The Opel Ampera (a rebadged Chevrolet Volt) has become the second car with battery propulsion to win the European Car of the Year accolade, following the Nissan Leaf's victory last year.
But while the Nissan is a fully electric vehicle, the Ampera is a plug-in hybrid that uses a petrol motor to extend the range to around 500km once the battery power has been depleted - which takes 40 to 80km, according to Opel.
The Ampera took the top spot with a total of 330 points, with the runner-up positions belonging to the Volkswagen Up (281 points) and Ford Focus (256).
The Euro COTY contest is selected by a panel of 59 judges from 23 European countries, who evaluate 35 recently launched vehicles.
These experts make their judgements based on attributes such as design, comfort, performance, efficiency and innovative technologies.