Ford Puma Crowned 2020 What Car? Car of the Year

•New Ford Puma wins top honour at 2020 What Car? Car of the Year Awards
•26 other category winners revealed at biggest-ever Awards
•Audi, BMW and Skoda among the most successful manufacturers
•Land Rover Defender wins prestigious Reader Award voted for by the public
•Three new categories introduced for 2020 Awards, reflecting more diverse market: Coupe SUV, Small Electric Car and Large Electric Car
•Full list of winners can be found at: https://www.whatcar.com/awards/
•Find money-saving deals on all the winners at What Car? New Car Buying

What Car? has named the new Ford Puma as its 2020 Car of the Year during its 43rd annual awards ceremony, held in association with MotorEasy at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane.

The first Ford to use the Puma name in almost 20 years, it took the top prize after triumphing in the Small SUV category, where it saw off competition from models including the Audi Q2 and Skoda Kamiq.

Rivals for the overall Car of the Year title included the Skoda Scala, Range Rover Evoque and Tesla Model 3 among others, reflecting the diversity of new cars launched during the past 12 months.

The judges praised the Puma for being fun to drive, cleverly packaged and well priced. Additionally, What Car?’s independent True MPG tests showed it to be extremely economical in real-world driving, thanks to its mild hybrid technology.

What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said: “As a small SUV, the Ford Puma competes in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the car market. Crucially, it also excels in all the areas that are important to buyers, according to our research.

“Thanks to its sharp handling, gutsy engine and clever mild hybrid technology, it offers a mix of fun and frugality not previously seen among its competitors. Plus, it’s as practical as it is stylish. In short, the Ford Puma is truly outstanding.”

Victory at the 2020 What Car? Car of the Year Awards marks the sixth time Ford has taken home this prestigious accolade – but the first time it has won since 2009, when it triumphed with the Ford Fiesta.

Roelant de Waard, vice president, Ford of Europe Marketing, Sales & Service, said: “It’s a great honour for the Ford Puma to be named as What Car?’s Car of the Year 2020. We’re all excited to see the return of the Puma name on a stylish and dynamic crossover that reflects today’s customer aspirations.

"Puma blends practicality with performance and fuel-efficiency from its choice of 1.0-litre, 125PS or 155PS hybrid options. To receive such high praise from industry experts like What Car? kicks off the year to a great start. This is Ford’s sixth What Car? Car of the Year win, and we are thankful for the continued support What Car? has shown Ford.

“We would like to extend our congratulations to all those who took home category awards, and we all look forward to our market improving in 2020.”

Three new categories were introduced for 2020, reflecting the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and SUVs: Small Electric Car, Large Electric Car and Coupe SUV. These titles were awarded to the Renault Zoe, Tesla Model 3 and Range Rover Velar respectively.

Elsewhere, it was a hugely successful night for BMW, with its latest 3 Series winning Best Executive Car, Best Plug-In Hybrid and the Safety Award, while the bigger 5 Series was named Best Luxury Car.

Audi and Skoda were also recipients of multiple awards, with the Skoda Scala named as the Best Family Car and the Skoda Superb the Best Estate. Audi won the Best Luxury SUV award with the Q7, and Best Coupe with the TT.

The prized Reader Award, voted for by the public and given to the most eagerly anticipated new launch of the year ahead, went to the new Land Rover Defender. The brand saw further success with the Range Rover Evoque awarded Best Family SUV.

Citroën and Volkswagen were among the manufacturers to receive the same award in consecutive years, with the Citroën Berlingo named Best MPV and the Volkswagen Polo retaining the Best Small Car title.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Peugeot 5008 became three-time winners, collecting Best Performance Car and Best Large SUV respectively.

Duncan McClure Fisher, CEO of headline sponsor MotorEasy, said: “It is a privilege to be so closely involved in the 2020 What Car? Car of the Year Awards. Both MotorEasy and What Car? share the same driver centric approach to motoring.

“Each year What Car? highlights the leading models to look out for over the next 12 months, and gives a great insight into what cars will be bought over the year. This insight enables MotorEasy to help it’s members to better protect and maintain their cars.”

For more information on the overall 2020 What Car? Car of the Year and all the other award winners, visit: https://www.whatcar.com/awards/

ENDS
Notes to editors:

WHAT CAR? CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2020 WINNERS LIST
Under strict embargo until 23:00 on Tuesday 14 January 2020

Car of the Year 2020
Ford Puma

Best Performance Car
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Best Sports Car
Alpine A110 Pure

Best Luxury SUV
Audi Q7

Best Coupe
Audi TT

Best Plug-In Hybrid - sponsored by Ubitricity
BMW 3 Series

Best Executive Car
BMW 3 Series

Best Luxury Car
BMW 5 Series

Best MPV
Citroën Berlingo

Best Small SUV - sponsored by CAP HPI
Ford Puma

Best Hot Hatch
Honda Civic Type R GT

Best Value Car - sponsored by MotorEasy
Kia Picanto

Best Family SUV
Range Rover Evoque

Best Coupe SUV
Range Rover Velar

Best Convertible
Mercedes Benz S-Class

Best Large SUV - sponsored by Quotezone
Peugeot 5008

Best Sports SUV
Porsche Macan S

Best Small Electric Car - sponsored by Instavolt
Renault Zoe

Best Family Car
Skoda Scala

Best Estate Car
Skoda Superb

Best Large Electric Car - sponsored by myenergi
Tesla Model 3

Best Hybrid - sponsored by CitNow
Toyota Corolla

Best Small Car
Volkswagen Polo

Best Pick-Up Truck
Volkswagen Amarok

Safety Award - sponsored by Thatcham Research
BMW 3 Series

Reader Award - sponsored by ALA Insurance
Land Rover Defender

Reliability Award - sponsored by MotorEasy
Lexus

Technology Award - sponsored by Thatcham Research
Subaru

ENDS

About What Car?

What Car? is the UK’s leading consumer champion and new car buying platform, reaching people through its magazine, website, video and social media channels. It has helped Britain’s car buyers to make purchasing decisions for more than 45 years and its reviews are widely regarded as the most comprehensive source of new car advice.

Whatcar.com offers verdicts and data on every new car, and has won numerous awards and accolades. It attracts 2.2m unique users and more than 12m page impressions every month.

In recent years What Car? has invested heavily in its digital infrastructure with the development of a new ecommerce platform, allowing users to act on the trusted advice What Car? offers by chatting direct online to car dealers through the website. Users are guaranteed to be able to buy their chosen car at What Car?’s Target Price discount, which is established by mystery shoppers and updated daily.

What Car? has more than 5.5 million monthly points of contact with its audience on the move, at work, at home and at the crucial point of sale. It is the top performing monthly on the UK newsstand in the motoring category.

For further media information please contact Performance Communications:
Natasha Perry or Sam Wilkinson at Performance Communications on 0208 541 3434.

natasha@performancecomms.com
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