At first there were 30 candidates, the list then got trimmed down to just seven. After all the score sheets were returned by a panel of jurors comprising 60 motoring journalists, the all-new Peugeot 208 turned out to be the European Car of the Year 2020.
In what was supposed to be a teaser event on the eve of the now-cancelled Geneva motor show 2020, the presentation of the seven finalists and announcement of the eventual winner were live streamed instead.
The all-new Peugeot 208 supermini – available in internal combustion and fully electric variants – held off two pure electric models, the Tesla Model 3 and Porsche Taycan for the win.
The finalists of the 2020 European COTY and final points tally
- Peugeot 208 (281 points)
- Tesla Model 3 (242 points)
- Porsche Taycan (222 points)
- Renault Clio (211 points)
- Ford Puma (209 points)
- Toyota Corolla (152 points)
- BMW 1 Series (133 points)
According to Peugeot, nearly 110,000 customers have ordered the new 208 since its launch in Europe in October, 2019, with 15% of the mix being electric variants. In France, the new Peugeot 208 leads the sales charts of passenger car market at the end of February 2020. The 208’s win is also Peugeot’s sixth ECOTY crown since the award was established in 1964. The Jaguar I-Pace won last year’s edition.
“I am particularly proud that the new Peugeot 208 has just won the 2020 Car of the Year prize. This trophy underlines the excellence of the work and great commitment of all the teams of the brand and the Groupe PSA,” said Jean-Philippe Imparato, Peugeot brand CEO.
