The Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Polo Win Best in Category Awards

Volkswagen has retained its lead at the top of two key vehicle categories at this year's Fleet News Awards, with the Volkswagen Polo once again crowned 'Best Small Car' and the Volkswagen Golf crystallising its position as the 'Best Lower Medium Car' fleets can buy.

The awards were presented at a ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, honouring the fleet industry's top achievers for the past 12 months.

Cars were judged on a range of criteria, including operating costs (depreciation, fuel, servicing, maintenance and repair, lease rates, tax liability), suitability for their use as business cars and the level of support from the manufacturers and their corporate sales teams.

A panel made up of fleet industry experts as well as senior members of the Fleet News editorial team were involved in the lengthy judging process, chaired by former SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan and audited by Deloitte.

Commenting on the winning cars, the judges said: "A broad range of engines with low-CO2 choices and a choice of three door and five door models make the Polo appealing to fleets and drivers."

They added: "The Volkswagen Golf offers unrivalled depth to its range from BlueMotion right up to GTI and R models. It is a strong proposition on running costs and attractive to drivers thanks to its image."

Collecting the award for Volkswagen was Head of Fleet Services, Vincent Kinner. He said: "I'm delighted to claim these awards for two of our key fleet models. It's a shame the new Passat saloon and Estate models, which are proving so popular with company car managers and drivers, wasn't eligible in the Upper Medium Car category this year. But watch this space!

"We look forward to maintaining a strong performance in the fleet market in 2011 and working with our customers and their drivers to provide the highest levels of support and customer care through new products and initiatives."