By Moses Akaigwe
United Kingdom’s biggest and respected auto magazine What Car? has revealed its 2024 Car of the Year winners, with top brands clinching prizes at the glamorous “motoring Oscars.”
Both Autocar and Express report that the Lexus LBX 1.5 Premium Plus scooped the top award. The 46th overall winner also took home the Small SUV category award
The Lexus LBX, a crossover wowed judges with its efficient hybrid system, luxurious interior and attractive pricing, to be been crowned the ultimate winner.
Small SUV machines may be booming in popularity, but high-quality prestige models in this category are few and far between.
Lexus has created a model that oozes “quality, refinement and hybrid technology at a price more motorists can afford”.
Affordability is the biggest selling point with the LBX available for around £30,000 brand new.
The Premium model is just £34.995 making it a steal compared to some of its rivals which have price tags pushing north of £40,000. For that road users would get a luxury car also capable of up to 105mph and a fuel economy of 61.4mpg.
Lexus also won the Reliability Award for a record seventh consecutive year. Sister brand Toyota won Family Car of the Year (with the Corolla) and Estate Car of the Year (with the Corolla Touring Sports).
Other brands to win multiple awards included BMW and Kia, who took home three apiece, and Renault with two.
What Car? Editor, Steve Huntingford, said: “The title of What Car? Car of the Year is reserved for the model that has moved things on the farthest in the past 12 months, and this year, that’s the Lexus LBX.
“Despite competing in the hugely competitive small SUV market, it’s a better all-rounder than every rival, not least because it’s the first car in the class to combine hybrid efficiency with big-car luxury. And at a time when new car prices are going through the roof, it offers these strengths for an attractive price.”