Shortlist announced for Professional Driver Car of the Year Judging Day

By Mark Bursa | 4 August 2026, 09:42

pd may 26 mailshot coty judging day header pic

Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Epsom Racecourse, Epsom Downs, Surrey, KT18 5LQ

We have a fabulous list of more than 50 cars to test next week at the Professional Driver Car of the Year testing event in Epsom – including some UK market exclusives.

It will be the first time Professional Driver readers be able to drive the latest versions of both the market-leading chauffeur cars, the BMW i7 and Mercedes S580eL. These cars have just arrived in the UK and will be heading straight to our event.

We’ve also got an exclusive first drive of the all-electric XPeng X9 seven-seater MPV, plus on static display you’ll be able to see the Denza D9, the first seven-seater from BYD’s newly-launched prestige brand.

NEW MODELS, NEW BRANDS

Other first-time entrants include a trio of new electric executive saloons: Lexus ES350h, Volvo ES90 and Mazda 6e. And there’s a first appearance at the event for a host of new Chinese brands, with cars from Omoda, Jaecoo, Geely, Leapmotor and AION joining BYD and MG at the event.

FREE AND EXCLUSIVE FOR THE PRIVATE HIRE AND CHAUFFEUR SECTOR

The Professional Driver Car of the Year awards are the biggest and best reader-judged car awards in the industry, and one of the best networking events for the private hire and chauffeur industry. The event takes place at our regular venue, Epsom Racecourse, Surrey, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.

To make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to drive 50 of the latest cars, follow this link and complete the registration form.

CARS AVAILABLE TO TEST ON THE DAY

CategoryVehicle ModelPowertrain
Chauffeur CarsBMW i7Electric
Mercedes-Benz S580eLPHEV
Executive CarsBMW 530ePHEV
BMW i5Electric
Genesis G80Electric
Lexus ES350eElectric
Mazda 6eElectric
MG IM5Electric
Polestar 4Electric
Volkswagen ID.7Electric
Volvo ES90Electric
Luxury SUVsBMW X7Hybrid
BYD Sealion 7PHEV
Hyundai Santa FePHEV
Hyundai Ioniq 9Electric
Jaecoo 8PHEV
Kia EV9Electric
MG S9PHEV
MG IM6Electric
Omoda 9PHEV
Volvo EX90Electric
MPVsVauxhall Vivaro e-LifeElectric
Volkswagen ID.Buzz LWBElectric
Ford E-Tourneo CustomElectric
Kia PV5Electric
Lexus LM350hHybrid
XPeng X9Electric
Private Hire CarAION VElectric
BYD Atto 3Electric
BYD SealElectric
BYD Seal 6 DMiPHEV
BYD Seal UPHEV
Ford CapriElectric
Geely EM-1Electric
Geely StarrayPHEV
Jaecoo 7PHEV
Kia EV4Electric
Kia EV6Electric
Leapmotor C10Electric
MG S6Electric
Omoda 7PHEV
Skoda Enyaq CoupeElectric
Toyota C-HR+Electric
Volkswagen ID.4Electric
Xpeng G6Electric
Estate CarAudi A6 E-tron AvantElectric
BMW 530e TouringPHEV
BMW i5 TouringElectric
BYD 6 DM-I TouringPHEV
Skoda SuperbPHEV
Toyota BZ4X TouringElectric
Volvo V60PHEV
Volkswagen PassatPHEV

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