The all-electric Renault Scenic E-Tech has won the converted title of European Car of the Year at the 2024 Geneva Motor Show.
The French family EV SUV beat seven shortlisted rivals to the crown, including the BMW 5 Series and Peugeot 3008, which scooped second and third place respectively.
Voted for by 58 independent jurors –all road-testing motoring journalists – the award is meant to find the best new car on sale that year. It reflects the judgements of 22 countries across wider Europe.
The big question is: should it really have won?
The Renault Scenic E-Tech electric SUV has won the coveted European Car of the Year Award at the 2024 Geneva Motor Show
The family SUV won with 329 points beating the BMW X5/iX5 and Peugeot 3008/e-3008 who came second and third respectively
With 379 miles of range and 150kW DC rapid charging, judges voted for it being a much more affordable version of the Tesla Model Y
The Scenic E-Tech claimed victory with 329 points, to the BMW 5 Series’ 308 points and Peugeot 3008’s 197 points.
This is the seventh time Renault has won Car of the Year, and coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Geneva Motor Show.
Rounding up the top seven were the Kia EV9 (4th), Volvo EX30 (5th), BYD Seal (6th) and Toyota C-HR took the final place with 127 points.
The theme was clearly electric, as four of the seven finalists were completely electric and the other three had either electric versions or plug-in hybrid versions.
With a starting price of £37,495 the Scenic E-Tech is designed for family comfort and easy electric driving.
With up to 379 miles of range, DC 150kW rapid charging and 545 litres of boot space, it’s won favour for being a cheaper and longer-range version of the Tesla Model Y.
That said, the Tesla Y was the best-selling new electric car of 2023 in the UK and across Europe.
The ECOTY has to have modern tech, be well designed and offer value for money – all of which the 58 jurors believed the Renault Scenic E-Tech
The Scenic is a family-friendly car with 545 litres of boot space. Order books are now open and prices start from £37,495
Practicality and passenger comfort are also big considerations in the judgement and the Scenic E-Tech comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and wireless charging
Is the Renault Scenic a worthy winner?
The winning Car of the Year car has to be new on the market in the 12 months prior to the date of the title, but other than the criteria is broad; it needs to perform well across many areas including tech, safety and value for money, but there’s no specifics to satisfy.
Considering these wide parameters, there’s some very strong competition that surprisingly didn’t make the shortlist or the winner’s circle this year.
The under-£40k eye-catching Hyundai Ioniq 6 continued to do the Korean brand proud after the success of the Ioniq 5, offering a 338-mile range, more rear legroom than a Mercedes S-Class and impressive performance.
For around £17,000 there’s little that can beat the new Dacia Duster seven-seater, offering affordable motoring to family-car buyers on a tighter budget.
And it’s not like the European Car of the Year gong has always been a confirmation of a quality car.
In the last three decades, winners have included the Fiat Bravo/Brava (1996), Alfa Romeo 147 (2001), Peugeot 307 (2002) and Vauxhall Insignia (2009) – cars either with patchy reliability records or rather uninspiring characteristics.
On the first day of Geneva Motor Show Renault were presented with the COTY price – an event that marks the return of the motor show and where Renault were one of the few manufacturers to attend
This is the third-generation Dacia Duster. While it might have all-new looks it also retains its position in the market as the nation’s most affordable family car, starting from around £17K
The 2024 award marks the fifth year an EV has taken the European Car of the Year.
Last year’s title went to the Jeep Avenger EV, which is vastly overlooked by UK customers.
In 2022, the impressive Kia EV6 won the award, three years before the Jaguar I-Pace took the accolade, being the first premium-brand EV.
The very first EV to win ECOTY was the Nissan Leaf, which lifted the gong in 2011.
Turkey, Hungary, France, UK, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium all voted for this year’s winner, on the 60th anniversary of European Car of the Year.
Renault Scenic E-Tech order books are open now and first deliveries will arrive in the spring.
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