The candidates for the Best European car for 2010 have been revealed. The field of contenders includes the big and bad luxury saloons, and the fuel efficient mini cars. Some of the candidates may be considered by some as very controversial entries.

The cars are eligible for nomination if they are already on sale in most European markets before the time for voting. The nominees must be new models being sold in at least 5 European countries with forecasted sales of at least 5,000 units annually.

The panel of judges consists of about 50 members who are considered experts of the auto industry and journalists from twenty three European nations. The representation is based on the size of the car market of the country and its impact on car production. On top of the list are Spain, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, and France.

The 2009 winner was the Opel Inisgnia which was picked for its unique styling and its quality of leading the pack in its market segment. The Fiat 500 won the 2008 award while the Ford S-Max captured the 2007 title.

The 2010 best car nominees are the following:

BMW Z4 Chevrolet Cruze Citroen C3 Picasso Ford Ka Honda Insight Hyundai i20 Hyundai ix55 Kia Sorento Kia Soul Land Rover Discovery IV Lexus RX 450h Mazda3 Mercedes E-Class Mitsubishi Colt Nissan 370Z

Nissan Cube Opel/Vauxhall Astra Peugeot 3008 Porsche Panamera Renault Scenic Seat Exeo Skoda Yeti Subaru Legacy Suzuki Alto/Nissan Pixo Toyota Avensis Toyota iQ Toyota Prius Toyota Urban Cruiser Toyota Verso Volkswagen Polo