Each year around this time the International Car of the Year is selected in the days before the annual Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS), and this year the honour has gone to the Renault Scenic E-Tech electric.

The jury selected the winner from seven models that had made it to the round of finalists in the first voting last November. With the trophy for The Car of the Year, the Renault Scenic E-Tech Electric wins the most prestigious and coveted award in the automotive world, presented since 1964. Each jury member awards 25 points across the seven shortlisted finalists, chosen from a list of new models to arrive on market this year.

The full list of qualifiers which were in the running for the ultimate award this year were the BMW 5-series, BYD Seal, Kia EV9, Peugeot E-3008/3008, Renault Scenic, Toyota C-HR, and Volvo EX30. The trophy winner was chosen by a jury of 59 motoring journalists from 22 countries.

The final short-listed seven were whittled down from a total of 29 new vehicles as part of an initial voting round. The title was a shoot-out between the Renault Scenic, and the BMW 5 Series, which finished in second, with those two well clear odf the Peugeot 3008 that finsihed third in the voting.

In the final round of voting the Scenic came in first place with 329 points, thus becoming the seventh Renault vehicle to be donned with the prestigious title ‘The Car of the Year’, following the Renault 16 (1966), Renault 9 (1982), Clio (1991), Scenic (1997), Megane (2003), and Clio (2006).

“Winning the prestigious ‘The Car of the Year’ award is a great source of pride for everyone at Renault Group and the Renault brand,” said Fabrice Cambolive, CEO of Renault.

“This recognition demonstrates that we have made the right choices: record-breaking range, generous and inviting roominess, all with a closely managed environmental footprint! When you add in the driving pleasure and ‘voiture à vivre’ equipment such as the new Solarbay panoramic sunroof or the latest generation OpenR Link system with integrated Google systems, Scenic has all the right features to shore up its position on the European EV market.”

Here in Ireland the entry-level price for Scenic E-Tech electric sits under €40,000, with access to government subsidies in countries where incentive schemes are in place. Orders are already open, and the first vehicles will arrive in the Renault network very soon.

There are two different battery packs to choose from, the entry-level 60kWh unit promises a 420km range, while the bigger 87kWh battery promises a rather impressive 620km range.

Windsor Galway on the Monivea Road in Galway City is the Renault dealership in Galway. Contact (091) 732300 for more details.

Pictured: The Renault Scenic, which has been voted as the 2024 European Car of the Year.