Fiat holds the most European Car of the Year titles

Fiat emblem (AFP/DAMIEN MEYER)

Since 1964, 54 different vehicles have been crowned with the title of Europe's Car of the Year. Italian manufacturer Fiat has the most titles to its name, with nine wins for its Fiat 124 (1967), 128 (1970), 127 (1972), Uno (1984), Tipo (1989), Punto (1995), Bravo/Brava (1996), Panda (2004) and 500 (2008) models.

Car manufacturers with the most European Car of the Year titles:

Nine wins: Fiat

Six wins: Renault

Five wins: Ford, Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot

Four wins: Volkswagen

Three wins: Citroën

Two wins: Alfa Romeo, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler/Simca, Rover and Nissan

One win: Austin, Lancia, Mercedes-Benz, NSU and Porsche

Note that, surprisingly, BMW and Volvo are yet to win European Car of the Year titles.

Every year since 1964, the Car of the Year organizing committee has crowned the year's best car based on criteria such as value for money, design, comfort, safety, onboard technology and environmental performance. The 2018 shortlist has just been announced, with a winner to be revealed on the eve of the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. This year's jury comprises 60 journalists from 23 European countries.