Chairman of Judges, Steve Moody said: 'Mazda continues to build on its solid reputation in the fleet market as a manufacturer of stylish and attractive cars. But it also features all the clever touches we have come to expect from Mazda, converting from a five-seater into a load-lugger in a matter of seconds.'

The exact specification for the model that received this honours award was the Mazda6 2.2-litre Diesel Estate TS² 163ps manual and is priced at £20,559 on-the-road.

Peter Alibon, fleet and remarketing director for Mazda UK, commented: 'Mazda has yet again successfully combined a sporty appeal with a very practical model creating that competitive edge in the D-segment. This further recognition from the fleet industry represents the superb reputation that the Mazda6 range has developed over the past eight years since the original launch.

'We have firm hopes that this will continue as the Upgraded Mazda6 launched this spring represents great value for fleet operators with strong residual values, keen pricing, driver appeal and impressive CO2 emissions.'