Jaguar I-Pace Named Best In Class Battery-Electric Vehicle For Winter

The New England Motor Press Association has voted the 2020 Jaguar I-Pace battery-electric vehicle the best in its class for winter. The Winter Vehicle Award will be presented to the Jaguar design team at the next opportunity. In the interim, we filled Jaguar’s team in on the win. “We’re thrilled that the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE has won the 2020 Best In Class Battery Electric Award” said Stuart Schorr, Vice President, Communications, Jaguar Land Rover North America. “Electrification is a top priority for the Jaguar brand and we are honored the I-PACE has been recognized as a leader within its category.”

Each winter the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA) staff tests a short list of the best new vehicles in each segment to determine which are the very best in winter driving conditions. We testers do this in the real world; On real highways coated in slush and ice. Real rural back roads covered with unplowed snow. And we charge the electric vehicles in sub-zero conditions. Among all of the electric vehicles we tested, one rose above the crowd to be the best. The all-wheel drive I-Pace performance crossover.

The President of NEMPA, John Paul aka AAA’s Car Doctor, commented on the winter test results of the I-Pace, saying, “The Jaguar I-Pace is a BEV that makes no apologies. It handles well, rides better has a 230-mile range with nearly 400 HP, without question the I-Pace is a Jaguar.” As a fellow NEMPA tester, I have to agree. Looking back at my own Jaguar I-Pace test report, my review included, “Having driven every modern Jaguar and Land Rover product except the E-Pace, we can tell you that this is by far our favorite.”

The I-Pace begs for a comparison to the Tesla Model Y. What does the Jaguar I-Pace have that Tesla Model Y does not? Well, a few key things. First up, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Next, five years of included maintenance. Real leather seating with premium microfiber accents. And the possibility of a $7,500 federal income tax credit. The more we drove the I-Pace, and we had a chance to test it three different times, the more we were impressed. The standard all-wheel drive system of the I-Pace is also one important way the I-Pace stands out as a winter vehicle.

What winter-driving qualities do you look for in a premium electric vehicle? Tell us in the comments below.

John Goreham is a life-long car nut and recovering engineer. In addition to being a long-standing NEMPA vehicle tester, John's winter vehicle test credentials include being a graduate of the Team O'Neil Rally School's Winter Safe Driving School. John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin

Jaguar I-Pace image by Jaguar media services.