Kia e-Soul Is Continental Tyres Irish Car of the Year 2020

At an awards ceremony at the Westin Hotel in Dublin on 7th November, the Kia e-Soul was named as the Continental Tyres Irish Car of the Year for 2020.

Motoring journalists from print, online and broadcasting hosted the gala black tie event attended by Ireland’s leading car brands, importers, distributors and other motoring dignitaries.

Kia took the top award with its new e-Soul model which also took two category awards on the night: Continental Tyres Irish Compact Car of the Year and Continental Tyres Irish Green / Efficient Car of the Year. As the first ever electric car to take the Irish Car of the Year title, the e-Soul was one of several full electric or hybrid models in the running for this year’s award.

Joint-Chairman of the Irish Car of the Year Committee, Anthony Conlon said: “Congratulations to the Kia team on a very worthy win, I am sure that the Irish Car of the Year title will be a huge boost for the e-Soul during the busy January car sales period.”

Joint-Chairman of the Irish Car of the Year Committee, Bob Flavin said: “”This is the first time that an electric car has won Irish Car of the Year, a real sign of things to come I think. Regardless of its fuel type, the e-Soul came out as the clear winner and was hugely popular with my motoring journalist colleagues”.

Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres said about the awards: “The advice of the Irish Car of the Year jurors is instrumental in helping consumers here to make sense of the ever-growing complexity of the cars we drive – both from the point of view of the increased fuel options and the myriad of new safety features and technologies that are found on even the entry level models of all brands”.

The category winners:
1. Continental Tyres Irish Compact Car of the Year: Kia e-Soul
2. Continental Tyres Irish Medium Car of the Year: Toyota Corolla
3. Continental Tyres Irish Large Car of the Year: Peugeot 508
4. Continental Tyres Irish Compact SUV of the Year: Volkswagen T-Cross
5. Continental Tyres Irish Medium SUV of the Year: Audi Q3
6. Continental Tyres Irish Large SUV of the Year: SEAT Tarraco
7. Continental Tyres Irish Hot Hatchback of the Year: Ford Focus ST
8. Continental Tyres Irish Performance / Luxury Car of the Year: Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV
9. Continental Tyres Irish Green / Efficient Car of the Year: Kia e-Soul
10. Continental Tyres Irish MPV of the Year: Peugeot Rifter

Having won in each of their categories, the ten category winners were all in the running for the top honour with the judging panel of some 32 journalists electing the Kia e-Soul by a slim margin. Last year’s 2019 Irish Car of the Year award was won by the Volvo XC40.

The joint entry of Citroen Berlingo / Opel Combo Cargo / Peugeot Partner was voted as the Continental Tyres Irish Van of the Year 2020.

49 Cars Eligible For 2020 Continental Tyres Irish Car Of The Year

A field of 49 candidates for the Continental Tyres Irish Car of the Year 2020 awards has been announced. The winner of the coveted title will be revealed at a gala event in The Westin Hotel, Dublin, on Thursday November 7th.

Voted on by a jury of 34 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, the Continental Tyres Irish Car of the Year awards highlight for Irish motorists the best cars that have been launched in the country taking account of the particular requirements of the Irish market.

The full field of candidates for the Continental Tyres Irish Car of the Year 2020 awards is as follows:

 

Audi A1 Kia e-Soul Range Rover Evoque
Audi E-Tron Kia e-Niro Renault Clio
Audi Q3 Kia XCeed Renault Megane RS Trophy
Audi Q8 Kia ProCeed SEAT Tarraco
Audi RS4 Lexus UX Skoda Scala
Audi RS5 Lexus ES Skoda Kodiaq RS
BMW 3 Series Mazda 3 Ford Ranger Raptor
BMW 8 Series Mercedes Benz B-Class Tesla Model3
BMW X5 Mercedes Benz GLC Toyota Corolla
BMW X7 Mercedes Benz GLE Toyota Camry
BMW Z4 Mercedes Benz EQC Toyota RAV4
Citroen C5 Aircross Mercedes Benz CLA Toyota Supra
Citroen Berlingo Multispace Mercedes Benz A35 AMG Volkswagen T-Cross
Cupra Ateca Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Volvo S60 / V60
DS7 Opel Combo Life Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV
Ford Focus ST Peugeot 508
Hyundai Kona Electric Peugeot Rifter

 

A dedicated Irish Car of the Year website that contains background on the awards and further details on the eligible cars is available at: http://www.caroftheyear.ie

According to Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, Continental Tyres: “This year, we have another bumper crop of new cars eligible for the Continental Tyres Irish Car of the Year title. Indeed, the awards website is a great resource for Irish consumers and those interested in buying a new car. The site has all of the detail on the range of new cars that have been launched in Ireland this year as well as useful video pieces on past winners’.

