The Volvo XC90 has been voted SUV of the Year at the UK Car of the Year Awards 2016.

The prestigious awards are judged by a 27-strong panel of motoring journalists, who write for publications including The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, Top Gear and Auto Express.

The XC90’s design, technology, safety and interior packaging came in for particular praise. “A stunning cabin – packed with game-changing technology – is combined with luxury, space and great engineering, making the flagship Volvo a very enjoyable driving experience,” said John Challen, the Editor and Managing Director of the UK Car of the Year Awards.

Built on Volvo’s ground-breaking SPA platform, the XC90 is the most technologically advanced car Volvo has ever made. It is available with an innovative petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powertrain that offers 407 hp yet CO2emissions of only 49 g/km.

“A stunning cabin – packed with game-changing technology – is combined with luxury, space and great engineering, making the flagship Volvo a very enjoyable driving experience”

It also leads the field in terms of connectivity. The standard Sensus Connect system combines an intuitive nine-inch touch screen display – including pinch and zoom functionality – with a sophisticated voice control system.

This provides access to the internet and a range of cloud-based apps, while the option of Apple CarPlay allows you to control selected functions of your phone, such as music streaming, directly from the Sensus Connect display.

Nick Connor, Managing Director of Volvo Car UK, said: “It is a great honour for the XC90 to be voted SUV of the Year – especially when the people voting for it are some of the most influential and respected motoring journalists in the UK. The XC90’s stunning design, unrivalled practicality and industry-leading technology, efficiency and safety perfectly meet the needs of modern premium SUV buyers, and awards such as this one prove just how right those buyers are to put their trust in Volvo.”

For more information on the Volvo XC90, please go to www.volvocars.com/ie