For the third time in four years a battery-powered vehicle has won the UK Car of The Year (COTY) title.
Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 follows the Tesla Model 3 (2020), Jaguar I-Pace (2019) and BMW’s i3 (2014) on the list of zero-emission cars to win the prestigious trophy.
It was the standout performer thanks to its driving range, design and interior space. Electric vehicles dominated the final round of voting, with the Ioniq 5 finishing ahead of the Skoda Enyaq, with BMW’s iX and Porsche’s performance EV – the Taycan saloon – tying on points in third.
March has been a good month for Hyundai and the Ioniq 5; this latest success comes on the back of the 29-strong judging panel naming it as the overall category winner in the Best Family Class for 2022.
Ashely Andrew – Hyundai UK’s Managing Director – received the award and described the accolade as “a huge endorsement”. Over the past three months the Ioniq 5 has quickly become one of the most celebrated new cars in Europe.
John Challen, Director of the UK COTY awards, added: “The Ioniq 5 feels like the future of motoring – only it is here today. The design, performance and practicality make it a fantastic proposition for those looking for an electric vehicle. It is a very worthy winner of the UK Car of the Year 2022 title.”
The Fiat 500-e collected the Best City Car title and Skoda’s Fabia the Best Supermini trophy while Kia’s recently facelifted Ceed got the nod in the Small Hatch division. New premium brand Genesis was victorious in the Best Estate class with its G70 Shooting Brake and Skoda’s Enyaq the victor in the Best Medium Crossover section.
In the fiercely competitive Best Performance race, the Hyundai i20 N was the winner. One judge described the Ford Fiesta ST rival as a “wicked little hot hatch”.
