Kia EV6 wins European car of the year, EVs dominate

The Kia EV6, which has just launched in Australia priced from $67,990, has won the prestigious European Car of the Year award.

The EV6 was one of six electric vehicles in the top seven, with only the new Peugeot 308 in fourth place flying the flag for hydrocarbons.

The Korean mid-sized hatchback beat out the Renault Megane E-Tech SUV and its own close relation, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 for the rostrum places.

The Skoda Enyaq iV, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Cupra Born rounded out the top seven. All these vehicles are eventually expected to arrive in Australia.

The EV6 is the first Kia and third EV to win the award, following on from the Nissan Leaf in 2011 and the Jaguar I-Pace in 2019.

Established in 1964, ECOTY was voted on by 59 journalists from 22 countries in 2022 – Russia and its two jurists were excluded this year because of the Ukrainian crisis.

The EV6 was crowned in a ceremony at the Palexpo exhibition centre in Geneva, Switzerland, which would typically now be hosting the Geneva International Motor Show but for its cancellation for the third year running because of the pandemic.

“It’s a nice surprise to see the Kia EV6 receive this award. It was about time that the brand and the group were rewarded, as they have worked so hard on this car. Kia’s pace of progress is really impressive.” said the President of the jury of “The Car of the Year” Frank Janssen after announcing the results.

2022 European Car of the Year results:

Kia EV6 – 279 points
Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric – 265 points
Hyundai Ioniq 5 – 261 points
Peugeot 308 – 191 points
Skoda Enyaq iV – 185 points
Ford Mustang Mach-E – 150 points
Cupra Born – 144 points