Clio takes European accolade

• Renault Clio wins Car of the Year
• Beats VW Passat, BMW 3 Series and Toyota Yaris
• What Car? Car of the Year on January 19

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The Renault Clio has been awarded the prestigious accolade of 'European Car Of The Year' for 2006.

Finalists for the award were the Renault Clio, Volkswagen Passat, Alfa Romeo 159, BMW 3 Series, Mazda 5, Citroen C1/Peugeot 107/Toyota Aygo and the Toyota Yaris.

Steve Cropley, Car of theYear juror and editor-in-chief of What Car?'s sister magazine Autocar, said: 'It has been a very tough contest this year and the Renault Clio won by just four points, leaving the Volkswagen Passat a very close second.

'The jurors were impressed by Renault's change in philosophy with the latest Clio, which has brought much-improved refinement and trim quality to the car, along with improved road presence and rear cabin space.'

The What Car? Car of the Year Awards will take place on January 19 where an overall winner will be picked from a list of 15 category winners.