The Peugeot 208 supermini has claimed a prestigious European car award beating off stiff competition from some of the world’s biggest car brands.
Following in the footsteps of the Jaguar I-Pace, the 208 took this year’s trophy beating the Tesla Model 3 into second place and the Porsche Taycan into third.
The European Car of the Year award is one of the highlights of the annual Geneva Motor Show, but this year was a far less low key affair following the cancellation of the exhibition due to the global coronavirus crisis.
The award is run by seven of Europe’s most influential motoring publications, with a jury made up of 60 journalists from 23 countries.
And Peugeot is no stranger to taking the top prize, in addition to their wins in 2017 with the 3008 and 2014 with the 308, the French manufacturer has claimed the European Car of the Year no less than six times, putting it in the top three manufacturers in the order of merit.
“I am particularly proud that the New PEUGEOT 208 has just won the 2020 Car of the Year prize,” said Peugeot CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato.
“This trophy underlines the excellence of the work and great commitment of all the teams of the Brand and the Groupe PSA. It’s the first time that a PEUGEOT “2 series” has triumphed! By the way, three PEUGEOT “Cars of the Year” are currently on road with the 3008 and the 308 alongside the new 208. “The COTY 2020 legitimates the Brand’s “power of choice” strategy. From now on, our customers will be able to choose between the electric PEUGEOT e-208 “Car of the Year” and the (ICE) PEUGEOT 208 “Car of the Year”!”