The Passat was awarded 340 points by the jury, consisting of 58 European motoring journalists from 22 countries. This compares to 248 for the runner-up, the Citroën C4 Cactus.

The other finalists were: Mercedes C-class (221 points), Ford Mondeo (203), Nissan Qashqai (160), BMW 2-series Active Tourer (154) and Renault Twingo (124).

"We are extremely proud of this accolade," said Prof Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, at the prize-giving ceremony in Geneva. "In the new Passat we have again succeeded in developing a car that sets the standards for its class in terms of technology and quality. This honour is a tremendous confirmation for the work of our engineers, designers and the entire team. The new Passat shows that the Volkswagen brand has the right answers to the challenges of our time."