THE Land Rover Defender has proved a favourite among female drivers and has scooped the Women's World Car of the Year title.

An international team of 50 female motoring experts from 38 countries and five continents tested dozens of models and evaluated each with nine vehicles reaching the final.

The Defender came out on top from the shortlist made up of:

Peugeot 208. Best Urban Car Skoda Octavia. Best Family CR Lexus LC 500 Cabrio. Best Luxury CR Ferrari F8 Spider. Best Performance Car Peugeot 2008. Best Urban SUV Land Rover Defender. Best Medium SUV Kia Sorento. Best Large SUV Ford F-150. Best 4x4 & Pick-Up Honda e.Best EV

After a vote in which different aspects such as safety, performance, comfort, technology and value for money were taken into account, the specialists gave the absolute victory to the Land Rover Defender.

"The Women's World Car of the Year is the only jury in the world made up entirely of women motoring journalists. This gives it enormous value because its decisions represent the liking and preferences of millions of women drivers around the globe.

"But cars have no gender and are not subject to stereotypes so the winners of these awards are, quite simply, the best cars in the world.

"And this year's top winner is the Land Rover Defender",says Marta Garcia, executive president of the Women's World Car of the Year.