The recently announced short list of finalists for The 2021 World Car of the Year (WCOTY) award include several electric cars - two in the main category.
Volkswagen ID.4 and Honda e will compete for the World Car of the Year title with the Toyota Yaris. It gives us a pretty high chance to see a BEV on the top.
"A jury of 93 distinguished international automotive journalists selected the finalists by secret ballot based on their evaluation of each eligible vehicle as part of their professional work. KPMG tabulated the vote results."
The last time we saw an electric car on the top was the Jaguar I-PACE in 2019, and previously the Nissan LEAF in 2011.
We can see two more all-electric models - Polestar 2 and Mazda MX-30 - considered also in specific categories:
World Car of the Year
- Honda-e
- Toyota Yaris
- Volkswagen ID.4
World Urban Car
- Honda-e
- Honda Jazz / Fit
- Toyota Yaris
World Luxury Car
- Land Rover Defender
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Polestar 2
World Performance Car
- Audi RS Q8
- Porsche 911 Turbo
- Toyota GR Yaris
World Car Design of the Year
- Honda-e
- Land Rover Defender
- Mazda MX30
We are not entirely sure why the Polestar 2 is considered a luxury car (it's more performance-oriented, we guess). In 2020, the Porsche Taycan also won World Luxury Car and World Performance Car categories.
The Volkswagen ID.4 seems to have a really strong chance for the overall win (the Honda e is probably to niche of a vehicle). It would be also the first MEB-based model in the rank, as the ID.3 so far did not make any splash.
The final results to be announced on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
For us, it's really great to see BEVs considered as one of the top new car models. Just recently, electric vans won the 2021 International Van of the Year.
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