Unsurprisingly, the European Car of the Year is usually won by European brands, although quite a few Japanese brands have emerged victorious over the years and last year Korea’s Kia EV6 took the accolade.
However, the 2023 European Car of the Year has been won by an American brand, with the Jeep Avenger taking top honours.
In fairness, though, the Avenger is more Jean-Pierre Blanchard than Jesse James, as the vehicle was developed primarily for the European market and won’t even be sold across the pond in the US. Oh, and beneath the skin the Avenger is related to its Stellantis sibling the Peugeot 2008.
The Jeep Avenger enjoyed a decisive victory in the 2023 Euro COTY competition, amassing 328 points, and 21 “best” votes from the 57 jury members, who collectively represent 22 countries.
The Volkswagen ID.Buzz came second, with 241 votes and 16 “best” votes, and the Nissan Ariya electric crossover took third spot with 211 points.
It was followed by the Kia Niro (200 points), Renault Austral (163), Peugeot 408 (149) and the Subaru Solterra/Toyota bZ4X twins (133).
“The Jeep Avenger is a well-deserved winner of Car of the Year,” said Euro COTY Jury President Søren W. Rasmussen. “In a convincing way, it reflects the time the car world has entered, and it radiates with its design the great change that the well-known brand is facing.”
COTY vice president Alberto Sabbatini said the Avenger impresses as a perfect combination for most uses as it is compact and agile enough for city use, but with enough power and battery range for medium-range trips.
“Even though it’s just 4.08 metre long, there's plenty of room inside. It is a complete car, not a city car. But above all, it has a design that rocks," Sabbatini added.
Launched in Europe last October, the Jeep Avenger EV variant is powered by an electric motor that sends 115kW and 260Nm to the front wheels, and it’s fed by a 54kWh battery that allows a claimed (WLTP) range of around 400km.
Jeep also offers an internal combustion version of the Avenger, powered by a 74kW version of Stellantis’s 1.2-litre turbopetrol engine.
Tech-wise, the Jeep Avenger is available with Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality, thanks to its combination of Active Cruise Control, Lane Centering and Traffic Jam Assist, and the vehicle comes with a 10.25-inch Uconnect infotainment system as well as an identically sized digital instrument cluster.