The shortlist of nominees for the prestigious European Car of the Year 2017 award has been announced. The finalists included models launched earlier this year by brands including Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Mercedes and Toyota.
During the 2017 Geneva Motor Show on March 6, the final winner of the award will be announced.
The victor will be decided by a team of 58 judges from countries around Europe. Each judge has 25 points to award across at least five of the seven cars shortlisted. They’ll be considering factors including performance, comfort design, safety and driver satisfaction.
Despite the name of this award, the cars eligible to compete for European Car of the Year is not restricted to just cars produced in Europe. Any car sold in over five European countries can make it onto the shortlist and go on to win.
The candidates
The seven-car shortlist of nominees competing for the European Car of the Year 2017 title include Alfa Romeo’s recently launched saloon, the Giulia, a compact executive car which succeeds the 159 after a long wait and much anticipation.
Also on the list is the new Citroen C3 supermini, which will launch in the UK market in January and has some C4 Cactus-inspired design details. Car Keys will be reviewing the new C3 in the very near future.
Mercedes is also on the shortlist for European Car of the Year with its latest E-Class. Also in contention is the brand-new Nissan Micra supermini, which is larger than previous Micras and becomes available to pre-order in the UK during this month from £11,995, before deliveries follow in early 2017.
The new Peugeot 3008, which takes the family car away from its MPV roots and is more of a traditional SUV, is another car on the shortlist. Another SUV, the new Toyota C-HR, is another contender.
The final entry on the European Car of the Year shortlist is the Volvo S90 (plus its V90 estate counterpart), which is the Swedish manufacturer’s latest large executive car.
Interestingly, unlike the other manufacturers on the shortlist, Volvo has never won the European Car of the Year title before in its entire history. The previous European Car of the Year honour was won by the Vauxhall Astra.