What Car? has unveiled the full list of nominees for its highly anticipated Car of the Year Awards (in association with Warranty Direct) which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The first ever What Car? Car of the Year Awards took place in 1978, when the Renault 20 TS was crowned the overall winner and, throughout the years, the winners have gone on to become some of the most popular cars on the market.

The long list, comprising 114 vehicles, represents all of the cars that have been nominated in one of the awards’ 17 categories; the winners of each category will also then be in the frame for the overall Car of the Year award.

Making this year’s event even more competitive is the fact that two new categories have been introduced – hybrid and family SUV. Along with electric cars, hybrids are gaining momentum in the market, fuelled by the introduction of the Government’s low-emission vehicle incentives, while the decision to split the small SUV category into small SUV and family SUV reflects the explosion in the popularity of these high-riding models over the past decade.

So what's in contention for each of the categories? Start this slideshow to find out.