The national car of the year has reverted to fossil fuelled favouritism with the Mercedes E-Class being the 2024 pick.

SHUNNED by many motor vehicle buyers last year, electric cars have now also been cold-shouldered by many judges for a top annual national motoring gong.

Announcement tonight of the Mercedes E-Class sedan as holder of the 2024 New Zealand Car of the Year, determined by motoring journalists and commentators nationally, might come as a surprise and potentially controversial turn.

Premium cars are not strangers to the award from the national body for many motoring writers and commentators and this a second time around for an E-Class, a previous generation took the prize in 2016. That was also the last occasion a sedan succeeded.

The Guild soon after entered an electric era; for the past five years candidates fuelled by fossil fuels have failed to break through. That battery-pure run included the previous Benz to win. The EQC secured the 2020 title.

Electric preference by the Guild had started the year prior, with the Jaguar i-Pace. After EQC, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, BYD Atto3 and MG4 consecutively won.

Though it does have electric assistance, from a 48 volt system, the new E-Class is a petrol car, with a 2.0-litre petrol doing the work except at start off.

It arrived last year in a single E300 sedan format as an adjunct to the EQE, a fully electric sister choice, based on a different platform that came on sale earlier.

Statistical potential for a internal combustion-involved choice taking the annual award this time strengthened with ICE involvement figuring in six out of 10 candidates.

Aside from the E-Class, others in that category were the MG3, Toyota CH-R, Hyundai Santa Fe, Suzuki Swift and Honda CR-V.

The electric camp was represented by the Polestar 4, Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X - which were considered as one vehicle as they are twinned types - Volvo EX30 and this writer’s preference for the title, the Kia EV9.

This writer’s view about the E-Class was expressed in a road test, here.

In shared comment, the Guild noted the E-Class has just received a high safety credential.

It was awarded the “Best Performer” in 2024 by the European NCAP safety assessors, as the safest car subject to the rigorous NCAP crash test and safety assessment regime last year.

“World-leading safety credentials are but one of many features that helped the new E-Class stand out from very talented rivals for our 2024 Car of the Year crown,” says Guild president Robert Barry.

“In an era when many new cars feature blunt, assertive styling, the E-Class is sleekly styled to achieve … aerodynamic efficiency. This and its mild-hybrid powertrain optimise fuel efficiency, but not at the expense of performance, which is more than adequate to fill its brief as an effortless long-distance tourer.

“Add in outstanding refinement, a sumptuous interior, and the latest in AI-enabled driver support systems, and the E-Class is, above all else, a great all-rounder.”

NZ COTY dates back to 1989. Aside for a double hit by E-Class, and EQC’s success, the award has gone to one other Mercedes Benz, the C-Class sedan in 2000.

Mercedes Benz New Zealand general manager Joerg Schmidt - at left in today’s image, also showing Barry - said his make was honoured to receive the award, named in remembrance of a high-profile motoring writer, Peter Greenslade, and announced live on light entertainment show Seven Sharp by presenters Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells.

“This accolade is a testament to Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to delivering unparalleled design, cutting-edge technology and award-winning safety,” Schmidt said.

“We appreciate the Guild’s recognition for everything the new E-Class offers.”

Judges tested the vehicles in their home environments across the country, a criteria to ensure a ‘real-world’ result.

The Guild requires voting to consider how a vehicle performs its intended role, its styling, interior design, and accommodation, fit, finish, and quality, ride and refinement, performance, road-holding and handling, value for money, active and passive safety, and environmental responsibility.

All cars under consideration were 2024 releases with exception of CR-V, which landed in 2023, but too late for evaluation that year. The judging process allows for cars with that status to carry over for consideration the next year.

Announcement of the national COTY might well set the record straight about a BYD.

The Chinese make’s national distributor has been virally citing its Sealion 6 as ‘NZ Car of the Year’ on strength that it won a similarly-named title delivered late last year by media group NZME in conjunction with the NZ Automobile Association.

The full name of that lesser award is AA Driven NZ Car of the Year.