The Jaguar I-Pace went neck-and-neck with the Alpine A110 sportscar in Geneva on Monday for Car of the Year, ahead of the official opening of the International Motor Show this week.

The electric I-Pace was eventually declared the winner, based on votes by individual jury members.

This years finalists also included the Citro?n C5 Aircross crossover, the Ford Focus, Kia Ceed, and Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchbacks, and the Peugeot 508.

Separately, the I-Pace also won UK Car of the Year 2019 in Britain.

“It’s the first Jaguar to win this award,” said Ian Callum, director of design at Jaguar. “For me personally in my 40 years in the business, it has been the most exciting car I’ve ever worked on.”

The prestigious Car of the Year Award has been awarded by car journalists since 1964, and hosted by Geneva Auto Show for the past eight years. Being a finalist or a winner is regarded by automakers as a way to boost sales of their car.

The winner is selected by a jury of 60 motor journalists from 23 countries, who take rounds of testing the cars prior to voting on what they consider as the most outstanding car launched in the past 12 months. Last year’s winner was the Volvo XC40.