The website will also feature details of the vehicles that have been successful in the 2020 programme following the awards event on November 7th.

Volvo XC40 Wins Irish Car Of The Year 2019

The Irish Car of the Year Awards in association with Continental Tyres took place on November 8th, at the Gibson Hotel, Dublin.

Motoring journalists from print, online and broadcasting hosted a gala black tie event attended by Ireland’s leading car brands, importers, distributors and other motoring dignitaries.

Volvo took the top award with the XC40, which was also named as the Irish Compact Crossover of the Year category winner.

ICOTY Committee member Bob Flavin said: “Congratulations to the Volvo XC40 for winning through from a field of some 48 new models launched this year on the Irish market.”

ICOTY Committee member Mark Gallivan said: “What a wonderful array of cars we had in this year’s competition, it was a very tight race and the XC40 is a very worthy winner.”

Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres said about the awards: “The choices of the Irish Car of the Year jury provide a great helping hand to Irish consumers in navigating their way through the bewildering array of high tech vehicles that are launched in Ireland each year and in this regard, Continental is delighted to be associated with the Irish Car of the Year awards.”

The category winners:

Ford Focus – Irish Small / Compact Car of the Year 2019

SEAT Arona – Irish Small Crossover of the Year 2019

Volvo XC40 – Irish Compact Crossover of the Year 2019

Skoda Karoq – Irish Medium Crossover of the Year 2019

Volkswagen Touareg – Irish Large Crossover of the Year 2019

Mercedes Benz CLS – Irish Executive / Premium Car of the Year 2019

Ford Fiesta ST – Irish Hot Hatchback of the Year 2019

BMW M5 – Irish Performance Car of the Year 2019

Nissan Leaf – Irish Green / Efficient Car of the Year 2018

Nissan Leaf E Pedal – Irish Car of the Year Innovation Award 2019

Apart from the Innovation category award winner, the nine other category winners were all in the running for the top honour with the judging panel of 33 journalists electing the Volvo XC40 by a slim margin.

The Mercedes Benz Sprinter was voted Irish Van of the Year 2019.

The 2018 Irish Car of the Year award was won by the Peugeot 3008.

Irish Car of the Year 2019 Launched

50 Cars Eligible for 2019 Irish Car of the Year Title

A field of 50 candidates for the Irish Car of the Year 2019 awards, in association with Continental Tyres, have been announced. The Irish Car of the Year 2019, including a number of category winners, will be revealed at a gala event in The Gibson Hotel, Dublin, on Thursday November 8th 2018.

Pictured at the launch of this year’s awards above are Mark Gallivan (left) and Bob Flavin (right) of the Irish Car of the Year Committee, with Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, Continental Tyres (centre).

Voted on by a jury of 37 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, including members of the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association (IMWA), the Irish Car of the Year awards highlight for Irish motorists the best cars that have been launched in the country, taking account of the particular requirements of the Irish market.

New for this year, the Irish Car of the Year Committee is launching a new dedicated website where Irish consumers and those interested in buying a new car will be able to get all of the detail on the range of new cars that have been launched in Ireland this year – the website is available here.

Irish Car of the Year 2019 Launched

Who will win this year’s Irish Car of the Year 2019 title?

The website will also feature details of the vehicles that have been successful in the 2019 Awards following the Irish Car of the Year event on November 8th.

The full field of candidates for the Irish Car of the Year 2019 awards is as follows:

Audi A1 Honda Civic Type R Nissan Leaf
Audi A6 Hyundai Electric Kona Opel Grandland
Audi A8 Hyundai i30N Porsche Cayenne
Audi Q5 Hyundai Kona Renault Alpine 110
Audi RS3 Hyundai Santa Fe SEAT Arona
Audi RS4 Jaguar E-Pace Skoda Karoq
BMW X2 Jaguar I-Pace Subaru Impreza
BMW X3 Jeep Compass Subaru XV
BMW X4 Jeep Wrangler Suzuki Swift Sport
BMW M5 Kia Ceed Toyota Yaris GRMN
BMW 6 Series GT Kia Niro PHEV Volkswagen Polo
Citroen C3 Aircross Kia Stinger Volkswagen Polo GTi
Dacia Duster Kia Stonic Volkswagen Touareg
Ford EcoSport Lexus LS 500h Volkswagen T-Roc
Ford Fiesta ST Mercedes A Class Volvo V60
Ford Focus Mercedes CLS Volvo XC40
Ford Mondeo HEV Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Ireland’s motoring journalists crown the Peugeot 3008 as Irish Car of the Year 2018

The Irish Car of the Year Awards in association with Continental Tyres recently took place at the Gibson Hotel, Dublin.

