European Car of the Year A shortlist of seven cars is selected by a simple vote. For the final round of voting, each jury member has 25 points to distribute among the finalists. The points must be distributed to at least five cars, with no more than ten to any one car, and no joint top marks. The voting is open, and each jury member provides published justification for their vote distribution. Under these rules, the decisiveness of the victory has varied greatly. For example, in 1988, the Peugeot 405 won by 212 points, the biggest gap in the history of the "European Car of
Car of the Year Car of the Year Car of the Year (COTY) is a common abbreviation for numerous awards. The "Car of the Year" phrase is considered to have been introduced by "Motor Trend" magazine in 1949 when the new publication named Cadillac as Motor Trend Car of the Year. The magazine continues its COTY award and has also expanded to separate trophies for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Other publications and various organizations also have COTY recognitions. These may focus on regional markets, vehicle types, or market segments. An example is the "tow car of the year" in the UK