Little 500’s a big winner

Fiat’s new 500 supermini has been voted the 2008 European Car Of The Year.

The combination of retro looks, a gorgeous interior and low prices – from £7,900 in the UK – won the hearts of the 58 judges, who awarded it 385 points. The second-placed Mazda 2 supermini claimed 325 marks. It’s the 13th time a Fiat Group model has won in the award’s 44-year history.

In third place was the latest Ford Mondeo, on 202 points. It was followed by the Kia Cee’d (166), Nissan Qashqai (147), Mercedes C-Class (128) and Peugeot 308 (97).