As automobile awards season rolls on within the UK, certainly one of their larger occasions has not too long ago wrapped up with an EV but once more taking out a Automotive of the 12 months award.
This time, it’s the prestigious What Automotive? occasion, with this yr’s Automotive of the 12 months winner being the VW ID. Buzz. (2022 noticed the Kia EV6 take their total award and in 2019 it was the Kia e-Niro).
On sale within the UK and Europe since September, 2022, the judges praised the ID. Buzz as combining “the practicality of an MPV with the consolation and refinement of a luxurious SUV.”
“The ID. Buzz provides sensational all-round visibility, whereas your confidence behind the wheel is additional enhanced by steering that’s each correct and properly weighted,” mentioned What Automotive? editor Steve Huntingford.
“The experience manages to be nice at absorbing bumps with out feeling floaty at greater speeds,” Huntingford mentioned.
“And, crucially, it is a massively sensible automobile, with an inside that’s extensive sufficient to let three rear passengers sit aspect by aspect in consolation, and a boot so massive that we ran out of suitcases when attempting to see what number of it will take.”
Learn The Pushed editor’s report of driving an ID.Buzz final September: First drive of Volkswagen ID.Buzz: City cool and tight turning circles
The EV winners in What Automotive’s different main classes included:
Small electrical Automotive of the 12 months: MG4 Customary Vary SE
Massive electrical Automotive of the 12 months: VW ID Buzz
Govt Automotive of the 12 months: Tesla Mannequin 3 RWD
Electrical SUV of the 12 months: Genesis GV60 RWD Premium
Efficiency Automotive of the 12 months: Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 4S
Seeking to a number of the extra minor classes of the What Automotive awards, the Renault Zoe took out ‘Finest Used Electrical Small Automotive’ for the third consecutive yr and the upcoming Renault 5 electrical was given the ‘Readers’ Selection’ award as some of the eagerly-anticipated EVs for 2024.
The judges praised the Zoe, saying that “for sheer worth, the Renault Zoe is in a category of its personal.”
“It’s an electrical pioneer that has stood the check of time, though we expect the post-2020 R135 mannequin is a very good purchase, due to its larger battery and spectacular real-world vary,” the judges mentioned.
(It’s price noting right here that Renault Australia stopped importing Zoe right here in 2020 and the R135 mannequin with its larger battery and DC fast-charging was by no means delivered to Australia.)
Moreover, the MG5 property EV took out the ‘Finest Electrical Property Automotive’ and ‘Finest Used Electrical Property Automotive’ classes. (Sadly, the MG5 we see in Australia is a very unrelated ICE automobile and we’re unlikely to ever see it right here as the electrical MG5 property automobile is a station wagon physique relatively than the SUV type that entrepreneurs right here appear to assume is all that Australians wish to purchase).
As an extra reminder as to how far behind Australia is within the EV provide chain, the VW ID.3 was additionally named ‘Finest Used Electrical Household Automotive’.
Nevertheless, just like the VW ID. Buzz, we’ll probably have to attend until early subsequent yr earlier than we see both arrive as new to Australia fashions. (Though we do already see a thinly disguised model of the ID.3 right here because the Cupra Born).
With EVs now on the up and up in Australia, it’s only a matter of time earlier than we get to see these and lots of extra new fashions arrive on our shores.
Nevertheless, awards ceremonies like there are a reminder of simply how far behind the remainder of the world we actually are. Some actually promising fashions we merely by no means get because of advertising and marketing choices, with but others reaching ‘used automobile winner’ standing abroad earlier than we get to see them new.
Bryce Gaton is an skilled on electrical autos and contributor for The Pushed and Renew Economic system. He has been working within the EV sector since 2008 and is at the moment working as EV electrical security coach/supervisor for the College of Melbourne. He additionally offers help for the EV Transition to enterprise, authorities and the general public by means of his EV Transition consultancy EVchoice.