THE Fiat Panda has been named Car of the Year by an international jury of 58 senior motoring journalists representing 22 European countries.

The Panda beat the Mazda3, Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Avensis, Vauxhall Meriva, BMW 5 Series and the Nissan Micra.

This is the first time that an A-segment model has won the most accolade. Fiat has string of wins in the Car of the Year awards, starting with the Fiat 124 in 1967.