Jaguar’s I-Pace has been awarded the Auto Express Car of the Year title at the magazine’s event last night (Tuesday 3rd July).
The all-electric SUV won both the Premium Electric Car of the Year 2018 award, and the overall title, beating the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S in the former category – both of which were commended.
Jaguar’s first EV is also the first electric vehicle to win a major car award outright in the UK. As such, it is a watershed for EVs, as the fledgling market becomes mainstream.
There’s still some way to go, but with the I-Pace triumphing over all the other cars in this year’s Auto Express awards – no matter what powertrain – it is clear that plug-in models can compete on a level playing field.
The I-Pace’s range of almost 300 miles on a single charge, and 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds catch the eye, but Auto Express also praised the overall driving experience, practicality, and refinement.
Steve Fowler, Editor-in-chief of Auto Express said: “The I-Pace proves that brilliant electric cars are right here, right now – it’s the most exciting new car we’ve tested over the past 12 months.
“We love the way it looks, the space and quality of the interior and most of all that it drives exactly how a modern-day Jaguar should – it’s fantastic fun. On top of all that, it’ll cover city-to-city distances on a single charge in complete comfort – it’s a massively impressive car that bodes well for our electric future.”
Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design, said: “We are delighted to pick up such a prestigious accolade for our first all-electric Jaguar. We started with a blank canvas and the goal of creating the world’s most desirable electric vehicle and recognition like this from Auto Express shows that the I-Pace certainly meets that challenge.
“What I’m most proud of is that we have created a Jaguar first and foremost, a Jaguar that happens to be electric. The I-Pace has all of the stunning design cues, characteristics and breadth of dynamic capability that is inherent in our vehicles. It is the Jaguar of the future, here today.”
Hyundai’s Kona Electric won the Affordable Electric Car of the Year 2018 award, mirroring Next Green Car’s Awards 2017 after we handed the I-Pace the Next Generation prize, and commended the Kona Electric as the most important green cars for 2018. The Hyundai beat Nissan’s Leaf and the VW e-Golf to the Affordable EV prize.
Plug-in models took the hybrid categories too, with Hyundai’s Ioniq Plug-In taking the Affordable Hybrid Car of the Year 2018 title, and Volvo’s XC60 T8 Twin Engine the Premium Hybrid Car of the Year 2018 award.
The Mini Countryman Cooper S E was commended alongside the (non-plug-in) Toyota Prius in the Affordable category, while BMW’s 530e and the Range Rover PHEV were commended in the Premium category, making it five plug-in vehicles out of six in the hybrid sections.
Other Auto Express Awards 2018 winners can be found here.
