24 cars, 59 judges: How the European Car of the Year is chosen

Autocar is a sponsor of the award, and yours truly represents the magazine on the jury.

This year, there were 22 cars from 14 different brands. In some ways, the event is like a motor show where you can actually drive the cars – models that are so new that the ‘big reveal’ covers could still be hiding in the boot.

Only the Honda ZR-V, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Lexus RZ had yet turned a wheel on UK roads, but even in the case of the Lexus, it was no ordinary RZ, because it featured the new yoke-type steering wheel that’s part of the steer-by-wire system coming to the UK next year. 

This takes some getting used to, and it’s ultimately hard to see much of a net gain as a driver – but technology innovations have to start somewhere. We will see.

I made a beeline first for the Nio ET5. Nio was one of two Chinese firms at the Tannistest, along with BYD, which brought its Seal saloon, and the ET5 is the first Nio model made exclusively for Europe.

It’s also the first Chinese car to appear with some genuinely appealing branding, and it appears devoid of any sense of naffness.

So it proved: dynamically it was excellent, as was its perceived quality.