The 41st edition of Seguro Directo Car of the Year/Troféu Volante de Cristal was marked by a historic victory for BYD. Participating in the awards for the first time, the Chinese brand won recognition with its BYD Seal in the “Car of the Year 2024”, “Electric of the Year” and “Design” categories.
For the manufacturer, the three important awards represent a “historic achievement for a brand with less than a year of presence in the national market”.
The award-winning BYD Seal
Image: Disclosure / BYD
An initiative of the Imprensa group, the Seguro Directo Car of the Year/Troféu Volante de Cristal 2024 saw the participation of 19 jurors. With 99 points, the BYD Seal was recognized with the Car of the Year Award by consensus among all of them, after competing with the other six finalists: Hyundai Ioniq 6, Hyundai Kauai, Renault Espace, Toyota C-HR, Toyota Prius and Volvo EX30 .
In the press release, BYD celebrated the victory:
“The BYD Seal is a masterpiece of automotive engineering, combining elegance, performance and sustainability in a single vehicle. Winning the 2024 Car of the Year Award is therefore a testament to BYD's commitment to excellence.”
Regarding the achievement in the “Electrical of the Year Award” category, the Chinese manufacturer stated that it highlights BYD's “leadership in the electrification of the automotive sector”. The victory in the design category, according to BYD, proved “the elegance of the sports sedan that boasts the IF Design Award 2023 (International Forum Design Award)” and consolidated a position of distinction in the field of design and innovation.
Image: Disclosure / BYD
The BYD Seal is available on the European market in two versions. The BYD Seal Design brings 313 hp of power, rear-wheel drive and 570 km of electric range. The model costs €46,990. The BYD Seal Excellence has all-wheel drive with two engines for a total of 530 hp and 520 km of autonomy. The price in Europe is €47,990.
The complete list of winners of Seguro Directo Car of the Year/Troféu Volante de Cristal 2024
The 41st edition of Seguro Directo Car of the Year/Troféu Volante de Cristal 2024 was divided into 8 categories: City, Sports/Leisure, Family, Compact SUV, Large Compact SUV, Electric, Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.
In total, 41 cars competed for the prizes with different versions and models. The 8 winners of the year were:
Car of the Year: Seal WORLD
City Citizen of the Year: Renault Clio
Electrician of the year: Seal WORLD
Hybrid of the Year: Toyota C-HR
Plugin Hybrid of the Year: Toyota Prius
Family of the Year: Renault Espace
Large SUV of the Year: Let's EV9
Compact SUV of the year: Jeep Avenger
In the Car of the Year category, second and third places were taken, respectively, by the Volvo EX30 (88 points) and the Toyota Prius (84 points).
In addition to the categories listed above, Seguro Directo Car of the Year/Troféu Volante de Cristal 2024 also awarded the Technology and Innovation Award to Volvo's LIDAR system; the Design Award to BYD Seal; and the Personality of the Year Award to Daniela Simões, founder and CEO of the Portuguese electric mobility company Miio.
The jury was made up of 19 representatives from the main media outlets in Portugal: ACP, Carros e Motores, Correio da Manhã, Diário de Notícias, Exame Informática, Expresso, Jornal de Negócios/negócios.pt, RTP, Rádio Renascença/RFM, Razão Automóvel, Record, SIC Online, SICV/SIC Notícias, Motor 24, Público, TVI, TSF, Volante, Visão.