The large car sector is one that’s suffered significantly in the face of ever-more SUVs in recent years. But there are still plenty of outstanding vehicles available if you prefer a low-riding car to a high-riding SUV.
This year, we’ve created a separate Best Luxury Car category to better filter between the broadly attainable and the mortgage-your-house-and-sell-your-children vehicles.
As with most other categories, there’s an ongoing shift from fossil-fuel power to electricity. But your choices are steadily reducing, regardless of your preferred choice of propulsion.
Best new large car + class champion, electric: BMW i5 (81%)
The arrival of an all-new BMW 5 Series is always a seminal moment for the car industry, but this one has been particularly significant as it has brought the first all-electric version, the BMW i5. And once again, BMW has delivered. The i5 has moved straight to the top of the premium executive class, with a sublime mix of comfort, quality and advanced technology.
Reviewers have agrees that the talented BMW i5 is one of the most well-rounded electric saloons on the market, although rivals like the Mercedes-Benz EQE offer more battery range.
Class champion, petrol/diesel: Skoda Superb (82%)
After eight years of winning just about every award the industry has ever devised, the current-generation Skoda Superb heads into retirement still at the top of its game. As of December 2023, it’s still the highest-rated large petrol/diesel car with a vaguely affordable price tag – and it outscores a lot of cars with price tags many, many times more expensive.
For next year, we’ll have an all-new Skoda Superb on the streets. It has some very big shoes to fill.
The Car Expert Awards 2024 – all the category winners
