The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been named UK Car of the Year for 2017, chosen by a panel of 27 of Britain’s most-read motoring journalists. The Volvo V90 and Jaguar F-Pace finished as runners-up.
12 category winners were announced in the fourth year of the UK Car of the Year Awards, with the E-Class also winning Best Executive Car.
Director of UK Car of the Year, John Challen, said: “Mercedes-Benz has a long history of creating impressive saloon cars and the new E-Class continues this trend and raises the bar in the executive vehicle sector. Stunning inside and out, it takes driver and passengers into the realms of luxury.”
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Other judges were also fulsome in their praise for the E-Class. Fleet World’s Alex Grant described it as “a technological showcase”, while Honest John’s David Ross summarised it as “just sublime”.
The E-Class is also one of the safest cars on the road. It received a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP and its exceptional performance, particularly in child occupant protection, was recognised at the Euro NCAP awards 2016. The UK’s Thatcham Research also rated the E-Class as one of the safest new models launched in the last year.
Read about Thatcham Research’s ten safest new cars of 2017
In the overall category, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class triumphed over the Volvo V90 and Jaguar F-Pace which finished in joint second place, with the Hyundai Ioniq and Ford Focus RS in joint third.
Launched in 2014, the UK Car of the Year Awards are judged by 27 of Britain’s most-read motoring journalists. Each judge picks out the top performer in 12 vehicle categories, before deciding the overall winner from their favourites in each class.
In addition to the success of the E-Class, Mercedes-Benz also celebrated the S-Class Cabriolet winning the Best Cabriolet category. The other category awards were spread across a wide range of manufacturers, with only Porsche and Mercedes-Benz scoring multiple class wins.
The complete list of category winners for 2017 are:
Best Small Hatch – Hyundai IONIQ
Best Family Car – Toyota Prius
Best Executive Car – Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Best Luxury Car – Rolls-Royce Dawn
Best Estate Car – Volvo V90
Best MPV – Renault Scénic/Grand Scénic
Best Crossover – SEAT Ateca
Best Large Crossover – Jaguar F-Pace
Best Coupe – Porsche 718 Cayman
Best Cabriolet – Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet
Best Sports Car – Porsche 718 Boxster
Best Performance Car – Ford Focus RS
