What's all this about?

A group of some of the most talented UK motoring journalists (and then yours truly... lord knows why) has made the Jaguar I-Pace the overall winner of the coveted 2019 UK Car of the Year (UKCotY) award. And richly deserved, too.

Oh, is that the car you picked?

No, I went for the majestic Alpine A110, which missed out by the matter of just two points in the overall voting to the Jag. Mind you, it was between the A110 and the I-Pace for me, because the Jaguar's incredible EV skillset is hard to believe, the first time you sample it. It really is quite remarkable.

Were any other of the final shortlisted cars in the running?

Voting was extremely close between all of the 29 judges, with the lovely Volvo XC40 in third and then the adorable Suzuki Jimny just pipped by this trio. It really does say something about the standard of the final 12 vehicles that something as blindingly good as the Ford Fiesta ST doesn't get a look-in for the top gong.

Was Jaguar pleased with its UKCotY win?

Is the Pope a Roman Catholic? Of course Jaguar was pleased. Here's Rawdon Glover, Jaguar Land Rover's MD, who said while collecting the UKCotY prize: "This latest major award for I-Pace is something we can all be extremely proud of. This car was conceived, designed and engineered in Britain, so to have a selection of the nation's leading automotive journalists vote it as the overall UK Car of the Year against some stiff competition is a special moment for us."

Is this the first win for a battery-powered or part-electric vehicle?

No, in the six years that UKCotY has been running, three winners have been battery-powered. John Challen, director of UKCotY, said: "As manufacturers take electric vehicles more seriously, Jaguar is leading the pack with I-Pace, which offers fantastic range and performance as well as a stylish and spacious interior for driver and passengers. The UK Car of the Year Awards judges are always keen to recognise innovation and that is certainly the case in 2019."

Can you just remind me of the other runners and riders in the final 12?

Sure can. They were the Volkswagen Polo, the Volvo V60, the Skoda Karoq, the Peugeot Rifter, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, the Bentley Continental GT and the Mazda MX-5 2.0 184hp. Quite a roll-call of talent, eh?

Can you direct me to more information on this esteemed process?

Yes, go to www.ukcoty.co.uk for more information on the judging process.

Matt Robinson - 1 Mar 2019