WHAT CAR AWARDS - The best family car under £18,000 goes to the multi award winning Astra.

After an extremely successful first year on the market, 2017 has started strongly for the Vauxhall Astra, which has again been recognised in the Family Car category at the WhatCar? Car of the Year Awards. The latest win in the hotly-contested category helps to solidify the new Astra as one of the top models on the market.

The award-winning Astra picked up the award in the highly-competitive Best Family Car for less than £18,000 category. Honoured for the second year running, the Astra was commended for its running costs, value-for-money and infotainment. 

With strong competition in this category, the Astra has proven itself to be the best car for not only family duties, but the daily commute and business use too.

“This is arguably the toughest class of all,” said Steve Huntingford, WhatCar? Editor. “Competition is so fierce that even a single weakness is usually enough to rule a car out of the running. This is the second year running that the Astra has claimed this price point and this year we’re recommending a new 109bhp 1.6-litre diesel. For a modest premium over the entry-level petrol, you’ll be getting one of the best performers yet in our real-world True MPG tests.”

“The Astra isn’t just about incredible value-for-money, though; it’s one of the best cars in the class on merit. It’s good to drive, smart inside and more practical than many of its peers, with lots of rear knee room and a whopping boot. We rate it as the best family car you can buy today, thanks to its blend of modern technology, excellent value for money and superb overall ownership experience.”

“The Astra is the best family car on the market and we are delighted to receive this recognition from What Car?” said Rory Harvey, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director. “Last year was quite a year for the Astra; it won a host of top awards as well as topping its segment in the fourth quarter and the second half of the year.”

Rounding off last year in style, Vauxhall’s multi award-winning Astra celebrated a sales hat-trick by being number one in its segment in each of the last three months of 2016. According to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the Astra cruised to victory with 15,948 sold in the fourth quarter and a total of 32,313 sold between July and December 2016, making it the best-selling car in its segment in the second half of the year, too.

This sales momentum capped a superb year for Vauxhall’s family hatchback, having built up an impressive list of accolades including 2016 European Car of Year, a game-changer award from Autocar and category wins at the Auto Express, What Car? and Fleet News awards

Vauxhall’s all-new Astra has been recognised as the Best Family Car at the Carbuyer Best Cars 2017 Awards.

Vauxhall’s all-new Astra has been recognised as the Best Family Car at the Carbuyer Best Cars 2017 Awards. This latest win adds to what has been an outstanding year of awards for the all-new Astra, securing its position as one of the top new models on the market.

The multi award-winning Astra picked up the accolade in the Best Family Car category, and was commended for its design, value for money and build quality. 

The Carbuyer Best Cars Awards are focused on what matters to buyers, honouring the winners with the title of best in their respective classes.

Winning models are recognised as meeting, or surpassing, the standards that Carbuyer has identified across key buying factors such as style, space and running costs.

This latest win follows on from a trio of Carbuyer Car Tech Awards for Vauxhall, who picked up the titles of Tech Car of the Year and Best Self-Parking System for the new Astra, as well as Best Safety Innovation for Vauxhall OnStar. 

“The latest Vauxhall Astra has been on sale since late 2015, and it’s fair to say it’s the best family hatchback the company has ever made. The Astra is better built, more aesthetically pleasing and more economical than any of its predecessors,” commented Stuart Milne, Editor of Carbuyer. “We rate it as the best family car you can buy today, thanks to its blend of modern technology, excellent value for money and superb overall ownership experience.”

Stuart Harris, Vauxhall’s Head of Carline Brand, said: “This award adds to what has been an extremely successful year for the new Astra. It has proven itself in many categories and now has been singled out as one of the best family cars available on the market.”

“The Astra is a strong contender in every aspect. The latest technology, thanks to OnStar, offers excellent levels of connectivity and safety, while the latest design offers a great look without compromising on space for the family.”

The all-new Astra has built up an impressive list of accolades throughout 2016, including being named a Game-Changer by Autocar and picking up European Car of Year. It has also secured category wins in the Auto Express, WhatCar? and Fleet News Awards.

SCOTTISH COTY - Renault takes two awards with the Megane and Kadjar both taking home awards.

