Sometimes (incorrectly) known as the European Car of the Year award, every year, every car released during the previous year is judged, before a final shortlist of seven cars is drawn up.
Alongside Autocar, the other organisers are car publications from across Europe: Auto (Italy), Autopista (Spain), Autovisie (Netherlands), L'Automobile Magazine (France), Stern (Germany) and Vi Bilägare (Sweden).
2021's winner has just been announced: The latest Toyota Yaris. Will that car join the automotive greats? Or will it – like some of its predecessors – sink into obscurity after a brief moment in the sun? Let’s take a look at the past winners, and how they panned out:
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