The new 5 Series Sedan and XM were the two BMW models to appear on the full list of candidates for the 2024 European Car Of The Year. However, only the G60 made the cut to the finals at the end of last year. During the inaugural day of the 2024 Geneva Motor Show, the jurors decided to hand out the big title to the Renault Scenic E-Tech after it scored 329 votes.

The luxury sedan from Bavaria had to settle for second place with 308 votes. The last place on the podium was occupied by the Peugeot 3008 (197 votes). Up next were the Kia EV9 (190 votes), Volvo EX30 (168 votes), BYD Seal (131 votes), and the Toyota C-HR (127 votes). Four of the final finalists were EVs – including the winner – and the other three models are available with plug-in hybrid and electric drivetrains. The 5 Series has them all: gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, and purely electric powertrains.

For the 2024 edition, there were 58 members of the jury from 22 countries. The journalists assessed cars that are already on sale or will be before the end of the year. Although the official name of the award is “Car of the Year,” it’s not a global title but rather a European affair. COTY is made up of journalists from nine publications on the Old Continent: Auto (Italy), Autocar (UK), Automobil Revue (Switzerland), Autopista (Spain), Auto Trends (Belgium), Autovisie (The Netherlands), Firmenauto (Germany), L’Automobile Magazine (France), and Vi Bilägare (Sweden).

BMW never took home the big award, but it did finish second in 1967 (with the 1600), in 1969 (with the 2500/2800), in 1976 (with the 3 Series), and in 1978 (with the 7 Series). The Car of the Year award has been an annual event since 1964. This year, it returned to Geneva after being organized in 2023 during the Brussels International Motor Show.

Although the 5 Series finished second in 2024, we’ll remind you it did manage to win the 2024 Women’s World Car Of The Year Award for large cars. That gives it a chance to fight for the overall WWCOTY title on March 8 when the winner will be decided.

Source: Car Of The Year