• Scottish Car of the Year awards success for Renault’s new family car models
• All-New Renault Mégane wins Best Family Car
• Renault Kadjar wins Best Crossover

The All-New Renault Mégane and Kadjar have won Best Family Car and Best Crossover respectively at the Scottish Car of the Year awards, meaning consumers now have an even greater choice when it comes to award winners in the Renault range.

The All-New Renault Mégane, launched in the UK this summer, won Best Family Car and was praised in particular for its style, safety and high quality.

The stylish Kadjar crossover scooped Best Crossover having caught the eye of the judges thanks to its space, style and value for money.

Stephen Park, President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, said: “An array of impressive new models has returned Renault to a position of strength in Scotland. The striking new Mégane follows on from the Clio, Captur and Kadjar to give Renault a desirable and relevant model line-up that’s appealing to buyers north of the border.”

Commenting on the Kadjar, Park added: “Competition in the crossover segment was fierce but Renault’s Kadjar performs strongly across so many areas. It’s visually distinctive, well equipped across the range and the perfect size to cope with the demands typically placed on a car in this category. Of course, Scottish new car buyers always keen a keen eye on pricing and the Kadjar offers more for your money than many of the alternatives.”

Paul Flanagan, Managing Director, Groupe Renault UK said: “2016 has been an extremely busy year for Renault’s family car offering: we’ve seen the first full year of sales for Kadjar, the UK launch of All-New Mégane and the unveil of All-New Scénic and Grand Scénic. Renault now offers the youngest model range in Europe and I’m delighted to see our latest family cars being recognised by the Scottish Group of Motoring Writers twice in one night.”

The distinctively styled All-New Mégane – more dynamic, more comfortable and more refined than its predecessor – offers unique technology with an 8.7-inch portrait central touchscreen, configurable 7-inch TFT instrument display, Active Emergency Braking and convenience driver systems such as Handsfree Parking and Adaptive Cruise Control. CO₂ emissions are as low as 96g/km with economy as high as 76.4mpg, and from Spring 2017 a Hybrid Assist version will be available with emissions of just 92g/km of CO₂. The All-New Renault Mégane range is available from £16,600 on-the-road.

The Renault Kadjar is proving popular with British drivers, having topped the tables in the Auto Express Driver Power Survey as Best SUV earlier this year, coming third overall out of 183 models. The Kadjar has also strengthened Renault’s presence in the crossover market – building on the success of its compact crossover sibling, Captur. Its combination of striking design, efficient powertrains, spacious interior, high levels of standard specification, best-in-class residual values and a five-star Euro NCAP rating have proved a hit with British car buyers. The Renault Kadjar is available from £18,495 on-the-road.

TELEGRAPH AWARDS - The Skoda Superb takes yet another award as it's tally increases, what seems like weekly.

• Superb named Best Family Car in the 2016 Telegraph Car Awards
• Judges praise the Superb’s refinement, safety equipment and practicality
• 11 key industry awards for Superb in first seven months on sale

The ŠKODA Superb has increased its remarkable tally of industry accolades by adding The Telegraph’s ‘Best Family Car 2016’ title to its collection. The Superb was named as a clear winner in the 2016 Telegraph Car Awards – seeing off some of the stiffest competition in the sector.

The Awards were judged by The Telegraph’s panel of road test experts with the findings based on a wide variety of factors including road tests, first drives and extended ownership assessments. The Superb was praised for its driving dynamics and high levels of equipment, with the panel highlighting its generous levels of interior space.

Commenting on the award, The Telegraph’s judges said: “You don’t even need to upgrade to the estate model to get huge practicality from ŠKODA’s Superb. Throw in a smooth ride, great safety credentials and low running costs and you’ve got a fantastic family car.”

This latest title comes in the same week that Auto Express named the Superb Best Family Car and Best Estate car as part of its 2016 New Car Awards. Since its launch last September, the third-generation Superb has won 11 industry awards in the UK – making it one of the most decorated cars in ŠKODA’s history.

The Superb range starts from £19,060 for the hatch version and £20,260 for the estate. Available with five trim grades, including the all-new SportLine variant - power outputs range from 120PS to 280PS, while transmission options include DSG automatic gearboxes and four-wheel drive.

UKCOTY - Skoda celebrates as the Superb Hatch and Estate both wins awards, well done to Skoda.

