AM-AM 2022 eTrophies: the best electric and plug-in hybrid cars by category!

For the first time, the eTrophies, organized by the Auto and Motorcycle Media Association (AM-AM), of which the Digital editorial staff is a member, rewarded the best electric cars and plug-in hybrids by category. Our challenge, with all the other members of the jury, was to (re)test in 48 hours all the electric vehicles that we had already taken in hand and to award a winner per category. Twenty-three vehicles were selected in all. The editorial staff of Les Numériques was asked to join the jury.

If the majority of our compatriots are — still — resistant to the idea of ​​taking the plunge into electric, “electric mobility is now at the heart of the daily lives of many French people“says Éric Philippe, president of AM-AM, created in 2016. Noting the growth of market share in the sector, he had the idea of ​​launching the eTrophées, the first awards of their kind in France.

Launched and sold during the year 2021, the vehicles chosen were divided into five categories: Family road cars, Compact road cars, SUVs, GTs and City cars.

• Family road cars: Audi A8 60L eTFSI, BMW i4 long range, Citroën C5X, DS 9 E-Tense 360 ​​4X4, MG MG5, Skoda Superbe iV and Toyota Mirai.

• Compact road cars: Citroën ë-C4, Cupra Born, Peugeot 308 Hybrid and Renault Mégane E-Tech.

• SUVs: Ford Mach-E, Lexus NX450H+, MG Marvel R, MG ZS, Suzuki A-Cross and Volkswagen ID.4 GTX.

• GT: Peugeot 508 SW PSE and Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo GTS.

• City cars: Dacia Spring, Honda e, Mazda MX-30 and Opel Mokka-e.

Unfortunately, for this first edition, several car manufacturers were missing and did not compete, such as Hyundai and its Ioniq 5 or Kia with its EV6. Similarly, Mercedes was not present, nor Tesla. Shame.

To test the 23 vehicles, the jury was made up of 24 journalists, including two women (hopefully there will be more of them in the next edition), with each juror representing automotive media from print, digital, radio and television.

A speed dating over 380 kilometers

Of course, it is out of the question that all the categories take the same routes. In total, nearly 380 kilometers will have been covered. The roads, as their name suggests, made loops starting from Rueil-Malmaison (92), the base camp, to Chartres and Orléans. That’s a five-hour round trip.

For our two GTs, nothing better than expressways to express themselves. For SUVs, the most popular segment for car buyers and manufacturers, the two-hour route was made up of urban, extra-urban and motorway roads. Finally, city dwellers have confined themselves to their preferred environment, namely the city.

To rate the vehicles in the running, a list of criteria has been drawn up (design, ergonomics, comfort, habitability, ease of access on board, luggage compartment capacity, road qualities and most importantly, management of electrical stress). . This is divided into groups and scored on a scale of 1 to 10.

The exercise – rather intense – was akin to a speed dating where you go from one vehicle to another with the aim of quickly noting the qualities and faults. This comparison in which several cars are engaged immediately reveals the qualities or faults of each, especially in the face of competition present on the spot.

Renault Megane E-Tech: the jackpot with three prizes

After 48 intense hours and once all the scores of the jury have been stripped, the big winner of this first edition of the AM-AM eTrophées is the Renault Megane E-Tech. This choice is well deserved as we were convinced by this Mégane during our test.

Let’s hope that Renault won’t wait another 10 years to release a new electric capable of winning an award…

Thus, the Renault Megane E-Tech won the eTrophies for Best Compact Roadster, Best Interior and the Coup de Coeur awarded by all the members of AM-AM (who were not therefore not necessarily in the jury of this edition).

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo GTS follows, which wins the eTrophies for Best Electric GT and Best Electric Economy. This second eTrophy rewards everything related to electric charging and its battery capacity.

The rest of the list is as follows:

• – eTrophy for the best family touring car: BMW i4 long range,
• – eTrophy for best SUV: Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended range,
• – eTrophy for the best GT PHEV: Peugeot 508 SW PSE,
• – eTrophy for best city car: Mazda MX-30,
• – eTrophy for best PHEV economy: Suzuki A-Cross,
• – Alternative energy eTrophy: Toyota Mirai FuelCell.

Admittedly, not everything was perfect for this first 2022 edition of the eTrophées. If we have already mentioned the absence of certain models, other categories could also see the light of day next year. Also, according to some of our colleagues, the notion of price was not often put forward. At the editorial staff of Les Numériques, as you know, we settled this question a long time ago, believing that our role is to judge the intrinsic qualities of a product and not its price, the latter being fluctuating, especially since a given price is very relative depending on the “thickness of the wallet” of people. Let’s not lose sight, however, that the number one criterion for the French when buying an electrified vehicle is the price. For information, the cheapest vehicle in the eTrophies was the Dacia Spring at €21,640, excluding the ecological bonus, compared to €178,199 for the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo GTS.

The last word will go to Éric Philippe, the president of AM-AM: “With these first eTrophies, AM-AM wanted to be able to reward and recognize the work carried out by manufacturers to lower the level of polluting emissions while reducing the constraints still often associated with the electric car. (…) By making this event permanent, AM-AM wishes to continue to follow and encourage the progress made by car manufacturers in terms of electromobility.“

For our part, throughout our tests, we can only observe the efforts made in terms of electromobility. Unfortunately, today, it is above all on the side of the charging network that we must first look for faults.

In any case, an appointment is already made for 2023, with we hope even more participants.