5 November 2018

47 cars compete for Irish Car of the Year 2019


A field of 47 cars is competing for the Irish Car of the Year 2019 award, in association with sponsor Continental Tyres, writes Trish Whelan. 

The Irish Car of the Year winner will be revealed at a gala event in The Gibson Hotel, Dublin, this coming Thursday 8 November. 

Voted on by a jury of some 37 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, the Irish Car of the Year awards highlight for Irish motorists the best cars that have been launched in the country taking account of the particular requirements of the Irish market.

New for this year, the Irish Car of the Year Committee is launching a new dedicated website where Irish consumers and those interested in buying a new car will be able to get all of the detail on the range of new cars that have been launched in Ireland this year. The website is available at: www.caroftheyear.ie. It will also feature details of the vehicles that have been successful in the 2019 awards programme following the awards event on 8 November.

The overall Car of the Year will be selected from the category winners.

All cars launched in Ireland that were available for registration on or before the last day of October were deemed to be eligible to compete. 

Car Categories are:

Compact Car; Ford Focus, Kia Ceed, Mercedes A-Class, VW Polo, Subaru Impreza.

Executive/Premium Car; Audi A6, Audi A7, Audi A8, BMW 6 Series GT, Kia Stinger GT Line, Lexus LS 500h, Mercedes-Benz CLS, Volvo V60.

Small Crossover; Citroen C3 Aircross, Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Kona, SEAT Arona, VW T-ROC.

Compact Crossover; BMW X2, Dacia Duster, Jaguar E-Pace, Jeep Compass, Volvo XC40.

Medium Crossover; BMW X3, Honda CR-V, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Opel Grandland X, Skoda Karoq, Subaru XV.

Large Crossover; BMW X4, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Cayenne, VW Tuareg.

Green/Efficient Car; Ford Mondeo HEV, Jaguar I-Pace, Kia Niro PHEV, Nissan Leaf.

Hot Hatchback; Ford Fiesta ST, Hyundai i30N, Renault Megane RS, Suzuki Swift Sport, Toyota Yaris GRMN, VW Polo GTI.

Performance Car: Audi RS3, Audi RS4, BMW M5, Kia Stinger.

There will also be an Innovation Award. Contenders here include Audi A8 - Level 3 Autonomy; Citroen Advanced Comfort Seats; Citroen Progressive Hydraulic Cushion Suspension; Mercedes-Benz MBUX interface; Nissan LEAF’s E-Pedal; Volvo XC60’s Run off Road Mitigation; and Volvo XC40’s Smart Storage.


VAN OF THE YEAR AWARD: (Voted on by the Van Jury only).

Ford Transit Connect, Ford Transit Custom, Iveco Daily, LDV EV80 (Electric), Nissan eNV200 (Electric), Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, VW Crafter/MAN TGE.

Pictured above are Mark Gallivan (left) and Bob Flavin (right), Irish Car of the Year Committee Chairpersons, with Tom Dennigan of award sponsor, Continental Tyre.