EVs scoop German Car of the Year awards

Electric vehicles have cleaned up in the prestigious German Car of the Year Awards, with Volkswagen’s ID.3 a particular success story, beating competition from BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover.

While it’s hardly a surprise that a VW would win a German award – just as journalists in the UK always seem to find some reason for giving Jaguar a gong, and US car magazines somehow justify rating American cars above the world’s best – the ID.3’s Best Car award in the Premium category, for cars costing under €50,000 was impressive.

Cars from Honda and Polestar – the performance arm of Volvo – also scooped awards, which meant that EVs took three of the five category winners announced yesterday. The German Car of the Year Awards are judged by a panel of 18 respected motoring journalists from across the country and the final, ultimate Car of the Year will be one of those five winners.

Surprisingly, Tesla’s Model Y, which was nominated against the Honda and Polestar entries, was beaten in both of its categories.

The Honda e won the New Energy category, which is a bit of a certainty for an electric vehicle to win, but it was up against all new EVs or other vehicles with alternative powertrains launched in the past year – which included some hydrogen-powered cars.

“We are very happy to be winners in this future-oriented category,” said Nozomu Yamashiro, Honda Germany president.

“Honda will continue to provide its customers in Germany with innovative technologies in order to drive progress in the field of mobility.

“The Honda e is at the heart of Honda’s advanced electrification strategy.”

The Polestar 2, from EV-loving Sweden, took out Best Car in the Luxury category for vehicles over €50,000, which was hugely impressive, considering it was up against competitors from Ferrari, Bentley, Aston Martin and BMW.

“It has always been our aim to bring more than just an electric alternative to the market, to develop a car that inspires customers with its design, innovation and performance,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath.

While the German car market has collapsed by a whopping 38 per cent year on year in the pandemic-hit 2020, sales of plug-in and full EVs are up, with plug-ins taking almost 9 per cent of the market and full BEVs at 4.8 per cent.