Renault Scenic Is Car of the Year In Europe 2024

The French family SUV Renault Scenic is Car of the Year in Europe 2024. CleanTechnica’s Maarten Vinkhuyzen covered the return of this icon in electric clothing back in September.

Now it has won the prestigious honor, and the Danish association of motorists released a press release on the victory:

“With the new eScenic, Renault is reclaiming its role as a leading manufacturer of electric cars,” says FDM’s automotive technical editor, who is also president of the jury behind Car of the Year.

The electric family car ended up at the top of the podium when the prestigious title was awarded on Monday morning in connection with the opening of the Geneva Motor Show. The traditional car exhibition, which for a number of years has provided an exhibition hall for the Car of the Year award, is back this year after being dormant since the pandemic in 2020 put an end to car exhibitions.

The BMW 5-Series, which in the electric version in November was named Car of the Year in Denmark 2024, came in second place.

This year is the 61st time that a jury of a total of 58 European car journalists from 22 countries has chosen Car of the Year. FDM’s automotive technical editor, Søren W. Rasmussen, is both president of the jury and at the same time the only Danish jury member. Although he had the BMW 5-Series at the top of his list, he is satisfied with this year’s winning car, which he himself had in second place.

“Renault Scenic is an extremely spacious and smooth-driving electric car that, with an excellent user interface, making it easy for consumers to switch to an electric car. The Scenic is very easy to drive, and with the option of choosing between two battery sizes, Renault has made the entry price affordable for more people, as the cheapest version of the Scenic costs DKK 310,000 DKK ($45,120),” says Søren W. Rasmussen.

For the title of Car of the Year 2024, going to an electric car was in the cards. 4 of the 7 finalists in the battle for the coveted title are electric cars, while 2 of the 3 remaining finalists are available either as pure electric or hybrid. The Toyota C-HR, which came in last place, is not available as a pure electric car, but only as a hybrid with or without charging option.

“With this year’s placement of the seven finalists, the speed of the green transition of passenger cars have picked up. Electric cars have now completely taken the lead, and it is only a matter of time before we see exclusively electric cars fighting for this the oldest and most coveted car title in the world,” says Søren W. Rasmussen.

This is how the votes were distributed:

1. Renault Scenic (BEV) 329 points including 22 1st places
2. BMW 5-series (BEV + Hybrid) 308 points including 19 1st places
3. Peugeot 3008 (BEV + Hybrid) 197 points including 3 1st places
4. Kia EV9 (BEV) 190 points including 7 1st places
5. Volvo EX30 (BEV) 168 points including 4 1st places
6. BYD Seal (BEV) 131 points including 1 1st place
7. Toyota C-HR (Hybrid) 127 points including 2 1st places