The Scenic emerged as winner of the title from a final list of seven cars. The others were the new BMW 5 Series, the BYD Seal, the Kia EV9, the Peugeot E-3008 and 3008, the Toyota CH-R and the Volvo EX 30.
The Scenic E-Tech will be launched in Ireland shortly with an entry level price of below €40,000. All versions will have an 87 kWh battery and both these factors will give the car an advantage in the current market. The car's sharp SUV styling also gives it further appeal.
Renault is claiming an official range of up to 620 kilometres but this capacity appears to relate to the longer range version, which will likely be more expensive than the entry level version. Also, range claims relate to ideal driving conditions rather than real-world ones, but we’ll see.
Renault says it has focused on interior space, comfort and "tech-enhanced driving pleasure". There’s a 12.3" driver display and a 12" infotainment screen, which is powered by Google. Similar set-up’s we’ve seen in other current Renault models have been impressive and responsive.
In some versions, up to 90% of materials are re-cycled. There’s a pretty generous boot capacity of 545 litres and there's also a heat pump fitted as standard, which will help with driving range during colder weather. Other features include adaptive cruise control and a panoramic roof, although this will come at an additional cost.
The European Car of the Year announcement was made to coincide with the Geneva Motor Show.
