Leading industry magazine online, the chauffeur is set to reveal its Chauffeur Car of the Year in September, it has been announced.
The prestigious line-up of chauffeur cars have been categorised into four separate sections according to price, with six different vehicles battling it out to be the best in the under £50,000 category, seven contenders in the £50,000 – £100,000 group, and just three in contention for the over £100,000 category, plus there are four cars being judged under the MPV section.
The award has been running since 2007 with Lexus, Jaguar and Bentley all triumphing in the past. The cars are put through a series of rigorous tests by a panel of expert judges as they seek to discover the best overall performer.
Each chauffeur car is taken on a 300-mile test drive so as to allow the judges the opportunity to thoroughly test each facet of the vehicle. The judges will assess the car’s performance, its comfort on long journeys, boot and luggage space, and running costs during their test drive.
More than half of the shortlisted vehicles have already undergone testing at the hands of the judging panel, with just a handful awaiting review before the winner can be revealed.
Cars being considered for The Chauffeur Car of the Year:
£50,000 and Under:
- Skoda Superb – Not Yet Tested
- Chrysler 300 – Not Yet Tested
- Mercedes-Benz E220 Cdi – Test Completed
- BMW 530d Gran Turismo – Test Completed
- BMW 530d Saloon – Test Completed
- Jaguar XF S – Test Completed
£50,000 to £100,000:
- Mercedes-Benz S350 CDi – Not Yet Tested
- Lexus LS600hL – Test Completed
- BMW 730Ld – Test Completed
- Volkswagen Phaeton – Pending
- Jaguar XJ – Not Yet Tested
- Audi A8 3.0 L – Not Yet Tested
- Porsche Panamera – Test Completed
£100,000 and Above:
- Rolls-Royce Ghost – Not Yet Tested
- Bentley Flying Spur – Test Completed
- Maybach 62 – Not Yet Tested
MPV Category:
- Volkswagen Caravelle – Test Completed
- Hyundai i800 – Pending
- Mercedes-Benz Viano – Not Yet Tested
- Chrysler Grand Voyager – Not Yet Tested
Judges:
- Paul Gibson
- Paul Rowlands
- John Wilce
- Andrew Thomson
