An all-electric car has been crowned the Scottish Car of the Year – the second year in succession and EV has taken the title.
The Renault Scenic E-Tech was voted top of pops by members of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, at a glittering ceremony at Dalmahoy Hotel, near Edinburgh, held in association with Arnold Clark.
The E-Tech’s combination of versatility, comfort, driving range, quality, and sleek looks put it ahead of a heap of worthy after it was judged best Electric Family Car.
This year’s awards also witnessed a strong showing from Kia, with three category awards – the Large EV title for the Kia EV9, Manufacturer of the Year, and the Kia Sportage was placed Best Used Car Over £15,000.
Electrified cars made their mark with the Suzuki Swift winning prizes for Small Car and Best Eco Performance. The Lexus LBX lifted the trophy for Compact Crossover/SUV, and Lexus also won the Aftersales award.
Skoda’s brilliant new Kodiaq won the combustion-engine Family Car title, and the all-electric Polestar 3 was best Premium/Executive Car for 2024.
Hyundai was another name to celebrate a double, with awards for the Santa Fe in the Large Car section for conventional engines, and the Performance category with its electric IONIQ 5 N. Ford also lifted two trophies on the night, with wins for the Transit Custom in the Utility category, while the Fiesta took home the gong for Used Car Under £15,000.
Mazda’s evergreen MX-5 was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award, while Scottish business, Bridge of Weir Leather, were given the recipients of the President’s Award for the company’s environmentally sustainable work.
Adam Wood, Managing Director and Country Head Renault Group UK, said: “The Renault Scenic E-Tech 100% electric has been designed for modern families. The judges’ reasoning behind this prestigious award underlines how it is completely unrivalled in what it offers, blending optimum practicality, refinement and convenience with a fantastic driving and ownership experience.”
Alisdair Suttie, ASMW president, added: “The standard of cars across the board for SCOTY 2024 has been exceptional, so it was always going to take a very special car to achieve overall victory and that is exactly what the Renault Scenic E-Tech is.
“The judges were bowled over by its comfort, space, versatility, and how good it is to drive plus the excellent driving range. It encapsulates all of the great values of the Scenic name in a sharply-styled package that's affordable to buy and own, and just as importantly a pleasure to live with.”
The SCOTY 2024 winners were:
Small Car - Suzuki Swift
Compact Crossover/SUV - Lexus LBX
ICE Family Car - Skoda Kodiaq
Electric Family Car - Renault Scenic
Large ICE Car - Hyundai Santa Fe
Large EV - Kia EV9
Premium/Executive Car - Polestar 3
Performance Car - Hyundai IONIQ 5 N
Utility - Ford Transit Custom
Used Car Under £15,000 - Ford Fiesta
Used Car Over £15,000 – Kia Sportage
Best Eco Performance - Suzuki Swift
Lifetime Achievement - Mazda MX-5
Aftersales - Lexus
Manufacturer of the Year - KIA
President’s Award – Bridge of Weir Leather
The SCOTY Hall of Fame:
1998: Ford Focus
1999: Jaguar S-Type
2000: Audi A2
2001: Jaguar X-Type
2002: Mazda6
2003: Volvo XC90
2004: Peugeot 407
2005: BMW 3 Series
2006: Jaguar XK
2007: Ford Mondeo
2008: Ford Fiesta
2009: Land Rover Discovery 4
2010: Kia Sportage
2011: Range Rover Evoque
2012: Dacia Duster
2013: Volkswagen Golf
2014: Hyundai i10
2015: Vauxhall Astra
2016: Volvo V90
2017: Land Rover Discovery
2018: Jaguar I-Pace
2019: Mazda 3
2020: Ford Puma
2021: Skoda Enyaq
2022: Honda Civic
2023: Hyundai IONIQ 6
2024: Renault Scenic E-Tech
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