For the 3rd year in succession, the Citroën Grand C4 Picasso has been named ‘Best MPV’ at the Fleet World Honours

For the third year in succession, the Citroën Grand C4 Picasso has been named ‘Best MPV’ at the Fleet World Honours annual awards event, which took place in London earlier today.  Having triumphed in the category in the two years since its launch, the Grand C4 Picasso has proved it is still the benchmark in this highly competitive sector.

Steve Moody, editor of Fleet World magazine – and Fleet World Honours judge – praised the Citroën Grand C4 Picasso for its style, practicality and efficiency. “The Grand C4 Picasso moved the MPV segment forward when it launched in 2014, and nothing has come close since. 

This remains the only non-hybrid seven-seater under 100g/km, and there are no compromises on flexibility or comfort to get there. Futuristic styling, generous equipment levels and long-distance refinement mean Citroën is still ahead of the curve.” 

Built on the advanced and lightweight EMP2 modular platform, the Grand C4 Picasso has been recognised for its efficiency, use of interior space and low cost of ownership. The model’s ability to emit less than 100g/km of CO₂ without the use of hybrid technology remains an attractive proposition, as does its wide range of equipment options. 

These features include: Park Assist and Blind Spot Monitoring; 360° Vision technology; 7-inch Touch Drive interface; active seat belts; a 12-inch HD central display screen and dual-zone air conditioning. The range-topping Grand C4 Picasso Exclusive+ even has a front passenger seat with a massage function and an electric leg rest, as standard.

Martin Gurney, PSA Group UK’s Director of Fleet & Used Vehicles, remarked; “Citroën is delighted that the Grand C4 Picasso has won the Fleet World Honours ‘Best MPV’ award in each of the three years since it was launched. 

This achievement highlights its impressive design and engineering credentials, and reflects Citroën’s process of continuous improvement. The Grand C4 Picasso’s latest-generation Euro 6 engines provide improved fuel economy of up to 74.3mpg and CO₂ emissions as low as 99g/km. All of which – combined with strong residual values – gives the Grand C4 Picasso significant fleet appeal.”  

CarBuyer announces full list of winners in its annual Car Of The Year Awards.

- Citroen takes the top spot with the C4 Cactus at Carbuyer Best Cars Awards -

Carbuyer.co.uk, the website that provides jargon-free reviews of cars, has revealed its Best Cars of the Year, with the Citroen C4 Cactus driving away with the top prize. The Carbuyer Best Cars are the only customer-focused accolades in the industry. By understanding what real car buyers are searching for, Carbuyer is able to deliver the right information at the right time.

Nowhere is this more evident than with its Best Cars features. Rather looking at cars based solely on size or bodystyle, Carbuyer delivers its verdicts using more human criteria.

So as well as finding the best SUVs or best city cars, buyers can find out the best road tax-free cars, the best cars for less than £150 a month or the most reliable car.

And it is from the most popular of these features that the Carbuyer Best Cars Awards – the only real-world awards out there – have been decided.

The Citroen Cactus C4 has been named the overall winner this year, thanks to its eye-catching looks, cheap running costs and spacious interior in particular. The car also takes home the award for Best Economical Car.

Stuart Milne, Editor of Carbuyer.co.uk, said: “The Citroen C4 Cactus’s quirky style and with its Airbump rubber panels, it has been set up with comfort in mind and it’s extremely economical with a return of more than 60mpg for the petrol-engine. A worthy winner of the Carbuyer Best Car of the Year 2015!” 

Linda Jackson, Citroën’s CEO, commented; “The Citroen C4 Cactus has already won more than 25 major awards and these latest accolades from Carbuyer are particularly pleasing - for two reasons. Firstly, it’s fantastic to win the overall car of the year prize as well as taking the win in the Best Economical Car category.

“Secondly, Carbuyer offers advice to customers who are actively in the process of looking for a new car, so these awards are very important for a new entrant to the market like the C4 Cactus. And on top of the wins for C4 Cactus, the Grand C4 Picasso has been voted Best Seven Seater. Recognition like this validates our belief that Citroën is getting it right when it comes to designing and producing well-considered family transport.”

Winners in each category are chosen based on their star rating out of five by members of the dedicated road testing team, who have marked them on running costs, comfort, practicality, reliability and safety as well as performance, engines, price, value for money and optional extras. This rating means it’s quick and easy for readers of the site to compare cars in a like for like manner, and pick the one that’s best for them.

The Hyundai i10, last year’s overall winner, had another good year at the awards being named the Best Car That’s Cheap to Insure and Best City Car thanks to its quality, refinement, style and value, all for £8,345. Also a big winner this year is the Audi A3, winner of the Best Convertible and Best Small Luxury Car.

Carbuyer Best Cars 2015

Best small luxury car: Audi A3

Best hot hatch: Ford Focus ST

Best seven-seater: Citroen Grand C4 Picasso

Best used car: Kia Cee’d

Best economical car: Citroen C4 Cactus

Most reliable car: Honda Jazz

Best hybrid or electric vehicle: BMW i3

Best car that’s cheap to insure: Hyundai i10

Safest car: Volvo V40

Best diesel car: BMW 3 Series

Best convertible: Audi A3 Cabriolet

Best city car: Hyundai i10

Best car for under £150 a month: Nissan Note

Best winter car: Mazda CX-5

Best estate car: Peugeot 308 SW

Best first car: Skoda Citigo

Best road tax exempt car: Skoda Octavia Estate

Best small car: Volkswagen Polo

Best family car: SEAT Leon

Best SUV and 4x4: Nissan Qashqai

Car of the year: Citroen C4 Cactus

IRELAND - Irish Car Of The Year nominations whittled down to 14, with our choice highlighted.

The shortlist of models for the 38^th annual Continental Irish Car of the Year 2015 has been announced by the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA).  Sponsored by Continental Tyres Ireland, the overall winner of the 2015 title will be announced at an awards ceremony in The Marker Hotel, on Friday 28^th November.

The shortlisted models are as follows (in alphabetical order):

1. Alfa Romeo 4C
2. BMW 2 Series
3. BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
4. Citroen C1
5. Citroen Cactus - The Motoring World Choice
6. Citroen Grand C4 Picasso
7. Hyundai i10
8. Mercedes-Benz C-Class
9. Mercedes-Benz GLA
10. Nissan Qashqai
11. Nissan X-Trail
12. Peugeot 308
13. Peugeot RCZ R
14. Toyota Aygo

From 39 eligible cars, selection of the shortlisted vehicles is based on votes from the 18 voting members of the IMWA, taking into account such factors as value for money, style, engineering and performance. 

Tom Dennigan of sponsor Continental Tyres Ireland said: “We’re delighted to see such a dynamic shortlist announcement today, one that features some of Ireland’s most recognisable car manufacturers - some of who have a number of models shortlisted which only goes to show their popularity in Ireland.”

Austin Shinnors, Chairman of the IMWA, said: “Once again this year’s shortlist does not fail to excite.  It’s going to be a very difficult decision making process for all our members - we look forward to honouring the overall winner on November 28^th.”

The winner of last year’s Continental Irish Car of the Year was the Citroen C4 Picasso.