Citycar Award 2015 WINNER:

Fiat 500 0.9 TwinAir – CO2 90 g/km – NGC Rating 29 NGC Verdict: “Fiat has taken the popular and successful 500 and made it even better. Economy figures rival the best in its class and the characterful citycar offers a great blend of frugal fun and practicality.”

COMMENDED: Smart fortwo 1.0 – 93 g/km – NGC Rating 30

GKL Leasing comment: New 500 is an icon in the citycar market and with Mini now to big for this sector you would struggle to find a nicer thing to drive, we would also recommend Toyota Aygo as it is cheap to run, cheap to insure and cheap to repair while still getting great fuel economy in real tests and at only 95 gm/km CO2

 

Supermini Award 2015 WINNER:

Peugeot 208 1.6 BlueHDi – CO2 79 g/km – NGC Rating 27 NGC Verdict: “Peugeot’s stylish supermini towers above the sector with exceptional economy figures. Low running costs combine with a great town driving experience to make the new 208 a top small car pick.”

COMMENDED: Mazda 2 1.5 Skyactiv-D- 89 g/km – NGC Rating 30

GKL Leasing Comment: In this sector where the biggest growth of the market is taking place we also like the Yaris Hybrid for 75gms CO2 credentials and the lowest emissions of a non-plug in car, the looks and drivability of the Fiesta with the New Ford 1.0T Ecoboost engines.

 

Small Family Award 2015 WINNER:

Nissan Leaf 30kWh EV – CO2 0 g/km – NGC Rating 28 NGC Verdict: “The best-selling electric Leaf gets better still with a longer range and more kit. Now with fewer charges needed, the Leaf is an award-winning car in its own right, not just a winning EV.”

COMMENDED: Volkswagen Golf GTE – 39 g/km – NGC Rating 34

GKL Leasing Comment: Leaf has now hit the mainstream and with stability for this car in the market it does pave the way with others. Golf GTE is a massive favourite, so much so that we have one ourselves and its popularity due to leasing deals keeps putting the Passat version back from launch!

 

Large Family Award 2015 WINNER:

Volkswagen Passat GTE – CO2 39 g/km – NGC Rating TBC** NGC Verdict: “Volkswagen’s Passat is an excellent large family car that performs well in every area. Add to it the plug-in hybrid powertrain that effortlessly provides drive for all situations and the Passat GTE becomes a dominant model in the large family class.”

Skoda Superb 1.6 TDI Greenline – 95 g/km – NGC Rating 34

GKL Comment: As mentioned the winner of this category has been put back due to the popularity of the Golf GTE version. However it does give you a flavour of whats to come in a larger package as the drive train is that of the Golf. The Skoda Superb is a great choice and has some great leasing deals, with build and ride quality punching way above its price point. With far better looks this will be a big seller throughout 2016. Look out for the 150 Tdi with only a 9 g/km CO2 increase.

 

Estate Award 2015 WINNER:

BMW 3-Series Touring 320d ED Plus – CO2 104 g/km – NGC Rating 36 NGC Verdict: “The big-booted BMW 3-Series Touring models aim to be all the car you will ever need – frugal, fast, safe, comfortable and practical. In 320d ED Plus Auto guise it succeeds and offers an enjoyable car to drive every day.”

COMMENDED: Skoda Superb Estate 1.6 TDI Greenline – 96 g/km – NGC Rating 34

GKL Comment: 3 series has always been at the front of the premium market with the Efficient Dynamic versions again Superb in there for the reasons mentioned in one of the biggest estate cars around. Look out for the new A4 in 2016 in this segment and for something larger the A6 Ultra is very good. For straight business lease the Econetec Mondeo and New Passat are always good and both with 150ps sub 110 CO2 gm/km.

 

MPV Award 2015 WINNER:

Ford C-Max 1.5 TDCi – CO2 105 g/km – NGC Rating 36 NGC Verdict: “In the highly competitive MPV market, where value for money and space are the top considerations, Ford’s C-Max adds an element of fun to these attributes while still offering low running costs.”

COMMENDED: Volkswagen Touran 1.6 TDI – 111 g/km – NGC Rating 39

GKL Comment: A sector this year that’s gone a little quite with product as manufacturers have been launching large cars and family hatches, one that caught our eye though, was the lease rate on the new 150 power Citroen Grand C4 Picasso. Seven seat MPV with 150 ps and 105 gm/km CO2 makes it a good all round package.

