How does a car become ‘Car of the Year’ and why should you buy one?

Choosing a car can be a long, drawn out process that could take months before you finally make a decision on your next purchase. A lot of us will have preferences on brands and models that we may have either learnt to drive in or which friends or family members who have recommended to us. Likewise there are plenty of TV shows and magazines full of car reviews, filling us in on the pros and cons of each car.

One good indicator of a good car is the ‘Car of the Year’ award, an award given to a car that, based on a range of criteria, has been chosen as the best car of the year - typically a model that has been released that year. The award is voted for by motoring journalists so they have the buyer’s interests at heart in their judgements which are based on a number of factors such as:

Design
Obviously how the car looks, but also with modern technology helping improve the features of cars the design is really important these days.

Comfort
You ideally want a car that is comfortable, especially during long trips. A lot of cars now have new comfort perks such as heated seats and almost every adjustment can be made to the seats height, angle and support which all contribute to the comfort level of a car.

Safety
The safety rating of any new car is a vital statistic that drivers, especially parents, will be concerned about. Seatbelts and airbags as well as technological advancements like parking sensors and some models even alert you if you drift out of your lane on the motorway.

Economy
The cost of fuel and motoring in general is a hot topic these days and so you ideally want a car that can really go the distance between visits to the petrol station.

Handling and Performance
Obviously you want a car that performs well and doesn’t have any annoying characteristics such as poor acceleration or steering.

Price
Whilst the price of a great car is subjective, what the criteria that the Car of the Year organisation measure is how well placed a vehicle is, a car that is priced low enough to appeal to many different drivers is going to score well in this category.

Driver Satisfaction
Lastly and most importantly, is the satisfaction of the drive. Does the car drive well? Does it have any annoying features? Is the car prone to breaking down or parts breaking? These are all contributing factors to how satisfying the car is to drive.

If you’re looking at getting a new or used car then do your homework first. If you need car finance and have a less than perfect credit history then check out the bad credit car finance options available to help you to purchase your dream motor.