Motor Trend this week named the Tesla Model S its 2013 Car of the Year, making it the first electric vehicle to ever take home the award, and the first winner by unanimous decision. In announcing the award, Editor-at-Large Angus MacKenzie described the Model S as "one of the quickest four-door sedans ever built," noting that it "drives like a sports car," feels as "smoothly effortless as a Rolls Royce," and is more fuel-efficient than the Toyota Prius. "By any measure, the Tesla Model S is a truly remarkable automobile," MacKenzie wrote.

The Model S, which began shipping earlier this year, won Motor Trend's award over a field of eleven finalists, including the Porsche Boxster, BMW 3-Series, and Lexus GS. "Our aspiration with the Model S was to show that an electric car truly can be better than any gasoline car, which is a critical step towards the widespread adoption of sustainable transport," Tesla Motors co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said in a statement. "Nothing illustrates this more clearly than winning Motor Trend’s Car of the Year by unanimous decision against a field of exceptional competitors."

Motor Trend's announcement comes just a few days after Automobile Magazine named the Model S its 2013 Automobile of the Year, lauding the car's "crazy speed" and understated design. Earlier this month, Time mentioned the Model S as one of 2012's 25 best inventions.