For the first time, a model from South Korea has received the title of the best car of the year in Europe - the jury of the European car of the Year 2022 awarded the victory to the Kia EV6 compact electric crossover.
In total, EV6 scored 279 points from the jury, with 12 members giving it the highest rating.
Second place went to Renault Megane E-Tech Electric (265 points), third place went to Hyundai Ioniq 5 (261 points). Thus, the entire top three was occupied by electric models, which, in principle, are not offered with internal combustion engines. Moreover, two of the three winners are built on a unified aggregate base - these are the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
The places were further distributed as follows:
4. Peugeot 308 - 191 points;
5. Skoda Enyaq - 185;
6. Ford Mustang Mach-E - 150;
7. Cupra Born - 144.
Of the seven, only the Peugeot 308 is an internal combustion engine car, but it also has a “rechargeable hybrid” option in the range.
The judges praised the Kia EV6 for its "unprecedented level" of safety, connectivity, advanced driver assistance systems, as well as its completely flat floor and eco-friendly interior materials.
The Hyundai-Kia E-GMP platform underlying the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 assumes rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, depending on the modification, that is, one or two electric motors. The engines are powered by a nickel-cobalt-manganese battery with a capacity of 58 or 77.4 kWh. Kia EV6 power - from 167 to 576 hp depending on version. The top version of the EV6 GT is distinguished by the dynamics of a sports car - it accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.5 seconds, and the maximum speed is 260 km / h.
Excerpts from the conclusions of the jury members about the Kia EV6:
The EV6 is energy efficient, with a large battery capacity and ultra-fast charging.
Sporty handling, firm suspension, long range and excellent fast recharging due to the 800-volt battery, while spacious interior, rich equipment and nice features (two-mode switches for navigator and climate control, the ability to recharge objects outside).
The best electric car among the finalists, it has the same advantages as the Ioniq 5, but the EV6 is even more balanced than the Hyundai - more precise in settings, has an attractive design, high quality materials. In addition, he has a 585-horsepower GT version in the range, developed jointly with Rimac.
The ECOTY 2022 jury consisted of 61 respected journalists from 22 countries.
The European Car of The Year award was established in 1964 and is organized by the largest automotive publications in Western Europe, including Autocar (Great Britain), Auto (Italy), Stern Magazine's Auto Supplement (Germany), L'Automobile (France) and others.
The 2021 European Car of the Year title goes to the Toyota Yaris subcompact hatchback.
Korean Car of the Year for the first time in Europe
