedes-Benz or Nissan. Although it is hard to believe, BMW has also never won this award, even though several models from the Munich brand have been on the podium on several occasions. In fact, some information points out that BMW presents great credentials with the new iX3, one of the best electric SUVs ever manufactured.
