2021 Carbuyer car of the year - Kia Sorento

Price: £38,845 - £46,945

What we said at the time: “Our Best Large Family Car and our overall Car of the Year for 2021 has been awarded to what we consider the consummate all-rounder.

“The Kia Sorento is a versatile SUV that’s nipping at the heels of premium rivals, feeling luxurious and spacious in equal measure. Competition in this area of the market is fierce but no other model comes close to the far-reaching talents of the fantastic Sorento. Congratulations to Kia on a well-deserved win.”

Ten years since our first Car of The Year award, Kia has scooped another big honour for the latest version of the seven-seat Sorento. The new Kia Sorento may be our most expensive CotY award winner but it demonstrates just how far the Korean brand has come in the last few years. It’s now plush enough to rival a large Audi or BMW SUV, at a much less expensive price, and offers a more upmarket option to buyers also considering a SEAT Tarraco or Peugeot 5008.

We think the car looks fantastic inside and out, with real presence and plenty of high-end materials and gizmos. The Sorento is slightly longer than before and that’s good news for passenger space. Drop the third row of seats down and you’re got a truly vast 821-litre boot.

Kia’s trusty 2.2-litre diesel engine is still available but this time around it’s joined by two hybrid options. Both use a 1.6-litre petrol engine and electrical assistance, with the plug-in hybrid getting a large battery to allow a decent electric-only driving range. The diesel, available on mid-range ‘3’ trim, offers impressive towing capacity, while the hybrids will appeal to business buyers and private customers keen to move away from diesel power.

Even the ‘2’ trim offers luxuries such as a crisp digital instrument cluster, a reversing camera and LED lights all-round. The aforementioned ‘3’ trim gets a bigger touchscreen, larger alloy wheels and a powered tailgate, while top-spec ‘4’ will wow tech fans with features that include a head-up display and a Bose stereo, plus superb Nappa leather upholstery. The ‘2’ and ‘4’ trims are hybrid-only.

Our other winners in 2021: