THE new Citroën C4 Cactus has added to its already impressive haul of awards by being named as DieselCar Magazine's Car of the Year 2015.

The quirky Cactus had already been named as 'Small Hatchback of the Year' in the UK Car of the Year Awards and the highly sought-after title of BBC TopGear Magazine's 'Hatchback of the Year'.

Ian Robertson, editor and publisher of DieselCar Magazine, commented that the C4 Cactus represents "Citroën doing what it does best - a funky, urban-friendly vehicle that is taking the sector by storm", adding that "clever touches like the roof mounted airbag, protective airbumps and chest-like dashboard cubby box show that the firm's engineers are keen to innovate.

"Keen pricing, frugal engines and some of the most comfortable seats in the business mark this C4 Cactus out as one of the most distinctive newcomers of the year," Robertson added.

DieselCar's team of writers tested more than 200 new vehicles in the run-up to the awards, voting on each one of them, across ten different categories. The panel of well-respected writers and judges shortlisted just 28 finalists, before declaring ten category winners, and the overall winner.

Accoording to Ian Robertson: "It's been a bumper year for newcomers, all displaying a significant amount of talent. This year's finalists have provoked more discussion and debate than ever before."

The Tesla Model S has been named as best EcoCar by the magazine, beating the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, while two other models -the Skoda Octavia Estate and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class have emerged victorious for the second consecutive year in the estate car and executive car categories respectively.

Other winners include Volvo's all-new XC90 which secured the title of best 4x4, and Jaguar will be celebrating after its latest model on the market, the XE, grabbed the gong for best large car.

Audi's TT has been named as DieselCar's favourite sports car while the Citroën Grand C4 Picasso won the award for being best MPV for another year. As well as being named as overall winner, the C4 Cactus was voted as the best crossover.