2021’s World Car of the Year goes to the electric Volkswagen ID.4

• 

  The Volkswagen ID.4 has won 2021’s World Car of the Year award. [credit: Volkswagen ]

The real measure of success for Volkswagen’s embrace of electric vehicles (EV) post-dieselgate will be how many the company can sell each year. But on Tuesday, VW’s job might have gotten a little easier. That’s because the new ID.4 crossover just won this year’s World Car of the Year award, beating two other finalists, the adorable Honda E and the new Toyota Yaris. Fear not, E-fans: the diminutive electric hatchback won the World Urban Car category. Previous years’ winners have included the Kia Telluride and the Jaguar I-Pace.

I expected the Honda E to win World Car Design of the Year; as one of the 93 jurors around the world, I gave it high marks because just look at it. But more of my fellow jurors picked the chunky Land Rover Defender for that honor, and the Rover also beat the Mazda MX-30 in the process.

The World Luxury Car award went to the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, perhaps no surprise considering the other two finalists were the Defender and the Polestar 2. The Polestar is a fine EV with some very nifty tech, but it’s no match for the bombastic Benz.