Jaguar’s groundbreaking EV, the I-PACE is on the winners podium once again after picking up the New Car of the Year award for motoring publication AutoTrader.
Based on the votes of some 148,000 car owners, the Auto Trader New Car Awards are seen as one of the most authentic measures of the cars which are making a real impact with the public.
Those car owners get to decide the winners from 19 of the 21 categories, with criteria such as reliability and performance to appearance and running costs all making up the finalists and winners of each of the categories.
The Jaguar I-PACE was the winner of the top category, and represented a real shift towards electrification, with 36 per cent of the finalists and winners being an EV, a 16 per cent rise from the previous year.
Auto Trader's commercial director Ian Plummer said: “With nearly 150,000 genuine car buyers contributing to this year’s judging process, our awards provide the industry with a very accurate measure of consumer satisfaction. They also reflect changing consumer attitudes and trends, not least with a record number of electric vehicles making it on to this year’s winners’ list.
"The many EV winners highlight just how much of an opportunity this growing market represents and how impressively so many of the electric cars recently brought to the market have landed with their owners.
"Whilst conversion from consideration to purchase for electric remains relatively low, there’s no doubt it is accelerating as the latest EVs become ever more attractive.
"Aspirational models like the Jaguar I-PACE, Tesla Model 3 or Polestar 2, as well as more affordable alternatives like the Renault Zoe, MG ZS or Kia Soul are helping to shift consumer perception and bust some of the myths around EVs.”
The win for Jaguar was the 91st major award for the I-PACE, coming on the back of last month’s ‘Best Premium Car’ by electrifying.com.