Peugeot 308 Named Europe’s Car of Year

A panel of 58 European journalists has chosen the midsize Peugeot 308 as Europe's 2014 Car of the Year.

The car, which is sold as a five-door hatch and wagon, outscored six other semi-finalists. Candidates are new or heavily redesigned models available in at least five European countries. The aim is to choose a single overall winner, not to rank the contenders. Panelists consider 10 factors: comfort, design, driver satisfaction, economy, environmental impact, functionality, handling, performance, price and safety.

This year's jury praised the 308's new lighter-weight construction, outstanding engine efficiency and improved cargo capacity.

Points earned by the seven finalists for 2014 are:

• Peugeot 308 - 307
• BMW i3 - 223
• Tesla S - 216
• Citroen C4 Picasso - 182
• Mazda3 - 180
• Skoda Octavia - 172
• Mercedes-Benz S-Class - 170