XC40 Takes Home 2018 European Car Of The Year Award

Volvo must be very proud of their first entry into the premium compact SUV segment as the XC40 has won the 2018 European Car of the Year award by a large margin.

According to TopGear, the “Car of the Year is the world’s longest-established and best-known international new-car award.” Each finalist is judged by a panel comprised of 60 motoring journalists from 23 countries and each juror is allotted 25 points to hand out. What makes the Volvo’s score of 325 points that much more impressive is the fact that judges cannot give a car more than 10 points.

There were some hard-hitting contenders this year including the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Audi A8, BMW 5-Series, Citroen C3 Aircross, Kia Stinger and Seat Ibiza. The Ibiza came in second with 242 points, meaning Volvo won by a large margin of 83 points.

Ultimately, the Volvo XC40 took home the award thanks to its aesthetics, build quality, ruggedness and safety. Of course the SUV’s “agile handling” and “lively performance” certainly helped. At launch, the Volvo XC40 will be offered with a range topping range-topping T5 variant that’s powered by a 247hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo. Those in Europe will get to choose from five internal combustion engines including the T5.