The winner of the 2017 European Car of the Year award has been announced on the eve of the Geneva International Motor Show.

The Peugeot 3008, which is scheduled to launch in South Africa in July this year, drove away with the crown for 2017.

The French crossover beat six other finalists to the title: the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Citroën C3, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Nissan Micra, Toyota C-HR and Volvo S90/V90.

The 3008 impressed the judging panel with its combination of style, interior design and performance.

The vehicle is the fifth Peugeot to win the Car of the Year prize and the first SUV to be honoured with the accolade in its history. The brand's success in the awards dates all the way back to 1969, when the 504 saloon scooped the award.

Back in November, the 58 jury members (motoring journalists from across Europe) whittled down the initial list to the seven finalists above.

In 2016, the Opel Astra took top honours, while 2015 belonged to the Volkswagen Passat, 2014 to the Peugeot 308 and 2013 to the Volkswagen Golf.

Read our first drive of the Peugeot 3008 here.

Original article from Car