The Car of the Year 2011 nominees have recently been announced from the 41 candidates and there are certainly some corkers in the line up! There is a wide range of cars competing, one of which is an electric car – the first of its kind to be entered into the competition.

The 2010 car of the year award went to the Volkswagen Polo, which pipped the Toyota IQ to the post this year. There’s definitely going to be some tough competition as there are no categories, sub-divisions or class winners. The process purely aims to find a single, decisive winner and the result is decided by a panel of 59 judges from around the globe.

For all car-lovers this is an exciting time, especially if you’re planning on buying a new car, as it gives you an insight of the best cars on the market today. So without further ado, here are the nominees for the prestigious awards, see what you think!

Alfa Romeo Giulietta – The first mass produced Alfa!

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Citroën C3/DS3 – Small 5 door car with panoramic windscreen

Citroën C3/DS3

Dacia Duster – Compact SUV

Dacia Duster

Ford C-Max/Grand C-Max – Offers refinement and comfort

Ford C-Max/Grand C-Max

Nissan Leaf – The electric car

Nissan Leaf

Opel/Vauxhall Meriva – Leader of the MPV segment

Opel/Vauxhall Meriva

Volvo S60 / Volvo V60 – Compact and great handling

Volvo S60 / Volvo V60

What do you think is the pick of the bunch?