What Car? Reader Award: vote for the most exciting new car of 2024
Our annual Reader Award goes to the upcoming model that people are most excited about, and this year's voting is now open...
The What Car? Reader Award, in association with MotorEasy, gives you the chance to vote for the new car you're most excited about seeing over the next year.
Voting is now open, and you can cast yours on our dedicated voting website – but you'll need to be quick, because the vote will close soon.
The shortlist of 14 models draws from a wide range of vehicle classes, including electric cars, SUVs and estate cars.
Previous winners of the Reader Award include the Range Rover in 2022, and the Kia EV9 electric SUV in 2023.
You can find out more about each eligible model by clicking on the links below. The overall winner will be announced as part of our annual Car of the Year Awards ceremony on 18 January 2024.
Voting for the Reader Award will close at 9am on Friday 8 December.
Cars in this list are presented alphabetically.
What Car? Reader Award 2024 contenders
Audi A6 Avant e-tron
If you want to move big loads but don’t fancy an SUV, then this fully electric estate car has been designed with you in mind. As well as a big boot, it features a big battery which will officially let you travel up to 435 miles between charges. And when you need to charge it up, a peak charging rate of 270kW means you could get around 180 miles in just 10 minutes. Drivers will be able to choose from a range of power outputs, with the sportiest versions reaching 62mph in less than four seconds.
BMW’s smallest coupé SUV will be available in both electric and petrol flavours. The former, badged as the iX2, offers up to 279 miles of range, while the latter gets up to 296bhp in range-topping M35i form. You can fit more into its boot than you can in rivals, while other family-friendly touches include the ability to record images from inside the car using an integrated camera, or use your phone as the key.
Read our full BMW X2/iX2 preview
Citroën e-C3
Welcome to what will be one of Britain’s cheapest electric cars. Indeed, with an expected price tag of around £22,500, the e-C3 will undercut rivals including the BYD Dolphin and MG4 by some margin. Despite this, the e-C3 aims to show that you can have more for less – the 44kWh battery delivers a range of up to 199 miles, while inside drivers will find digital dials. Plus, all versions come with rear parking sensors.
Read our full Citroën e-C3 preview
Ford Explorer
Facing rivals including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Jeep Avenger in what is becoming a crowded electric SUV market, the new Ford Explorer will be the first of two electric cars from the American brand to be built on Volkswagen underpinnings – in other words, underneath, the Explorer is likely to share a lot with today’s ID 4. Expect up to 355bhp from its two electric motors, and up to 311 miles of range.
Some new cars struggle to look significantly different to their predecessors, but that’s not a problem the new Santa Fe has. This seven-seat SUV bears the same retro-futuristic looks as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric SUV, and will be available in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms. We’ve already sat inside the new Santa Fe, and were impressed by its generous space.
Read our Hyundai Santa Fe preview
Kia EV3
In 2022, the Kia EV6 was crowned What Car? Car of the Year, and now the EV3 aims to take all that’s good about that model, and put it into a smaller package. With a price tag which should put the EV3 into competition with the BYD Dolphin and MG4, the EV3 will be offered in rear and four-wheel drive forms. The line-up will be crowned by a performance-oriented ‘GT’ model.
Read our full Kia EV3 preview
Mercedes CLE
The new CLE is effectively a Swiss Army knife, because it’s intended to do the job of four cars at once. It’s already impressed us in coupé form, where it replaces the older E-Class and S-Class coupés, and the Cabriolet will aim to repeat the trick when it arrives next year. Expect a glitzy interior, a folding soft-top roof and mild hybrid petrol engines at launch.
Read our full Mercedes CLE review
Mini Cooper
In today’s Mini, the Cooper name denotes a mere trim level, whereas for the new car, it’ll be promoted to the model’s actual name. As well as its new identity, the Mini Cooper receives a bold new look and the option of electric power from the outset. The aptly-named Mini Cooper Electric has a range of up to 250 miles, and a 10-80% top-up of its battery can take as little as 30 minutes.
If you’ve ever found it tricky to make up your mind at a restaurant, then the Peugeot 3008 could be for you – that’s because it’ll be available in petrol, plug-in hybrid and fully electric forms. The latter, named the e-3008, offers up to 435 miles of range – enough to take you from London to Manchester and back without stopping. Interior highlights include a curved 21in screen for instruments and infotainment.
Read our full Peugeot 3008/e-3008 preview
Polestar 4
As its name suggests, this swooping coupé-SUV will be the fourth model to join the Swedish firm’s ranks since it began operations in 2019. It will face rivals including the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron and Volkswagen ID 5. Available in single and dual-motor forms – and with the option of four-wheel drive – the 4 has an official range of up to 372 miles, and can sprint to 62mph in 7.4sec.
Read our full Polestar 4 preview
Porsche Macan EV
Porsche’s smallest SUV is going fully electric for its next generation, and while it shares its underpinnings with Audi’s Q6 e-tron, the Macan should remain a sporty choice. Technical details are still to be confirmed, but we’re expecting up to 603bhp in the range-topping Turbo model – enough to hit 62mph in 4.4sec. Elsewhere, some versions will be capable of up to 311 miles between charges.
Read our full Porsche Macan EV preview
Renault 5
If smiles-per-pound were a measure of value, the new Renault 5 could be a bargain. This electric hatchback aims to mix green credentials with agile handling, and while its 134bhp motor might not be the most powerful around, its low weight means the 5 should make it feel lively. It shouldn’t cost you much to buy, either, because Renault is targeting a price below that of today’s Zoe (£29,995).
Toyota aims to have six electric cars in its ‘bZ’ range before 2026, and the second of those will be the bZ3X. A small electric SUV of about the same size as the latest C-HR, the bZ3X uses the same motors and battery as the larger bZ4X – that means a range of up to 317 miles, and the option of both front and four-wheel drive. In concept form, the bZ3X featured an intelligent personal assistant whose voice-activated light followed you around the car.
Read our full Toyota bZ3X preview
Volkswagen Passat
The new Passat arrives in estate form only, and will challenge rivals including the Peugeot 508 SW and the closely related Skoda Superb Estate. It will be a practical choice, with a massive 690-litre boot and more space for your passengers than today’s car. It’ll be available with mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid power, with the latter version officially able to travel for up to 62 miles without using any fuel.
Read our full Volkswagen Passat preview
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