The 2016 Opel/Vauxhall Astra has been named the 2016 European Car of the Year.
The new Astra beat out six other finalists to claim the top prize, including the Audi A4, BMW 7-Series, Jaguar XE, Mazda MX-5, Volvo XC90 and the Skoda Superb. The Astra narrowly beat out the runner up XC90, scoring 309 points compared to the Volvo’s 294 points.
In the UK, the Astra is sold as a Vauxhall model.
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In order to be eligible for the award, a vehicle must be on sale now or before the end of 2016 in at least five or more European markets. A number of vehicles, including the Tesla Model X, Toyota Mirai, Ford Mustang and Land Rover Discovery Sport were cut based on this rule.
To choose the car, 58 automotive journalists from 22 different European countries vote on their favorites, with each journalist getting 25 points to allocate to their favorite cars.
In 2015, the Volkswagen Passat was named the European car of the year.
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