Europe's COTY Shortlist Is An EV Clean Sweep, But China Can Only Watch
While this won't be the first time an EV will win Europe's COTY award, it is the first time the finalists are all electric
Electric cars now account for one in three sales in Europe, but if you only looked at the shortlist announced this week for the continent's Car of the Year 2027 award, you'd be forgiven for thinking combustion power's flame had been completely snuffed out. All seven of the shortlisted cars are electric — not electrified, with mild-hybrid, full hybrid, or plug-in hybrid powertrains, but pure EVs.
Electric cars have won outright several times since the first COTY award was handed out to the Rover 2000 in 1964. Nissan's Leaf was the first, in 2011, the Jaguar I-Pace came top in 2019, and the Mercedes CLA (available in both electric and hybrid form) scooped the 2026 prize. But this is the first time that EVs have taken over the entire seven-car shortlist, which 65 judges from 25 European countries arrived at after whittling down a bigger list of 38 contenders.
So which EVs made the cut? The Neue Klasse BMW iX3, Cupra Raval, Hyundai Ioniq 3, Kia EV2, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen ID Polo, and Volvo EX60 all made it through. They beat out cars like the Renault Clio, Mercedes GLC, Polestar 5, Honda Prelude, Toyota RAV4 and Audi A2 e-tron to get there. Two particularly notable omissions are the Volkswagen T-Roc, if only because the old one was frequently top of Europe's sales charts, and the Skoda Epiq, a close cousin of the ID Polo. The judges will put the seven finalists through their paces at the Stellantis Balocco test track near Milan in November, and we'll find out the winner at the Brussels Motor Show on January 8.
What happened to all the Chinese cars?
The fact that Chinese cars don't appear anywhere on the shortlist is potentially even more notable than the way EVs dominate it. The China-free element wouldn't be a surprise if we were talking about the NACTOY (North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year) competition, because Chinese cars aren't sold in the U.S. But sales of Chinese cars are going well in Europe, accounting for one in every 10 cars sold.
Chinese EVs and hybrids did appear on the initial list of 38 cars, though. There were eight of them, including the BYD Dolphin G subcompact, sporty Denza Z9GT sedan, and the B05 and B03X from Stellantis's joint venture with Leapmotor. MG had three cars in the running, the IM5, MG4 Urban and MGS6. None of them made it through.
But if we're splitting hairs, you could argue that one Chinese car did wriggle on to the shortlist. While there are no cars from Chinese brands in the final seven, Volvo's EX60 has some very solid links to China. Volvo is owned by China's Geely, although the SUVs roll out of the brand's Torslanda, Sweden, plant.
Who's going to win? Premium and luxury cars have won on occasion, like the Porsche 928 in 1978, but historically the European judges have been drawn to more affordable models. VW's ID Polo and its Cupra Raval spinoff will have to be strong contenders if that trend continues. Don't be surprised if Renault's even cheaper Twingo comes home in top spot, just like the bigger Renault Scenic and 4 EVs did in 2024 and 2025.
