World Car of the Year 2020 winners announced

The Kia Telluride has walked away with top honours at the World Car of the Year awards for 2020, beating the Mazda3 in second and the Mazda CX-30 in third.

The large SUV, which is popular in the United States but is not sold in the UK, scored particularly well with judges for its plush interior, value for money, and safety equipment.

Kia saw further success with the Soul EV storming to victory in the Urban Car category.

Thomas Schemera, executive vice-president at Kia, said: “These accolades are testament to the talents and efforts of a worldwide team, who all strive to create desirable, high-quality and practical cars that drivers love.”

Mazda made up for missing out on the top award with the 3, which picked up the Design of the Year gong, voted for by seven of the world’s leading design experts. It beat the all-electric Porsche Taycan by just two points, with the Peugeot 208 taking third place.

Akira Marumoto, president and CEO of Mazda, said: “We are truly honored to be able to receive the World Car Design of the Year award in this special year marking the 100th anniversary of Mazda’s foundation. We will continue providing our customers with unique products, designs, technologies and experiences.”

The Porsche Taycan went on to win in both the Performance Car and Luxury Car categories.

Oliver Blume, chairman of the executive board at Porsche, said: “The Taycan was designed with a clear purpose: To show that an electric car could provide the performance, driving pleasure and everyday comfort and usability that characterises every Porsche. We are very proud that the international jury of the World Car Awards believes that we have succeeded.”

The World Car of the Year contenders are selected and voted for by an international jury of 86 motoring journalists from 24 countries around the world.