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- Covering: Acceleration, quietness of engine, smoothness of gearbox
- Winner: Renault Zoe
- Score: 96.38%
Electric drivetrains do very well in Driver Power – the engine and gearbox category was won by the first-generation Nissan Leaf in 2017 and 2018, and then by the second-generation Leaf in 2019. For 2020, though, the Japanese EV has swapped places with a former runner-up – the Renault Zoe.
The silence offered by electric drivetrains is a big factor in their top billing in this category – the Zoe and the Leaf both ranked impressively well on that point. The Zoe also achieved great marks for the smoothness of its gearbox and ranked very highly for overall acceleration – not bad for a supermini.
It was the Leaf that scored the highest mark for acceleration, followed by the sporty petrol-powered Mazda MX-5, which also earned a high score in the engine and gearbox category.
Back on gearbox smoothness, the hybrid Toyota Corolla’s CVT unit was another impressive performer, and this was another area where the Leaf did well.
Your view
“The Zoe’s throttle response is almost immediate. Its powertrain feels very lively; this has got to be the quickest car from 0-20mph I’ve ever driven.”
Engine and gearbox top 10
- Renault Zoe
- Nissan Leaf
- Mazda MX-5
- Hyundai Ioniq
- Toyota Corolla
- Lexus RX
- Peugeot 3008
- Lexus IS
- Lexus UX
- Audi A5
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