The all-electric Jaguar I-Pace has been judged to be Car of the Year for 2018 by readers of Professional Driver magazine. The I-Pace also won the Green Car of the Year category in the Awards, announced last night (November 22).
The Jaguar I-Pace is the “game changer” that could allow private hire and chauffeur operators to go all-electric, said Mark Bursa, editor of Professional Driver Magazine: “We’ve never had a car in such demand for test drives, and we’ve never had quite such a torrent of positive feedback as we had for our 2018 Professional Driver Car of the Year. As one judge commented: ‘This could be the game-changer we’ve been waiting for.’.”
“With a range of more than 250 miles on a single charge thanks to a 90kW lithium ion battery pack, and the ability to rapid charge from zero to 80% in 45 minutes, the I-Pace is a practical proposition for chauffeurs. The lack of a conventional engine gives I-Pace a short bonnet and a long cabin. This has maximised the cabin size, giving rear seat legroom and headroom comparable to an executive saloon, as well as providing a 656 litre boot that is capable of swallowing several suitcases.”
The Professional Driver Awards are among the most rigorous in the automotive industry. There are seven categories in total, and a two-day judging event is held in September. The Professional Driver Car of the Year is chosen from the seven category winners, and the awards are announced at the Professional Driver Awards dinner in November.
The Professional Driver Car of the Year category winners are as follows:
Chauffeur Car of the Year – Audi A8L 50 quattro
Executive Car of the Year – BMW 630d Gran Turismo
Green Car of the Year – Jaugar I-Pace EV400 Electric
MPV of the Year – Mercedes-Benz V220d Long
Luxury SUV of the Year – Audi Q8 50 quattro
Estate Car of the Year – Mazda 6 Tourer
Private Hire Car of the Year – Toyota Prius Excel
