The European Car of the Year awards jury has announced the seven finalists that are in contention for its top prize. Among them are five electric vehicles, one SUV-sedan, and the first Jeep ever designed specifically for Europe.
The finalists are the Jeep Avenger, Nissan Ariya, Renault Austral, Volkswagen ID. Buzz, Kia Niro, Peugeot 408, and the Subaru Solterra/Toyota bZ4X. The winner of the 2023 Car of the Year title will be announced on January 13 at the Brussels motor show.
The list of finalists was chosen from a long list of 27 possible contestants that included vehicles like the BMW iX1, Dacia Jogger, Honda Civic, MG 4, Toyota GR 86, the Vauxhall Astra, and others, according to Autocar, which is one of the awards’ sponsors.
Read: EVs Swing The Majority As 2023 NACTOY Finalists Announced – Who Do You Think Will Win?
Although not all the short-listed finalists are purely electric, both of the internal combustion vehicles, the Peugeot 408 and the Renault Austral, offer electrified powertrains. The former is offered without electric assistance in base form, but must otherwise be ordered as a plug-in hybrid.
The Austral, meanwhile, is offered as a mild hybrid and full hybrid. The Kia Niro is also offered with a hybrid powertrain, but can be specced as a plug-in hybrid or fully electric vehicle. The Jeep Avenger, on the other hand, was introduced this fall at the Paris Motor Show as the brand’s first EV. Although the Europe-first crossover has a range of up to 249 miles (400 km), it will also be offered with an internal combustion powertrain, which has yet to be detailed by the automaker.
Similarly, the Solterra is Subaru’s first mass market EV. It, and the nearly identical Toyota bZ4X, offer up to 330 miles (530 km) of range and can deliver up to 215 hp (160 kW/218 PS) with electric motors at both the front and rear axles. The EV only Nissan Ariya, meanwhile, is offered with an 87 kWh battery and up to 289 hp (215 kW/293 PS).
Finally, the ID. Buzz is the retro-modern, all-electric interpretation of the VW microbus and will be offered in both customer and commercial variants in Europe. As of October, the German automaker had 20,000 pre-orders for the charming EV that is offered with an 82 kWh battery pack, which gives it a WLTP range of 263 miles (423 km).
This is the first time ever that the winner of the European Car of the Year will be announced at the Brussels motor show. Check back in with us on January 13 to read all about which car was chosen as the continent’s best vehicle of 2023.
