My judgement is based on following grounds:

While at least four of the seven finalists would be worthy winners, I placed the Toyota iQ at the top of my list because while the others are expertly judged and executed examples of their genres, the iQ is alone in breaking new ground. It does so not simply in design terms, where its compact dimensions and clever seating arrangement represents the single greatest advance in car packaging since the 1997 Mercedes-Benz A-class, but also in its engineering, with innovations like its flat fuel tank, compact air-conditioning and front-mounted differential that should provide benefits not just for the iQ but generations of cars to come.

That said the Skoda Yeti is an outstandingly capable car and the most successful attempt yet to marry the everyday practicality of a normal compact family car with the rugged looks and image of an SUV. Best of all, little or nothing is lost in the driving experience, indeed on typically wet and bumpy British back roads, it was the most enjoyable of the seven to drive, and by a surprising margin.

The absence of large executive cars from the top three finalists in any of the last ten years shows how difficult it is for such cars to score well in a competition that rightly favours cars with the greatest relevance to their markets, but even so the Mercedes-Benz E-class deserves to be considered among the best cars of the year. In its understanding that it is ride, refinement, quality and ambience that matters most in such cars, it has recaptured the magic of the marque.

Volkswagen is also to be applauded for delivering its promise to make the Polo feel like a slightly smaller Golf. It is a car of unobtrusive, subtle talents that may not shine in the showroom but will prove invaluable in real life, a car that is good to drive but even better to live with.

Of the remaining three, each is a good example of its art though only the Citroen C3 Picasso has a strong claim to be the best car in its class. The 3008 is a substantial step forward for Peugeot and holds much promise for the future but while the Vauxhall Astra is superficially impressive, there are at least two other older cars in its category that remain more convincing.