• Superb secures two prestigious UK Car of the Year 2016 titles
• Superb Estate named Best Estate – Superb Hatch named Best Family Car
• 27-strong jury commended pair’s blend of practicality, comfort, cost and quality
• Now in its third year, UKCOTY awards highlight best cars for UK consumers 

Another week, another brace of industry accolades for the all-new ŠKODA Superb. Continuing their rich run of award successes, the Superb Hatch and Estate have been named as the best in the business in the 2016 UK Car of the Year Awards (UKCOTY).

The Superb Hatch triumphed in the Best Family Car category – widely regarded as one of the most competitive sectors of the new car market. Selected as a clear winner by UKCOTY’s 27-strong judging panel, the Superb Hatch was praised for its exceptional comfort and high quality.

Tim Pollard, UKCOTY juror said: “Can you think of a family car delivering more space, equipment – and gloss – per pound? I can’t…”

His views were echoed by other members of the jury, with Chris Russon commenting; “The Superb Hatch has incredible quality and all-round performance, at a price that makes others wince.” Fellow juror Al Suttie added further praise, saying; “ŠKODA offers more space, comfort and quality than anyone else at this price. The Superb is best family hatch there is.”

Further proving the Superb’s strength in depth, the Estate version also took honours – loading up with the Best Estate Car title. As with the hatch, the judging panel were bowled over by the Superb Estate’s quality, comfort and practicality.

Jury member Paul Hudson felt the new Superb was; “even better than its peerless predecessor for a combination of space, quality and low running costs.”

Tim Pollard agreed, adding; “It adds amazing volume to the Superb’s already excellent qualities. There is no finer load-lugger for the money,” while Matt Joy added; “Nothing you do could ever require a car more spacious than this.”

These latest UK Car of the Year titles add to the new Superb’s impressive haul of industry and press awards. Since its UK market launch in September 2015, ŠKODA’s flagship model has been a regular on the top step of the podium, taking home five key industry titles - including What Car? Estate Car of the Year and The Sunday Times Estate Car of the Year.

Available across the ŠKODA retailer network, prices for the ŠKODA Superb Hatch start at £18,640 while the Superb Estate is priced from £19,840.

The All-New Hyundai Tucson wins the Recombu Award for Best Family Car 2015.

• All-New Tucson claims prestigious title at Recombu award ceremony
• Hyundai Motor’s newest SUV praised for his style, practicality and value-for-money
• Tucson voted for by panel of experienced journalists

The All-New Hyundai Tucson has been named ‘Best Family Car 2015’ by top technology reviews website, Recombu.

Hyundai Motor’s newest SUV, which replaced the outgoing ix35 in August, was recognised by a panel of journalists for its stylish design and outstanding level of standard equipment. Additionally, Tucson was applauded for its ability to stand out from the crowd without compromising on practicality.

Rory Reid, Editor-in-Chief at Recombu Cars, commented: “The new Hyundai Tucson has successfully taken the fight to its more established rivals in the small SUV segment. It brings with it the most stylish looks in the segment, excellent build quality, a comfortable, family-friendly cabin, vast amounts of interior space, modern safety kit and efficient engines. 

The Tucson represents the pinnacle of what's possible in a modern crossover–and that's no mean feat in a sector full of excellent alternatives.”

Tony Whitehorn, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor UK, added: “Since we launched All-New Tucson back in August, this fantastic new car has continued to go from strength to strength. We’re already seeing how popular Tucson is with our customers, but this award win really confirms that it is a firm favourite among industry experts, too.”

The Recombu Awards is an annual event where journalists and readers vote for their favourite new products from a range of categories including new gadgets, technologies and cars.

UK COTY - BEST FAMILY CAR - Mondeo takes title just months after launch.

Within two months of launch, the all-new Ford Mondeo is “Best Family Car” according to UK Car of the Year judges. More than 11,000 new Mondeos have already been ordered by UK customers from a broad range spanning Ford’s acclaimed turbo-charged 1.0-litre EcoBoost 125PS engine, high-power 210PS bi-turbo 2.0-litre TDCi diesel and 187PS petrol-electric hybrid.

The UK Car of the Year honours are decided by a panel of experienced British motoring journalists, including contributors to national newspapers, consumer and industry magazines, websites and TV.

