All seven 2027 European Car of the Year finalists are fully electric

A fully electric shortlist

Seven finalists are in contention for the 2027 European Car of the Year award (COTY), and all of them run on batteries alone. In alphabetical order they are the BMW iX3, Cupra Raval, Hyundai Ioniq 3, Kia EV2, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen ID.Polo and Volvo EX60. Reports put the jury at 64 or 65 specialist journalists from 25 European countries, and the shortlist was drawn from 38 models examined after the long list stage. No Chinese-branded car made the final seven, although the Volvo EX60 comes from a brand owned by China's Geely group. It is the first time in the award's history that every finalist is electric.

Electric cars and the market behind them

Czech juror Jiří Duchoň, editor-in-chief of the magazine Automobil, says the line-up mostly mirrors the new models carmakers have recently launched.

“The composition of the finalists is mainly a reflection of the new models that carmakers have recently presented.”

Battery-electric cars currently hold roughly a fifth of European sales, so the all-electric list runs well ahead of the market as a whole. El Periódico links the rise in EV use to the fuel crisis caused by the war in Iran. The Renault Twingo is the cheapest finalist, and it is the only one that directly continues an earlier model line.

Volkswagen, Renault and the value end

Price is a common thread, with five of the seven finalists in the relatively affordable bracket. Two Volkswagen Group cars, the Cupra Raval and the ID.Polo, share the front-wheel-drive MEB+ platform. The ID.Polo is described as the more all-round car, while the Raval is said to be slightly more engaging to drive. The ID.Polo has more than 30,000 European orders and a waiting time of over ten months. The BMW iX3 is sold out and has taken 100,000 orders in its first year on sale, and it is the first model of a new family. Hyundai's Ioniq 3 targets hatchback buyers, while the Kia EV2 aims at crossover customers.

Technology and the final round

The BMW iX3 is the first model built on the Neue Klasse platform, while the Volvo EX60 introduces the SPA3 architecture with megacasting and cell-to-body battery construction. Both claim official ranges above 800 km on certain versions. Each juror will spread 25 points across at least five of the seven finalists, with no more than 10 points for any single car, and the top two cars cannot receive the same score. Every vote must come with a written justification, and the criteria cover design, safety, comfort, performance, technology, environmental impact and value for money. The finalists will be tested side by side at the Balocco circuit near Vercelli on 25 and 26 November, and jurors have until 29 December to submit their final votes.

The winner is due to be announced on 8 January 2027 at the Brussels Motor Show.

Last year's result and the Czech vote

The Mercedes-Benz CLA won the 2026 award with 320 points, ahead of the Škoda Elroq on 220 and the Kia EV4 on 208. It was only the second time Mercedes had taken the title, the first being in 1974.

Mercedes-Benz CLA320

Škoda Elroq220

Kia EV4208

Mercedes-Benz CLA

320 points

Škoda Elroq

220 points

Kia EV4

208 points

Data from the article text

In the Czech Auto roku vote, the Elroq came first with 111 points, ahead of the CLA on 106 and the BMW iX3 on 98. For Škoda it was the first win in that poll in eight years, and the first domestic title for a model sold only with electric drive.