The Peugeot 208 won the European Car of the Year award for 2020 and its crossover sibling, the 2008, has the chance to succeed the triumph this year. The organizers of the competition have just announced the 29 models that will fight for this year's award and the French crossover is among them.
Initially, the European COTY announced 38 candidates and now the list is shortened to 29 vehicles. In order to be eligible to participate in the competition, a model has to be new and on sale now or before the year's end in five or more European markets. Without further ado, here's the full list:
1. Audi A3
2. BMW 2 Gran Coupé
3. BMW 4 Series
4. Citroën C4
5. Cupra Formentor
6. Dacia Sandero
7. Fiat New 500
8. Ford Explorer
9. Ford Kuga
10. Honda e
11. Honda Jazz
12. Hyundai i10
13. Hyundai i20
14. Hyundai Tucson
15. Kia Sorento
16. Land Rover Defender
17. Mazda MX-30
18. Mercedes-Benz GLA
19. Mercedes-Benz GLB
20. Mercedes-Benz GLS
21. Mercedes-Benz S-Class
22. Peugeot 2008
23. Polestar 2
24. Seat Leon
25. Škoda Octavia
26. Toyota Mirai
27. Toyota Yaris
28. Volkswagen Golf
29. Volkswagen ID.3
On January 8 next year, the jury team will announce a list of seven finalists and the winner will be revealed on March 1, 2021. Last year's Peugeot 208 win was preceded by the Jaguar I-Pace's 2019 crown and Volvo XC40's award. This year, there are a number of all-electric cars, including the Volkswagen ID.3, Honda E, and Mazda MX-30.
The first European Car of the Year was organized in 1964 when the Rover 2000 left behind Mercedes-Benz 600 and the rear-engined Hillman Imp.
