The award recognises the latest new car on sale that represents the best value for money to consumers from several perspectives, including design, drivability, efficiency and safety. Jury members will test all six cars back-to-back in the Autobest Final Test, which takes place at a proving ground in Teesdorf, Austria on 28 and 29 November.
Last year’s winner was the BYD Dolphin. Previous winners include the Renault Austral, Dacia Spring, SEAT Leon, and Opel Corsa.
Who is the Autobest jury?
The Autobest jury comprises 32 countries across the European continent, although Russia is currently suspended due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Each country has one representative, meaning that each jury member has the same voting power regardless of their nation’s size. To be as transparent as possible, all of the jury voting is also made available to the public via the Autobest website.
In addition to the main Best Buy Car of Europe award, the Autobest jury also recognises other areas of the automotive industry, from management and motorsport to design, safety and technical innovations. These are covered by category awards, including Ecobest, Safetybest and Technobest.
This year, Finland also has a new jury member: Arttu Toivonen, a car journalist at Iltalehti, one of Finland’s largest media houses. With 16 years of experience in automotive journalism, Arrtu has contributed to classic car magazines, automotive publications, and newspapers and hosted a popular traffic program on radio and podcasts. Additionally, he has written books on the history of traffic, sports cars, and car design.
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