The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has been named Best Electric Car at the inaugural awards ceremony conducted by Move Electric, Autocar’s sibling publication.
Hyundai’s all-electric crossover scooped the award ahead of five other finalists, including the Porsche Taycan, BMW iX and Kia EV6. It won praise for its blend of dynamic performance, advanced technology, range and sharp styling.
The South Korean manufacturer was also named Best e-Business of the Year because of its efforts to advance electric mobility, which has resulted in the launch of several electric models into the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands.
Outside of cars, Hyundai has also invested in electric robots, autonomous vehicles and technology for electronic vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft.
Ashley Andrew, managing director at Hyundai UK, said: "At Hyundai, there is a very deliberate shift in our attitude from 'car company' to 'mobility company', as we seek to deliver on our overall brand vision to provide freedom of movement to everyone.
“We are heavily investing in mobility services, we're building close relationships with leading mobility service providers and – while it remains at our core – we're expanding our role beyond the automotive sector.”
Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz EQXX concept was awarded Best Use of Electricity, thanks to its impressive 620-mile real-world range and technology. The small Citroën Ami won the Innovation Award for offering a unique alternative to other methods of transport.
Tesla boss Elon Musk was awarded the first place in the Move Electric hall of fame, an honour given to those who have helped drive electrification. The award reflected Musk’s efforts to transform Tesla into a leading electric vehicle manufacturer.
The Move Electric E-Leader of the Year award went to Graeme Cooper, the National Grid’s head of future markets, because of his endeavour to prepare Britain’s energy network for the increased use of renewable energy to handle the rising number of electric cars.
Fully Charged, a growing e-bike specialist retailer, was named Best of British for its work in assisting UK consumers to move to electric power.
Other accolades included Best Electric Bike, handed to the Ribble Hybrid AL e, while the Super Soco TC Max was selected as Best Electric Motorbike.
E-Scooter and e-Bike rental firm Lime received the Breakthrough Award for its progress in safety technology development and the use of swappable batteries to boost sustainability.
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Are these the awards that not only didn't include Tesla (the model 3 still wins most of the group tests in competes in) but the cheapest car on the shortlist for best electric car was £35,000?
I know £35,000 is 'competitive' in terms of rip-off EV prices, but surely an electric car that is more affordable should've been included? The Vauxhall Corsa-e hardly gets a mention in mainstream car magazines (which tend to focus on Peugeot's sister car instead) yet can be had for almost reasonable prices, along with models from MG.
I don't care how good an EV claims to be, for me £35,000 (or considerably more for the rest of the cars on the awards shortlist) is too much money to pay for a family workhorse.
I've seen several I5s on the road and they look like inflated Maestros.
The EV6 looks absolutely stunning.
I've seen several I5s on the road and they look like inflated Maestros.
The EV6 looks absolutely stunning.