8:09 am, June 2, 2021
The Jaguar I-PACE has been crowned Auto Trader’s Best New Car of 2021.
The battery-powered vehicle came out on top after a public vote, which took in the opinions of 148,000 car owners.
It is the second year in a row that an electric vehicle has taken home the prestigious title at the Auto Trader New Car Awards.
The Tesla Model 3 – which came out on top last year – was once again recognised in 2021.
It won the Best for Families category, as well as making it onto the shortlist for a further five prizes, including the overall New Car of the Year.
It was a successful year across the board for EVs with 36 percent of this year’s finalists and winners being electric, up from just 16 percent last year.
In addition to the I-PACE and Model 3, the Renault ZOE won Best Car for New Drivers, the Polestar 2 won Best Premium Electric Car and the Kia Soul won the Best Value Electric Volume Car.
There was also victory for the Peugeot e-208, which won the much-coveted Erin Baker Award.
The BMW 3 Series plug-in hybrid also won the Best Hybrid category.
This year was the fifth annual Auto Trader New Car Awards with vehicle owners voting for 19 out of the 21 categories.
Other winners included the Ford Puma (Most Loved Car), the MG ZS (Best Value New Car) and the Mercedes-Benz G Class (Best Luxury Car).
Erin Baker, Auto Trader’s editorial director, said: ‘We continue to see extremely high demand on our marketplace with an average of over 2.3 million visits every day, boosted by the reopening of physical forecourts in April.
‘But with so much choice in the market, it can be a challenge for consumers to find the car that is right for them.
‘That’s where our New Car Awards can help.
‘With categories based on how consumers actually use their cars in the ‘real-world’, it offers buyers insight into which makes, and models could best suit their lifestyle.’
Rory Reid, Auto Trader’s YouTube director, added: ‘These awards are a recognition of the very best car makes and models as voted for by the people who matter most, consumers.
Nearly 150,000 real-world owners shared their opinions – it’s a huge response and provides a very accurate measure of consumer satisfaction.
‘Each of our winners represents genuine consumer preferences when it comes to new cars and proves that despite a turbulent year, one thing hasn’t changed: people still love their cars.’
The full list of winners can be seen below:
- New Car of the Year – Jaguar I-PACE
- Best Car for Families – Tesla Model 3
- Best Car for New Drivers – Renault ZOE
- Best Value New Car – MG ZS
- Best Car for Long Distances – Hyundai Tucson
- Most Fun to Drive – MINI Hatch
- Best Car for City Drivers – Renault Captur
- Best Car for Dog Owners – MG ZS
- Best 7-Seater Car – Mercedes-Benz GLE Class
- Best Car for Towing – Volkswagen Touareg
- Most Loved Car – Ford Puma
- Best Hybrid – BMW 3 Series
- Best Value Electric Car – Kia Soul
- Best Premium Electric Car – Polestar 2
- Most Loved Brand – Porsche
- Most Reliable Brand – Toyota
- Car brand with the best tech – BMW
- Best Value Brand – Dacia
- Best Luxury Car – Mercedes-Benz G Class
- The Rory Reid Award – Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo
- The Erin Baker Award – Peugeot e-208
