For the 39th edition of the Family Car election by Flemish mobility club VAB, the participating journalists and VAB members could choose from two pricing categories. In the past, there was a third category for electric cars, but it has since been abolished as more affordable BEVs have entered the market.
This year, (partial) electrification is becoming popular. Both winners are hybrids. The B2C consumer or individual buyer still finds full-electric cars a little too expensive, or he still has other concerns, but he also resolutely chooses hybridization.
In the highest category, 95% of the contenders selected by the Belgian importers to participate were electrified. Even in the most affordable category, 70% of the participants were electrified.
Fiat Grande Panda
In the first category, with a purchasing price up to €26,000, the two juries voted for the Fiat Grande Panda, a mild-hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV). The professional jury appreciated the looks, the interior design, and the price setting; the voting families appreciated the playfulness, the high seating position, and the large luggage capacity most.
Runners-up were the Citroën C3 Aircross, also an MHEV, and third was the fully electric BYD Dolphin Surf. The Citroën was liked for its comfort and interior space; the Chinese bronze winner shows that electrification is gaining ground, but individual buyers are still a little shy about total electrification.
Dacia Bigster
The tendency in the second category, up to €41,500, was similar. Dacia has been a trusted guest in this election in recent years, with winners and podium finishes, but Renault’s low-cost brand is back on the top step again with its newest (and biggest) product, the Bigster. Most appreciated were the roominess and, of course, the value for money. The hybrid version of the car was considered in the contest.
Second place went to the also-hybrid MG HS (another Chinese), and third was again a fully electric car, the Renault R4 E-Tech Electric. Jurors were charmed by the MG’s luxuriousness at a fair price, and the R4 won hearts with its retro charm, cuteness, and very efficient electric drive.
The results show that individual buyers in the car market are also slowly but surely moving toward electric drive, provided it’s affordable and practically usable. Hybrid drives seem to be the perfect bridge to BEVs for ordinary families. Their time will come. VAB foresees a further evolution from those hybrids to full EVs in the next 5 to 10 years.