John Challen, head of the UK Car of the Year Awards which started last year, declared:  “One of the most eagerly-awaited cars of the year does not disappoint. Great levels of equipment and technology, a sensible cockpit layout, and – as is the case with almost every Ford – a joy to drive.”

Most popular of the all-new Mondeo’s advanced technologies have been Active Park Assist for both automated parallel and perpendicular parking, and Dynamic LED headlights.  These adopt the optimum beam pattern for the road type and weather conditions.

Trinity Mirror Group’s Chris Russon said:  “New Mondeo is a class act – a genuine alternative to a BMW at last.”

BMW beater

As well as topping the “Best Family Car” list of the UK Car of the Year Awards, influential weekly magazine Autocar also reported the new Mondeo’s superiority over the BMW 3-Series.

Featuring a five-car Autocar group test versus key rivals, the magazine added a final comparison between the Ford Mondeo Titanium 2.0-litre TDCi 180PS PowerShift and a BMW 320d.

“(The Mondeo) rides better, handles better, grips harder, communicates better, is more refined and is quicker among urban speeds,” said Autocar.

The all-new Mondeo is priced from £19,995 and available in five-door, estate and four-door (hybrid only) bodystyles.

Mark Ovenden, Ford Britain chairman and managing director, said:  “As UK market leader, recognition by UK Car of the Year Awards is a cherished accolade, especially for the new Mondeo as one of the UK’s best-known models.  UK dealers are enjoying huge interest in new Mondeo and fellow 2015 newcomers into our showrooms in the run-up to the new ‘15’ plate.”

WHAT CAR AWARDS - Skoda takes Car Of The Year for the Fabia & Best Family car for the Octavia.

• New ŠKODA Fabia wins ‘Best Small Car’ category and overall prize
• ŠKODA Octavia wins ‘Best Family Car’ award
• Award presented at glittering ceremony in London’s Grosvenor House hotel
• New Fabia now available in ŠKODA retailers nationwide
• Prices start from £10,600 RRP OTR

The new ŠKODA Fabia has won the prestigious What Car? Car of the Year 2015 award, at a glittering ceremony in London, having also been named ‘Best Small Car’, while the ŠKODA Octavia has been named ‘Best Family Car’. It’s the second time that ŠKODA’s popular small car has won the top prize – the first generation Fabia won the award back in 2000.

The new ŠKODA Fabia – which was revealed to the public at the Paris Motor Show last October, and is in UK showrooms now – is the third-generation of ŠKODA’s popular small car. Since the first-generation Fabia went on sale in 2000, some 250,000 have found homes with British buyers, and 3.5 million have been sold worldwide.

Available in five-door hatch and (from March) estate forms, the new Fabia introduces innovative safety, comfort and infotainment systems to the segment. It features an expressive, dynamic design with smooth proportions, crystalline shapes and clear-cut lines. The new Fabia is also more spacious, stronger and more efficient than its predecessor, thanks both to significant weight-saving and the introduction of cleaner EU6-compliant engines that help to make it up to 17 per cent more efficient.

The award was collected by ŠKODA CEO Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland, who said: ‘The new Škoda Fabia is, in every respect, simply more car and offers both innovative technology and emotionally-charged design. It is ideal for the modern, urban mobility of today. We are very confident that the new Fabia will write another chapter in the model’s success story, win over new customer groups and, as an important pillar of our growth strategy, further strengthen the brand.’

What Car? editor Jim Holder said: ‘The Fabia wins not only because it’s a superb small car that’s practical, well equipped and cheap to run, but also because of the rivals it has managed to dispose of in the process.

‘When you consider the strength of the competition the new Fabia has had to beat to top its class, it simply has to win.’

Director of ŠKODA UK, Alasdair Stewart, said: ‘We are delighted to have been given these accolades by What Car?. UK customers trust What Car? when they are buying a new car, and winning the Car of the Year award is the perfect introduction for the new Fabia on the UK market.

‘We’re excited about the Fabia; it’s a key model for our retailers and also for our customers. This award sets us up perfectly for the year ahead. The new Fabia’s just the start of another exciting year for ŠKODA – the new Fabia Estate will be here in March, and the new Superb will be on the roads in September. The buying experience is also going to be better than ever, thanks to our retailers transforming their showrooms with a new look.’

