The Focus was also voted the winner in the hot hatch subcategory ahead of the Honda Civic Type-R, which came in second.

The Mitsubishi Ralliart FTO won Best Used Sports Car, beating the Honda S2000 and Mazda RX-8, which claimed second and third place respectively.

The Jaguar XJ Series won the luxury category and the luxury brand also took third prize with its V8 XJ Series. Other winners included the Rover 75 for Best Used Family Car, the Audi A2 won the supermini award, while the BMW X5 took home the Best Used SUV title. The awards were based on nearly 7,000 votes by British motorists. “I believe that these awards are special because the owners and drivers of used cars in the UK have decided them – not a panel of journalists, critics and motor industry 'gurus',” said Jason Dawe, who hosted the awards.