The first ever Parkers New Car Awards grouped vehicles according to buyers’ lifestyle choices with Toyota’s ground-breaking C-HR crossover coming out on top.
Toyota’s ground-breaking C-HR crossover has won Parkers New Car Awards 2018 as the overall top car out of 16 category winners, ranging from the best first car to the best car for thrill-seekers.
The team from the reviews and motoring advice website had a tough job choosing the overall winner, with the C-HR strongly challenged by the Skoda Kodiaq, SEAT Ibiza and BMW 5 Series Touring. The Toyota took the honours based on its involving drive, futuristic yet practical design, low-cost engine options and five-year warranty.
The Parkers New Car Awards, launched this year, reflect the views of Britain’s car-buying public with winners chosen based on the buying habits of the website’s 2.9 million users actively involved in the buying process.
The awards categories have been shaped by constant analysis of Parkers.co.uk traffic. Detailed research shows that 77pc of Parkers.co.uk site users consider buying cars from multiple market sectors, destroying the idea of traditional class competitors and rivals. Hence the awards are not based on conventional segments.
Its research also found that 78pc of car buyers don’t like automotive jargon so there are no categories based on industry terms such as SUV, crossover and supermini. Instead, the awards are based around car-buying lifestages – for instance best car for small families or best seven-seater – reflecting how people buy cars to fit their lifestyles.
The winning cars, tested rigorously by the Parkers.co.uk team, were judged on a combination of cost per month, value, quality, excellence and fitness for purpose. The overall winner was chosen from the category winners – the car the team felt is the most compelling new vehicle you can currently buy.
Keith Adams, Parkers.co.uk editor, said: “The Toyota C-HR is a brilliant example of how the most functional of family cars can be spiced up with exciting detail, thoughtful touches and intelligent design to become a true game-changer.”
CATEGORY WINNERS
Best first car – SEAT Ibiza. Recommended – Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen up!
Best small family car – Toyota C-HR. Recommended – Skoda Fabia estate, Volkswagen Golf.
Best large family car – BMW 5 Series Touring. Recommended – Skoda Superb estate, Volvo XC60.
Best seven-seater – Skoda Kodiaq. Recommended – Land Rover Discovery, SEAT Alhambra.
Best car for sun-seekers – Mazda MX-5. Recommended – Audi A5 Cabriolet, Porsche 718 Boxster.
Best car for thrill-seekers – Ford Focus RS. Recommended – McLaren 570S, Toyota GT86.
Best company car – BMW 330e. Recommended – Vauxhall Astra 1.0 Tech Line Nav, Volkswagen Golf GTE.
Best luxury car – Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Recommended – Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Panamera.
Best eco car – Renault Zoe. Recommended – Toyota Prius, Volkswagen Golf GTE.
Best van – Volkswagen Crafter. Recommended – Ford Transit Custom, Renault Kangoo ZE 33.
Best pick-up – Nissan NP300 Navara. Recommended: Mitsubishi L200, Volkswagen Amarok.
Best new car finance scheme – Skoda. Recommended – BMW, SEAT.
Best approved used car scheme – Kia. Recommended: Jaguar, Mitsubishi
Best car tech innovation – Vauxhall OnStar. Recommended – Citroen C3 dash-cam, Jaguar Land Rover’s activity key.
Best safety award – EuroNCAP 20 years of crash-testing. Recommended – Nissan Micra’s standard safety equipment, Volkswagen van autonomous emergency braking standardisation.
Best owners’ reviews – Porsche. Recommended: Lexus, Jaguar.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here