As car awards season rolls on in the UK, one of their bigger events has recently wrapped up with an EV yet again taking out a Car of the Year award.
This time, it is the prestigious What Car? event, with this year’s Car of the Year winner being the VW ID. Buzz. (2022 saw the Kia EV6 take their overall award and in 2019 it was the Kia e-Niro).
On sale in the UK and Europe since September, 2022, the judges praised the ID. Buzz as combining “the practicality of an MPV with the comfort and refinement of a luxury SUV.”
“The ID. Buzz offers sensational all-round visibility, while your confidence behind the wheel is further enhanced by steering that’s both accurate and nicely weighted,” said What Car? editor Steve Huntingford.
“The ride manages to be great at soaking up bumps without feeling floaty at higher speeds,” Huntingford said.
“And, crucially, this is a hugely practical car, with an interior that’s wide enough to let three rear passengers sit side by side in comfort, and a boot so big that we ran out of suitcases when trying to see how many it would take.”
Read The Driven editor’s report of driving an ID.Buzz last September: First drive of Volkswagen ID.Buzz: Urban cool and tight turning circles
The EV winners in What Car’s other major categories included:
- Small electric Car of the Year: MG4 Standard Range SE
- Large electric Car of the Year: VW ID Buzz
- Executive Car of the Year: Tesla Model 3 RWD
- Electric SUV of the Year: Genesis GV60 RWD Premium
- Performance Car of the Year: Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 4S
Looking to some of the more minor categories of the What Car awards, the Renault Zoe took out ‘Best Used Electric Small Car’ for the third consecutive year and the upcoming Renault 5 electric was given the ‘Readers’ Choice’ award as one of the most eagerly-anticipated EVs for 2024.
The judges praised the Zoe, saying that “for sheer value, the Renault Zoe is in a class of its own.”
“It’s an electric pioneer that has stood the test of time, although we think the post-2020 R135 model is a particularly good buy, thanks to its bigger battery and impressive real-world range,” the judges said.
(It is worth noting here that Renault Australia stopped importing Zoe here in 2020 and the R135 model with its bigger battery and DC fast-charging was never brought to Australia.)
Additionally, the MG5 estate EV took out the ‘Best Electric Estate Car’ and ‘Best Used Electric Estate Car’ categories. (Sadly, the MG5 we see in Australia is a totally unrelated ICE car and we are unlikely to ever see it here as the electric MG5 estate car is a station wagon body rather than the SUV style that marketers here seem to think is all that Australians want to buy).
As a further reminder as to how far behind Australia is in the EV supply chain, the VW ID.3 was also named ‘Best Used Electric Family Car’.
However, like the VW ID. Buzz, we will likely have to wait till early next year before we see either arrive as new to Australia models. (Although we do already see a thinly disguised version of the ID.3 here as the Cupra Born).
With EVs now on the up and up in Australia, it is only a matter of time before we get to see these and many more new models arrive on our shores.
However, awards ceremonies like there are a reminder of just how far behind the rest of the world we really are. Some really promising models we simply never get due to marketing decisions, with yet others reaching ‘used car winner’ status overseas before we get to see them new.
Bryce Gaton is an expert on electric vehicles and contributor for The Driven and Renew Economy. He has been working in the EV sector since 2008 and is currently working as EV electrical safety trainer/supervisor for the University of Melbourne. He also provides support for the EV Transition to business, government and the public through his EV Transition consultancy EVchoice.