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The BMW i3 has triumphed at the first ever UK Car of the Year awards. The range-extending electric BMW won both the best supermini and took the outright title, beating 10 other category winners.
Uwe Dreher, BMW UK Marketing Director, commented on the win: "For the BMW i3 to be voted as the first-ever UK Car of the Year is real testament to the years of research and development that have gone into making BMW's first electric production car. The BMW i3 has pushed the boundaries in every way from sustainable production, to its unique construction and revolutionary ownership proposition. The judging panel clearly recognise this and we are delighted to be given such an independent accolade."
"Alternative vehicles have made a big impression on UK car buyers in recent years, and the i3 takes things to the next level," said John Challen, Managing Director of UK Car of the Year Awards.
The independent awards, judged by a panel of 27 UK motoring writers (including Car Enthusiast's own Kyle Fortune), revealed its winners today (February 28, 2014).
The 11 categories saw victories for Citroen, Porsche, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Jaguar and Land Rover, with both BMW and Skoda winning two categories. The full list of winners is highlighted below.
Best Supermini - BMW i3
Best Small Hatch - Audi A3
Best Family Car - Skoda Octavia
Best Executive Car - BMW 5 Series
Best Luxury Car - Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Best Estate Car - Skoda Octavia Estate
Best MPV - Citroen C4 Grand Picasso
Best 4x4 - Range Rover Sport
Best Coupé - Porsche Cayman
Best Open Top Car - Jaguar F-Type
Best Performance Car - Ford Fiesta ST
Anything else?
Runner-up to the BMW i3 for the UK Car of the Year 2014 prize was the Ford Fiesta ST, which won the Best Performance Car category. Joint third place went to the Skoda Octavia Estate and Jaguar F-Type, which topped the Best Estate and Best Open Top Car categories respectively.
Shane O' Donoghue - 28 Feb 2014