The Next Green Car Awards 2016 have been launched, with plug-in models making up almost half of the total shortlist. With 40 different cars across 10 categories from 23 manufacturers, 18 of the total nominated models are plug-in vehicles.
Of that number, eight are plug-in hybrids and ten pure electric, with that ratio skewed slightly by three of those EVs being listed in the Next Gen category, which is for those innovative models that haven’t been available to buy or order in 2016.
Electric models come from a wide range of manufacturers and markets, with the shortlisted plug-in vehicles listed below (alphabetically by category):
Mahindra e2o – EV – Citycar
VW e-up! – EV – Citycar
BMW i3 – EV – Supermini
Renault Zoe ZE 40 – EV – Supermini
Hyundai Ioniq Electric – EV – Small family
Kia Optima Plug-in Hybrid – PHEV – Large family
BMW 225xe – PHEV – MPV
Audi Q7 e-tron – PHEV – SUV
BMW X5 40e – PHEV – SUV
Tesla Model X – EV – SUV
BMW 330e – PHEV – Exec
BMW 740e – PHEV – Exec
Mercedes Benz E 350 e – PHEV – Exec
Morgan EV3 – EV – Sports Cabrio
Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid – PHEV – Sports Cabrio
Smart fortwo ED – EV – Next Gen
Tesla Model 3 – EV – Next Gen
VW iD – EV – Next Gen
The only category which doesn’t have a plug-in model as part of the shortlist is the Crossover class, which is only just getting conventional hybrids as part of the market.
Eligibility for the awards has been driven by the unique NGC Rating, has just been improved upon further with the recent news of a partnership agreed between Next Green Car and Emission Analytics to use the latter’s EQUA data as part of the rating process.
Dr Ben Lane, Director of Next Green Car said: “Never before has the NGC Awards shortlist included such as diverse range of quality ultra low emission models (ULEVs) across such a large number of vehicle segments. From the Hyundai Ioniq, an EV for the mass market, and the competitively priced Kia Optima PHEV, through to the iconic Tesla Model X SUV, there really is a ULEV to suit most drivers’ needs.”
The 10 category winners of the Next Green Car Awards 2016 – plus the overall NGC Car of the Year title – will be announced on Thursday 1st December 2016.
For information about the Next Green Car Awards, visit the Awards 2016 page on Next Green Car.
