Nostalgia and charm have been key factors in the good marks the Car of the Year 2008 Jury has given to the retro-looking 500, a car of classless appeal in the Fiat tradition.

The S-Max, winner of the award with a margin of only two points from the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, was seen by the Jury as a sporty and spacious seven-seater with strong personality and design and excellent safety. The balance between family roominess and versatility and, at the same time, pleasant dynamics, refinement and driving fun, was the most praised feature of this good looking MPV that started a new line of design in Ford.

The new Clio emerged as the winner with just five points more than the Volkswagen Passat. The car was especially praised for its quality, safety, comfort and space. Several described it as the new benchmark for its category. This is the first repeat win in the history of the award; the first Clio was Car of the Year 1991. A Renault model has won the Car of the Year on six occasions, the previous being the Mégane, three year before.