Motoring journalists from print, online and broadcasting hosted a gala black tie event attended by Ireland’s leading car brands, importers, distributors and other motoring dignitaries.

Peugeot took the top award with its 3008 model which was also named as Irish Compact Crossover of the Year category winner.

ICOTY Committee member Michael Sheridan said: “What an achievement for the Peugeot 3008 to come out on top from a field of some 60 new models launched this year on the Irish market.”

ICOTY Committee member David Walshe said: “It was a very tight competition this year with many, many fine vehicles in the running for the Irish Car of the Year accolade, congratulations to a worthy winner.”

Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres said about the awards: “The choices of the Irish Car of the Year jury are a great help in informing Irish consumers as to the bewildering array of high tech vehicles that are launched in Ireland each year. Continental is delighted to be associated with the Irish Car of the Year awards.”

The category winners:

Kia Picanto – Irish City Car of the Year 2018

Nissan Micra – Irish Small Car of the Year 2018

Honda Civic – Irish Compact Car of the Year 2018

Alfa Romeo Giulia – Irish Medium Car of the Year 2018

BMW 5 Series – Irish Executive / Premium Car of the Year 2018

Peugeot 3008 – Irish Compact Crossover of the Year 2018

Skoda Kodiaq – Irish Large Crossover of the Year 2018

Toyota Prius PHEV – Irish Green / Efficient Car of the Year 2018

Alfa Romeo Giulia QF – Irish Performance / Sports Car of the Year 2018

New for this year’s awards programme, the Irish Car of the Year Committee introduced an award designed to recognise outstanding innovation, the Irish Car of the Year Innovation award. The Irish Car of the Year Committee explained that the aim of the award is to highlight the many innovative technologies and systems that car makers are integrating in new models. Many of these innovations are helping to improve road safety and are making cars more intelligent as the dawn of autonomous driving comes ever closer.  The winner of the inaugural Irish Car of the Year Innovation Award for 2018 is the Honda Civic Sensing Suite of Safety Features.

Apart from the Innovation category award winner, the nine other category winners were all in the running for the top honour with the judging panel of some 30 journalists electing the Peugeot 3008 by a very tight margin.

58 Cars To Compete for 2018 Irish Car of the Year Title

The list of cars eligible for Irish Car of the Year 2018, in association with Continental Tyres, has been revealed.

58 cars will compete for a number of category wins and for the overall title of Irish Car of the Year 2018. The winners will be announced at a gala event in The Gibson Hotel, Dublin, on November 9th.

Pictured above at The Gibson Hotel launching the 2018 awards programme are Tom Dennigan from awards programme sponsor, Continental Tyres, holding the Irish Car of the Year trophy, and Michael Sheridan and David Walshe, of the Irish Car of the Year Committee.

icoty

The list of candidates for the Irish Car of the Year 2018 Awards is as follows:

Alfa Romeo Giulia Kia Picanto SEAT Leon
Alfa Romeo Giulia QF Kia Rio Skoda Citigo
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Kia Stonic Skoda Kodiaq
Audi A5 Land Rover Discovery Skoda Octavia
Audi A8 Mazda CX-5 Skoda Rapid
Audi Q2 Mini Countryman Suzuki Ignis
Audi Q5 Mercedes GLA Suzuki Swift
Audi RS5 Coupe Mercedes S-Class Tesla Model S
BMW 5 Series Nissan Micra Tesla Model X
BMW 530e Nissan Qashqai Toyota CH-R
Citroen C3 Opel Crossland X Toyota Prius PHEV
Fiat 124 Spider Opel Insignia Toyota Yaris
Fiat Tipo Peugeot 3008 Volkswagen Arteon
Ford Fiesta Peugeot 5008 Volkswagen e-Golf
Ford Ka+ Porsche 718 Volkswagen Golf
Honda Civic Range Rover Velar Volkswagen Golf R
Honda Civic Type R Renault Koleos Volkswagen UP
Hyundai i10 Renault Scenic Volvo XC60
Hyundai i30 Renault Zoe
Hyundai Ioniq SEAT Ibiza