 

Crossover Award 2015 WINNER:

Renault Kadjar 1.5 dCi – CO2 99 g/km – NGC Rating 34 NGC Verdict: “While it’s taken some time for a new King of the Crossovers to arrive, Renault’s all-new Kadjar easily takes the title. Efficient, comfortable, spacious and good value for money, the Kadjar raises the bar in the crossover segment.”

COMMENDED: Mazda CX-3 1.5 Skyactiv-D – 105 g/km – NGC Rating 35

GKL Comment: Kadjar has certainly hit the ground running, taking the Qashqai and giving it a boot is a great combo, building on success of Captur these cars are lifting the brand on their own. The face lifted and improved engine on the Ford Kuga has been popular for us with low leasing rates and a larger towing capacity. Slightly more premium feel, than some of the others, have made it more popular.

 

SUV Award 2015 WINNER:

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – CO2 42 g/km – NGC Rating 38* NGC Verdict: “The new and significantly improved Outlander PHEV builds on the considerable success of the outgoing model. While still cheap to run, now with a refined cabin and driving experience, the new model secures Mitsubishi as a key player in the PHEV market.”

COMMENDED: Volvo XC90 T8 TwinEngine – 49 g/km – NGC Rating 53*

GKL Comment: The Outlander is still at the moment out on its own especially with its value for money leasing and running costs. The new car has improved on the old one and is out there on its own. The XC90 twindrive is a great vehicle although pricing is still currently high for the brand although there is a suspicion that this may change as production catches up with demand and the new Audi Q7 Etron is launched. The Q7 will give it some serious competition. Shame that the X5 eDrive didn’t quite hit the mark at 2 and 3 gms/km CO2 over where it should be to qualify for the plug in grant, you can be sure that BMW should be redressing this!

 

Executive Award 2015 WINNER:

Jaguar XE 2.0d – CO2 99 g/km – NGC Rating 36 NGC Verdict: “A true Jaguar, the new XE beats its rivals for style, comfort and fuel-frugality. A great driving experience combines with advanced engines to offer a superb – and very British – executive car.”

COMMENDED: Mercedes Benz C-Class C350e – 48 g/km – NGC Rating 37

GKL Comment: The XE is a bit of game changer for lots of reasons, it’s the car to drag a brand out of the 1990’s, its all-aluminium engine block and chassis make for a light weight efficient car for this century and the looks are well……aggressively beautiful. Interestingly though, the C350e is actually the sign of things to come and unless Jaguar do something about it they are going to get swallowed up by Mercedes, BMW, VW plug ins in the business sector. Particularly as there are get great lease rates due to the plug in grant and the tax advantages for drivers, coupled with the promotion of cleaner air. This for the next few years, will be the sign of things to come.

 

Next Generation Award 2015 WINNER:

Tesla Model X EV – CO2 0 g/km – NGC Rating TBC** NGC Verdict: “As Tesla’s most advanced electric car yet, the Model X is smart in form and function. With its added space and falcon-wing doors, it has the potential to be even more popular than the Model S. Tesla continues to move from strength to strength.”

COMMENDED: BMW 330e PHEV – 49 g/km – NGC Rating TBC**

GKL Comment: Tesla have proved they can build a great car that ticks nearly all the boxes (aside pricing) so the Model X to go up against the likes of the big 4×4 market is exciting. This time round though, they are up against other plug in competition which they didn’t have with Model S. This will hopefully make pricing a little more reasonable. Although look out for the Model E due at the end on 2016. 3 series size and sub £40000 allegedly. The BMW 330e is orderable now and whilst you can claim the maximum plug in grant money on this car then the business lease rates are incredible. Order now for delivery March/ April at launch.

 

GKL overall comment:

Great awards again from Next Green Car across a whole spectrum of vehicles. It will be interesting to see how many
winners don’t have a plug next year as the manufacturers really turn things up over the next twelve months with lots and lots of plug in products. Next Green Car will always be first with news and details of these so keep checking nextgreencar.com and for business leasing on these new cars check gkluk.com and westwardleasing.com

Sam Young of GKL Westward Leasing