Nissan has scooped the Auto Express Car of the Year 2022 with its new all-electric Ariya – along with the title for best mid-sized company car, the judges describing it as “a comfortable ride and superb refinement with impressive agility for a big car”.
Auto Express’s expert judges said that the Ariya wins because it’s a practical, refined and feature-packed car in general - rather than an EV in particular - signalling another milestone passed in the journey to EVs becoming a mainstream motoring option.
The Ariya is Nissan’s second mass-market EV following its pioneering Leaf, arguably the EV that first made electric driving affordable.
Auto Express claims that their annual awards are the most customer-focused car awards in the UK, recommending models across categories that are set, like the judging criteria, following research into the wants and needs of real UK buyers.
As well as specific EV category wins, there was success for electric cars in traditional car categories, too. The new all-electric Fiat 500 scooped the best City Car trophy and the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric was named Best Company Car.
“The new Nissan Ariya is quite simply a fantastic new car – it just so happens to be an EV, too. It’s so cleverly thought through, buyers will find it really easy and enjoyable to live with, while it drives superbly, looks great and is the most premium-feeling Nissan we’ve ever seen.
“Our Awards celebrate a whole host of brilliant cars across the entire new-car market and we salute the manufacturers for producing new cars that are more reliable, safer, more comfortable and more efficient year after year – and still delivering them in the face of ongoing global supply challenges,” Steve Fowler, Editor-in-Chief of Auto Express, said.
