Accolades for the Mustang Mach-E continue to pour in, as the SUV was most recently named Best Car to Buy 2021 by The Car Connection – the first time in the award’s 10-year history an electrified vehicle has earned the honor. Mach-E also won a trio of driver’s choice awards, including Best Electric Car and Best Green Car, from the publication.

Mach-E was also named Best Car to Buy from Green Car Reports. Martin Padgett, editorial director for Internet Brands Automotive, which publishes The Car Connection, Green Car Reports, Motor Authority and New Car Test Drive, talked to us about the awards and what goes into the evaluation process. Below are his edited responses.

Q: What’s in your garage?

A: “I have a 1990 Mazda Miata and a 2003 Honda Element, and my husband drives a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. I’ve owned a Mustang and a Thunderbird, and my family’s long history with Ford products also includes an F-150, an Expedition, two Broncos, a Thunderbird, an Edge and an Escape.”

Q: Please tell us a bit about The Car Connection and Green Car Reports awards and how they’re different from other industry awards?

A: “The Car Connection’s award emerges from our unique TCC rating score. We compile that from ratings we assign to styling, performance, comfort and utility, safety, features and fuel economy – and we publish that on our About Us page so there’s no mystery and no algorithm lurking behind a curtain. It’s just us. On the Green Car Reports side, we look at the vehicle that has best advanced the cause of efficiency. This year, we were able to test more battery-electric vehicles than ever, each of which offered an EPA-rated range of more than 200 miles.”

Q: What does the test look like and how many people are on the voting panel?

A: “This year has been different, of course. In a normal year, we’d each drive potential finalists and meet at a secret location in the Appalachian Mountains for test drives, comparisons and track time. This year, our six editors sampled the finalists from roads around their own homes – and from that, we compiled an overall snapshot of what it’s like to drive each one. We also ran a driver’s choice award, with voting by internet. Our readers named Mach-E as the winner in three of those categories as well – best green car, best electric car and best performance car.”

Q: What was Mustang Mach-E up against in each category?

A: “This year’s rivals included the Kia K5 and Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota RAV4 Prime and Ford Bronco Sport (can’t win ’em all), Acura TLX and Toyota Venza.”

Q: Does the same car usually win both awards?

A: “No, this is the first time one car has won both – and the Mustang Mach-E nearly won our Motor Authority award as well. It’s also the first time an electric car has won The Car Connection’s top award.”

Q: What is the best thing about your job?

A: “The best thing about covering the car industry is being able to watch history being made. The long-awaited pivot to electric cars is happening now – and we get to be firsthand observers, critics and participants.”

Q: What’s the most exciting trend you are seeing in the industry right now?

A: “It’s electrification, no doubt. Practical electric cars are now within reach of many new car shoppers – and with the Mach-E and other new arrivals, car companies may have cracked the code to make those cars not just efficient, but truly desirable.”