Ampera takes Car of the Year award

Opel's electric Ampera impressed European motoring journalists

The Opel Ampera has come up tops after being named European Car of the Year by motoring journalists from 23 countries.

The Ampera, which is branded as the Chevrolet Volt in the United States and which premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009, is an electric car.

It beat Volkswagen’s up! into second place and the Ford Focus into third.

The prestigious award is considered one of the most important in Europe and aims to indicate to consumers the car of the future.

The Range Rover Evoque, the Fiat Panda, the Citroen DS5, and the Toyota Yaris were also considered.