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The shortlist for the lucrative European Car of the Year award has been announced.

Included are upmarket saloons, two super minis and one compact MPV. Three £7,000 cars, made through a Toyota, Citroen and Peugeot joint venture in Slovakia, have also been included.

BMW saw their 3-Series saloon nominated, along with the Alfa Romeo 159 and the Volkswagen Passat. Other cars include the Mazda5, Renault Clio and Toyota Yaris.

Three cars, a product of the Toyota-Citroen-Peugeot partnership, have been entered as one because they have a similar mechanical and driving characteristics. If the Citroen C1, Peugeot 107 and Toyota Argo win, three manufacturers will share the prize.

Former winners have included the Fiat Panda, Renault Megane and Peugeot 306. The award is organised by seven magazines across Europe, including Autocar in the UK and Stern in Germany.

The jury includes 55 delegates from 22 different countries in Europe.

The number of jurors given to a particular nation is measured by the size of the car market, as well as its importance as a car manufacturing nation. The UK has six members.

The result will be awarded next month.