The ŠKODA brand has demonstrated its strength with five years of record growth, culminating in sales of 76,027 cars in the UK last year (some 10,000 more than in 2013), and over one million cars worldwide in the same period.

The Best Euro car but Chinese, Is this the start of the Chinese revolution ?

• Qoros 3 Sedan ranked safest ‘Small Family’ car of 2013 by Euro NCAP
• Highest scorer in 2013 Euro NCAP programme in any class
• One of the best cars tested by Euro NCAP in its history
• First car developed in China to achieve five star rating

After achieving a maximum five-star rating in the Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) crash tests last September, the compact Qoros 3 Sedan has been confirmed by the safety organisation as the best ‘Small Family’ car of 2013.

The Qoros 3 Sedan is the first car developed in China to be awarded five stars by Euro NCAP. The first production car from Qoros, the new international car brand headquartered in China, scored highly in all four areas of the Euro NCAP tests and its overall score (88%) was the highest achieved by any vehicle tested during 2013 – placing it amongst the very safest cars ever tested by Euro NCAP.

Volker Steinwascher, Vice Chairman of Qoros, said: “The Euro NCAP result demonstrates the high level of design, engineering and production quality that we have achieved with the Qoros 3 Sedan. Reaching these very challenging world-class standards – not just in safety, but in every attribute of the car – was an objective from the very beginning and it is very satisfying to gain recognition for our endeavours.”

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General, commented: “The Qoros 3 Sedan has received the official 2013 best-in-class honour and is the best performer of all the Small Family cars subjected to Euro NCAP’s crash tests in 2013. We congratulate Qoros for having achieved the highest safety record with the Qoros 3 Sedan, which becomes the first car developed in China to achieve the highest five stars at Euro NCAP’s tough crash test programme.”

The Qoros 3 Sedan scored the best result for Adult Occupant protection (95%) in Euro NCAP’s 2013 programme. The passenger safety cell proved to be extremely robust in front-end, side impact and pole impact collisions – minimising exposure of passengers to collision forces by diverting impact loads along predefined paths to dissipate their effect.

Equipped in the rear with ISOFIX child seat anchorages with top tether hooks, and a front passenger airbag disconnect switch, the Qoros 3 Sedan also scored maximum points for Child Occupant protection (87%) in the front and side crash tests, while proving compatible with all the Euro NCAP approved child seats.

It also achieved an impressive result in Pedestrian protection (77%) thanks to a development programme that included meticulous work with Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE). Qoros’ expert safety team developed one of the best pedestrian protection systems ever assessed by Euro NCAP.

The comprehensive suite of standard ‘passive’ safety equipment (designed to keep occupants safe during an accident) fitted to the Qoros 3 Sedan includes front and side airbags, full length curtain airbags, three-point automatic seat belts on all seats and dual belt tensioners for front passengers. The front seat head restraints are designed to reduce whiplash injuries in a rear-end collision.

The latest Euro NCAP test criteria includes an assessment of a vehicle’s ‘active’ Safety Assistance Systems (those designed to help prevent accidents) and here, the Qoros 3 Sedan also recorded an excellent result (81%). Standard equipment includes: ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), BA (Brake Assist) and ESC (Electronic Stability Control), plus seat belt reminders for all occupants and a driver-set speed limiting device.

Euro NCAP is an independent consortium with eleven members made up of government representatives, automobile clubs and consumer protection organisations.  The transport ministries of Sweden, France, the UK, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Catalonia and Germany are involved, alongside the FIA, the German Automobile Club (ADAC), International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT) organisation, and the Thatcham Research Centre run by British motor insurers. It continually adapts its assessment protocols, challenging manufacturers to deliver ever safer vehicles. The 2013 assessment was the most challenging so far, with the Pedestrian protection procedures being even more comprehensive than 2012, along with tougher scoring criteria in the Safety Assistance Systems assessments.

The four Euro NCAP test criteria are given different weighting when calculating the vehicle’s overall score. Adult Occupant protection has a 50 per cent weighting, Child Occupant and Pedestrian protection categories each have a 20 per cent weighting, and Safety Assistance Systems has a 10 per cent weighting.