The Dacia Jogger was named the first winner of the first AA Ireland Car Awards. The awards were voted on through a panel of automotive journalists and broadcasters.
The Jogger faced a tough Kia EV6 and BMW i4 festival for the most sensible award of the day, but was praised for its affordability and practicality, many also noting the controversy over its protection rating. Euro NCAP, the independent expert crash protection organization, was criticized in April for awarding the Jogger just one star.
Commenting on the awards, Paddy Comyn, Head of Communications at AA Ireland, said: “The AA Ireland Car Awards aim to provide consumers with the most productive assistance imaginable to opt for a new car by 2023.
“The Dacia Jogger came in first place, with a comment from a jury member: The Jogger may not be electric, but in every way, it is the car of the moment. Spacious, practical, affordable and frugal – this is the car we all drive. “
While this very sensible award was limited to new cars presented on the Irish market between October 2021 and October 2022, there were other category winners that were evaluated among all the new cars on sale recently. In the individual categories, Skoda won the jackpot, winning 4 awards. The Skoda Fabia was named the most productive supermini, the Superb won the most successful family car, while the Kodiaq won the most successful crossover.
The Skoda Enyaq won the category of Best Family Electric Car, one of 3 specific awards for electric cars sponsored through Ohme Chargers. The other electric winners were the MG 5, which won the prize for price for money, while the Mercedes-Benz EQS won the trophy for luxury electric vehicle.
Other winners included the Fiat five00e, which was judged the most productive city car; the Peugeot 308 that named it the most productive family sedan; the Toyota Yaris Cross won Best Small Crossover; the Kia Sportage won the most productive midsize crossover; the BMW M3 won the most productive functionality car; the Mercedes-Benz C-Class won the award for Best Compact Executive; while the BMW Five Series won the Best Great Leader award.