By Moses Akaigwe
The Land Rover Defender has won the overall Women’s World Car of the Year accolade for 2021.
To reach this result, the jurors – 50 female motoring experts from 38 countries and five continents – tested dozens of models and evaluated each of them. South Africa is represented by motoring journalist Charleen Clarke.
Nine vehicles reached the final, each of them winners in their respective categories, and all of them worthy candidates for the highest trophy. The finalists were:
Peugeot 208, Best Urban Car; Skoda Octavia, Best Family CR; Lexus LC 500 Cabrio, Best Luxury CR; Ferrari F8 Spider, Best Performance Car; Peugeot 2008, Best Urban SUV; Land Rover Defender, Best Medium SUV; Kia Sorento, Best Large SUV; Ford F-150, Best 4×4 & Pick-Up; and Honda e, Best EV.
After a vote in which different aspects such as safety, performance, comfort, technology and value for money were taken into account, the specialists have given the absolute victory to the Land Rover Defender.
Deciding on an overall winner was the most difficult part of the judging process because the finalists were the winners of each segment. “As such, they are all excellent vehicles,” explains Marta Garcia, Executive President of the Women’s World Car of the Year.
She furthermore explains that the Women’s World Car of the Year is the only jury in the world made up entirely of women motoring journalists. “This gives it enormous value because its decisions represent the liking and preferences of millions of women drivers around the globe. But cars have no gender and are not subject to stereotypes, so the winners of these awards are, quite simply, the best cars in the world. And this year’s top winner is the Land Rover Defender,” she says.
The voting was verified by Grant Thornton, from its office in Auckland (New Zealand). The firm has been certifying the results of the Women’s World Car of the Year since its inception in 2009. Paul Kane, a partner in the company, says it is always a hard-fought process.
Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are made available in the Nigerian market by Coscharis Motors.
