The seven finalists for the Car of the Year 2019 have been revealed, with more affordable models by Kia and Ford selected alongside releases by luxury brands Mercedes and Jaguar.  

After a first round of voting by a jury of 60 Car of the Year members was completed on Monday, the Kia Ceed, Ford Focus, Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes A-Class were named among the finalists. 

Renault-owned sports car manufacturer Alpine has also made its way onto the list with its A110 model, alongside fellow French models the Peugeot 508 and Citreon C5 Aircross.

The final vote to determine the single winner will be cast on March 2019, when each juror will be asked to divide 25 points among at least five nominees, before stating their voting criteria.

SUVs have come out on top for the past two years, which saw Volvo's XC40 luxury crossover win in 2018, and the Peugeot 3008 in 2017, which may help the chances of the entries from Jaguar and Citroen. 

Among the most important aspects for the judges - who are a group of journalists and car experts from across Europe - is the technical innovation and value for money displayed by each entry. 

According to its website, the award also values “design, comfort, safety, economy, handling, performance, functionality, environmental requirements, driver satisfaction, and price.”

This year's winner will be revealed after a final vote on the eve of the Geneva Motorshow on March 4, 2019.