Volvo XC40 is the What Car? Car of the Year 2018

The new Volvo XC40 SUV has been voted 2018 Car of the Year in the What Car? Awards, as well as being voted best Family SUV, a new award category.

The What Car? Car of the Year Awards are a big deal, and they’ve been part of the car awards landscape in the UK for 40 years. 

So a Car of the Year gong from What Car? means a lot to car makers as it augers well for car sales in the UK, so Volvo are going to be chuffed that they’ve taken the COTY Award for the first time with their newest car – the Volvo XC40.

Facing stiff competition for the award from new cars like the Peugeot 500, SEAT Arona and Nissan LEAF, the What Car? panel considered the XC40 to offer a brilliant combination of comfort, style and safety and also awarded it the gong in a new category – Best Family SUV.

What Car? also used the award for the XC40 – it was actually the XC40 D4 R-Design which got the vote – to push the refinement and low emissions of the diesel-engined XC40, raging (a bit) against the demonisation of diesel.

What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said:

Our judging panel refused to be swayed by the anti-diesel hysteria coming from politicians and some of the mainstream press and instead made their decision based purely on the merits of the cars. Our belief is that for many car buyers diesel remains the right economic and environmental choice – and for those that it doesn’t suit, a petrol or electrified alternative is available.

The fact is the Volvo XC40 is a stunning achievement and proves to car buyers everywhere that diesels are definitely not dead.

And it wasn’t just the Volvo XC40 getting top marks from What Car?, as the new XC60 got the safety award too. Which is entirely justified as it proved to be the safest car tested in 2017.

Volvo XC40 Photos