The long list of candidates for the 2024 European Car of the Year award has been published and it includes two BMWs. The recently launched 5 Series (G60) and the XM are the only two models from the BMW Group. The luxury sedan and plug-in hybrid SUV will have to do battle with the following 26 cars (listed in alphabetical order):
- BYD Atto 3
- BYD Dolphin
- BYD Han
- BYD Seal
- Fiat 600e
- Ford Bronco
- Honda CR-V
- Honda e:NY1
- Honda ZR-V
- Hyundai Ioniq 6
- Hyundai Kona
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Kia EV9
- Lexus RZ
- Lucid Air
- Mercedes E-Class
- Mercedes EQE SUV
- Nio ET7
- Peugeot 3008/E-3008
- Renault Espace
- Renault Scenic
- Smart #1
- Toyota C-HR
- Toyota Prius
- Volkswagen ID.7
- Volvo EX30
All these cars are now on sale or will hit the market before the end of 2024 in at least five countries in Europe. Meanwhile, the shortened list with just seven nominees for the 2024 European Car of the Year will be published online on Monday, November 27. Fast forward to Monday, February 26, 2024, the big winner is going to be announced during the Geneva Motor Show.
For the 2024 edition, the COTY jury consists of only 59 members because the two Russian jurors are still suspended. The competition is organized annually by nine different publications across Europe: Auto (Italy), Autocar (UK), Automobil Revue (Switzerland), Autopista (Spain), Auto Trends (Belgium), Autovisie (The Netherlands), Firmenauto (Germany), L’Automobile Magazine (France), and Vi Bilägare (Sweden).
The title for the European Car of the Year has been awarded since 1964 when the Rover 2000 won the inaugural edition. This year, the Jeep Avenger triumphed in the COTY, while previous titles were grabbed by the Kia EV6 (2022), Toyota Yaris (2021), and the Peugeot 208 (2020). BMW has sadly never managed to grab the coveted award, but it did finish second a few times with the following models: 1600 (1967), 2500/2800 (1969), 3 Series (1976), and 7 Series (1978).
Source: European Car Of The Year
