Lease Car of the Year

Longlist

The contest starts with the preparation of the longlist by Alphabet specialists. The longlist includes all the cars that satisfy predetermined criteria and qualify for the title Lease Car of the Year. These criteria are: no facelift, no convertible, no sports car, no commercial registration number, no off-road vehicle and available in the year of the contest.

Nominees per category and professional jury

Once the longlist has been drawn up, there is a round of voting by the professional jury. The Lease Car of the Year contest has four categories: Economy, Business, Business+ and Executive and the outcome of this vote determines which three cars are nominated per category.

The professional jury consists of:

4 Alphabet employees, one of whom is the jury chairman
3 Alphabet customers
1 (car) journalist

Online voting and desk research

Once the jury has decided on the three nominees in each category, the public may vote on the category winners and the overall winner online. Simultaneously, Alphabet starts its desk research, where the 12 nominees are evaluated on: supply range, economy/environment friendliness, variable costs, reliability and quality of importer/dealer.

Practical day

Finally, the 12 nominated cars are subjected to an extensive driving test by the professional jury and evaluated on the following points:

• Engine power
• Engine noise level
• Gearbox/clutch
• Steering
• Brakes
• Grip/Stability
• Comfort
• Interior noise level
• Seats, front/rear
• Dashboard/controls
• Interior space
• Luggage space
• Heating/ventilation

Outcome

The final winner is determined by adding together the results of the desk research, the public vote and the practical day. The result of the desk research counts for 30%, the public vote for 35% and the practical day jury also for 35%.