Toyota's environmentally-friendly Prius family saloon has won the European Car of the Year 2005 award, and by a scale not matched since the Ford Focus in 1999.
The jury of 58 motoring journalists from 22 countries had 25 points to distribute among a short list of seven cars that also included the Ford Focus, Opel Astra, Renault Modus, Peugeot 407 and BMW 1-series.
A total of 37 jury members voted for the Prius, with 11 giving it the maximum 10 points. Of the rest, 10 voted for the Citroën C4, five elected the Ford Focus, four the Opel Astra, one the Peugeot 407 and one the Renault Modus.
At regular town speed and when cruising, the Prius is powered by the electric motor, fed by a battery. As the charge is depleted, the petrol engine powers an electric generator which recharges the battery. If more power is suddenly needed, for instance to overtake, both the petrol engine and the electric motor drive the wheels. When the car slows, kinetic energy from the wheels is used to charge the battery.
There remain the usual myths about plugs and long extension leads, but the battery requires no outside charge. In terms of performance the Prius manages 0-60 in around 10 seconds and has a top speed of 106mph. Most importantly of all, it claims 65 mpg.