An expert independent panel of 27 seasoned motoring journalists have chosen the best new car drivers can buy in the UK this year – and it’s a Volvo.
The Swedish brand has already picked up gongs for the XC40 winning What Car?’s best motor of 2018 and the XC60 topping the charts in Euro NCAP crash tests last year – and now it has a new medal to add to it’s growing trophy cabinet.
However, it wasn’t the car Mail Online readers wanted to see win when we polled you in early January…
Volvo victory: John Challen, director of UK Car of the Year Awards (left) hands over the 2018 trophy to Jon Wakefield, managing director at Volvo Cars UK
Volvo’s XC60 was named in the list of 13 category winners last month, taking the title as the Best Medium Crossover of the coming year.
All the cars that were deemed champions of their respective classes then had to vie for the overall UK Car of the Year 2018 accolade, chosen by a panel of automotive writers from across the industry.
The small but suave SUV took the overall award, which is the first time that Volvo has been voted the best car for UK buyers.
Buyers of the XC60 will certainly be in safe hands, too – it was identified as the safest model crash tested by Euro NCAP last year, outscoring every other new car that was sent head-first into concrete walls in the extreme durability examinations in 2017.
‘The XC60 being crowned UK Car of the Year 2018 is very well deserved, at a time when crossovers are becoming increasingly popular,’ said John Challen, director of the UK Car of the Year competition.
‘Having come close in 2016 with the XC90 [beaten by the Mercedes-Benz E-Class], it’s fantastic to see Volvo now claim the top spot with its smaller – but every bit as impressive – stablemate,’ he added.
The family-size SUV racked up a second gong of the year for Volvo, which also took home the What Car? Car of the Year 2018 trophy
A panel of 27 seasoned motoring journalists from various titles, both consumer and business facing, voted the Volvo CX60 as the overall winner
Commenting on the Swedish manufacturer’s success in the UK Car of the Year Awards, Jon Wakefield, managing director at Volvo Car UK, said: ‘Winning both the overall UK Car of the Year and Best Medium Crossover awards is a fantastic achievement for Volvo.
‘The awards reflect the desirability and sophistication of the XC60 and the elegant Scandinavian design, cutting-edge technology and luxurious equipment levels have proved a big hit with customers.’
Prices for the Volvo XC60 start from £36,405.
Earlier this week, the Swedish motor manufacturer revealed its latest new car – the V60 – which is the safest model it has ever launched.
It features a new active system that can detect other cars, pedestrians, cyclists and even large animals in the road ahead and automatically take evasive action to avoid a collision.
The XC60 is the mid-range model in Volvo’s existing SUV line-up, sitting between the smaller XC40 and larger XC90
Inside, the car has a classy cabin full of technology. It’s also packed with a raft of safety kit
Not the car Mail Online readers voted for
While the Volvo was deemed the deserved winner of the 2018 crown, Mail Online readers had a different opinion.
A poll of more than 3,800 people in a previous story saw the XC60 voted as the fifth favourite choice of the 13 cars shortlisted for the crown.
The one most readers wanted to see given the honour was Kia’s powerful twin-turbo V6 Stinger family car.
We asked readers to vote which of the 13 category winners they thought deserved to win car of the year. As you can see from the results of 3,817 votes, the Kia Stinger was the one most people backed
The Kia Stinger is a high-performance family saloon with a roaring V6 engine under the bonnet
It received 13 per cent of the votes when we asked readers which car they wanted to see win – that compares to just nine per cent who backed the Volvo 4×4.
The Peugeot 3008, Skoda Kodiaq and Volkswagen Golf also received more votes than the XC60.
Despite the backing from one in eight readers, the Kia didn’t even get an honourable mention in the UK Car of the Year 2018 announcement.
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