Lease an award winner - here's our top five

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Awards are funny things. The film that wins the Oscar isn't necessarily the one you want to watch, or even the one that makes the most money at the box office.

In 2019, the best film award went to Green Book. It may be the best film ever made, but the entire world still chose to spend more than $800million to watch an Avengers film. All an award tells you is that the group of people deciding the award preferred that one.

It's a similar story with cars.

Each judge will have a particular favourite for a variety of sound and well-argued reasons. The end result is a category award winner that isn't necessarily the one you will end up driving, but it does give you a starting point. A starting point on your journey to a new car. So that's what we will do here, since there have been a variety of car awards recently from a variety of different publishers. So here's our top five for your consideration.

Skoda Superb

The Skoda Superb . It's just landed its sixth consecutive category win at the annual Fleet News Awards , retaining its Best upper medium car title. Yes, it's an award for fleet cars, but think about it for a minute. If you're pounding up and down the motorway for work you want a comfortable cruiser that sips delicately from the fuel tank. The fact the Skoda Superb has won a fleet award means it's probably more comfortable and more economical than any of its rivals. Comfort and economy are amongst the main reasons for choosing a car so if your lease of choice is a mid-size saloon car why not get the Skoda?

BMW 3-Series PHEV

A BMW is always a no-brainer really. The current BMW 3-Series continued its winning streak, picking up the award for best hybrid at this year's Auto Trader New Car Awards . It won on the basis of its clever hybrid technology, and the option of a greener 3 Series has clearly proved popular. It gives you everything you could need in a car: performance, practicality, economy, the ability to drive in zero emissions and build quality. And on this occasion it's actually an award voted for by owners, so the BMW 3-Series won because more people have already cottoned on to the fact it's brilliant.

Renault Zoe

Renault has been busy winning three categories at the Auto Express 2021 New Car Awards . But it's the Zoe we are concentrating on, because the Zoe E-Tech won ‘Affordable Electric Car of the Year'. The car came top on the basis of its range of 239 miles, a considerable distance for a small car and one that makes the Zoe a viable choice for most. It's also very cost-effective to lease. So if you want to try electric, the Zoe is a good place to start.

Hyundai IONIQ 5

If you're planning on leasing an EV, the all-new Hyundai IONIQ 5 has been named Car of the Year in the Auto Express New Car Awards 2021. It also won the Premium Electric Car and Mid-size Company Car awards, as well as the Design Award. Hyundai is understandably delighted. The Hyundai IONIQ 5 looks amazing, offers a whole range of brand new technology both inside the cabin and “under the bonnet”. This is the kind of car manufacturers need to be producing to encourage the shift to electrification; the Hyundai promises to move that goal along in leaps and bounds.

An award-winning canine car

The award that really matters. Yes, it's the Auto Trader award for the best dog car. That's right. Lockdown has seen a significant increase in dog ownership, and they've helped motivate a lot of people to get out of the house for a change of scenery. A car that fits this kind of active lifestyle is an important consideration, and the MG ZS takes the top prize for its combination of affordability, practicality and “outdoorsy spirit”. The option of an all-electric version, one of the most attainable EVs available, is another reason to consider it for your next lease.

So what's your choice of award winner?

We don't expect you to decide based on any of those particular awards. But they are certainly a good place to start considering what you want in your next lease car. We can't make that decision for you, but we can make the lease process simple and painless and get you behind the wheel of whichever new car you chose faster than you can say “award winner”.

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