Hyundai Motor Group said Friday that its fully electric model Ioniq 5 has been picked as the German car of the year. 

The judges, comprised of 20 automotive journalists working in Germany, evaluated the vehicle based on categories including practicality, driving performance, innovation, market fit as well as a separate riding test. 

A total of 45 newly released cars competed for this year’s award. Except Ioniq 5, Peugeot 308, Kia EV6, Audi E-Tron GT and Porsche 911 GT3 made it to the final list. 

“Ioniq 5’s concept as a pure electric model and its battery technique are innovative, and the fact it was picked as the German car of the year proves that it ranked the top class in the global EV market,” said Jens Meiners, a host and judge of GCOTY. 

Michael Cole, head of Hyundai Motor Group Europe said that the award means that the Ioniq 5 has a high product value commercially and technically, adding that it also proves that European consumers prefer pure EV models. 

Only six months after its launch, Ioniq 5 has already received three industry awards, including a car of the year prize from Auto Express, a UK-based motoring magazine.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)