Leaf is Car of the Year

The Nissan Leaf has been declared 2011 European Car of the Year. It’s the first electric car to win the title, but it wasn’t a unanimous decision.


Fifty-seven motoring journalists from across the continent formed a jury to decide the winner, and each was given twenty-five votes to distribute across the seven finalists. The contest rules stipulate that they had to allocate those votes to at least five cars, with no more than ten points allowed for any one model.

Only three jurors gave the Leaf a maximum score, but nine didn’t give it any votes at all.


Such a divergence of opinion reflected that while it’s technically interesting, the Nissan is still unproven in real world conditions. Some of the journalists also recognised that the Leaf is very much a first generation electric car; future models will undoubtedly have better range, shorter recharging times, and cost less.

Consequently, it was a close result, with second and third spots being occupied by the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Vauxhall / Opel Meriva.

2011 Car of the Year
Position
Model
Votes
1 Nissan Leaf257
2 Alfa Romeo Giulietta248
3 Vauxhall / Opel Meriva244
4 Ford C-Max / Grand C-Max224
5 Citroën C3 / DS3175
6 Volvo S60 / V60145
7 Dacia Duster132

Related posts:
2011 CotY nominations
Electric car grants saved
Leaf to be built in UK
Alfa Giulietta prices

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