What Car has named the upcoming Kia e-Niro as its 2019 Car of the Year.
The fully electric model, which has a range of 253 miles, was honoured at the magazine’s 42nd annual awards ceremony at Grosvenor House, London.
The e-Niro beat 23 other category winners to take the overall title, becoming the first electric car to win the What Car Car of the Year Award.
What Car editor Steve Huntingford said: “The demand for electric cars has grown exponentially in recent years, and 2019 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet.
“Most of the leading manufacturers have plans for new EVs, and the fact that the Kia e-Niro was able to beat all its petrol and diesel rivals to win the 2019 What Car Car of the Year Award shows how far this technology has developed.
“The e-Niro stood out because it addresses the key issues of cost and range that have traditionally prevented many motorists from taking the plunge into EV ownership. Here is a spacious and practical family SUV that demands very few compromises.”
As well as taking home the main accolade, the Kia e-Niro was also named Electric Car of the Year.
Hyundai joined Kia in being recognised for its work with alternative fuels, being named winner of the Technology Award for its progress with electric and fuel cell technology.
The Volvo XC90 T8 was named Best Plug-in Hybrid and the VW Amarok took the Best Pick-Up award.
Last year’s overall winner, the Volvo XC40, returned to be named Family SUV of the Year for a second year running, while the Skoda Octavia continued its run of success in the Family car category.
The Peugeot 5008 was named Best Large SUV.
2019 What Car Award winners
City Car - Kia Picanto
Small car - Volkswagen Polo
Family car - Skoda Octavia
Small SUV - Seat Arona
Family SUV - Volvo XC40
Large SUV - Peugeot 5008
Luxury SUV - Audi Q7
MPV - Citroën Berlingo
Estate car - Skoda Superb Estate
Hot hatch - Honda Civic Type R
Convertible - Mercedes Benz S-Class Cabriolet
Coupe - Audi A5 Coupe
Sports car - Alpine A110
Performance car - Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Sports SUV – Cupra Ateca
Electric car - Kia e-Niro
Hybrid - Hyundai Ioniq
Plug-in hybrid - Volvo XC90 T8
Executive car - BMW 3 Series
Pick-up - Volkswagen Amarok
Luxury car - BMW 5 Series
Reader award - Honda Urban EV
Safety award - Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Technology award - Hyundai
Car of the year - Kia e-Niro
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Matt has been an automotive journalist for eight years. As senior staff writer he is responsible for the automotive content on Fleet News and also contributes to Automotive Management. Prior to this, Matt worked in the automotive industry for 10 years.
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