The Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) 2018 was announced at a glitzy ceremony in Delhi on December 13, 2017.

The ICOTY was started in 2005 in line with international standards and modeled on the American Car of the Year, European Car of the Year and Japanese Car of the Year.

The highly experienced jury members are responsible for selecting a single winner, for Criteria like price, fuel-efficiency, styling, comfort, safety, performance, technical innovation, value for money, and suitability for Indian driving conditions are particularly important factors while deciding on the winner. 

The Indian Car of the Year trophy was handed over to the team of Hyundai by Dr. Raghupati Singhania, vice-chairman and managing director, JK Tyre & Industries Limited. 

Lots of new cars launched in 2017 qualified for these awards and only nine made it to the final jury round. The top four contenders were the Hyundai Verna, Maruti Dzire, Jeep Compass and the Tata Nexon.

In a tough contest, the Hyundai Verna emerged the winner. The runner-up was the Maruti Dzire with the Jeep Compass sealing the third spot.

The Winner selection is by a simple voting system, where each member of the jury has a maximum of 25 points. Every Jury member can allot a maximum of 10 points to one car. And every Jury member must give points to at least 5 of the contending cars. A very impartial and transparent system makes the ICOTY the most trustworthy auto award.