The much-hyped and debated Chevrolet Volt has picked up two Car of the Year awards from separate publications.

Both Motor Trend and Automobile Magazine named the Volt the Car of the Year among 2011 models. The first all-electric vehicle from General Motors has already received considerable praise – and criticism – ahead of its release later this year. It has already been named to the shortlist for several Car of the Year awards from various publications, but several other sources have also alleged that the car doesn't actually drive off electric power at all times as GM claims it does.

Still, Motor Trend praised the vehicle for the new technology that allows it to automatically shift between pure EV and hybrid modes depending on which is most efficient.

Automobile Magazine associate editor Eric Tingwall said that the Volt was "genuinely an all-new car, in the most simplistic sense as well as in the greater notion that the Volt is unlike any vehicle we have ever driven."

The Volt is still in the running for the North American Car of the Year, which compiles opinions from a variety of automotive journalists. Other nominees include the Ford Fiesta, Nissan Juke and Hyundai Sonata.

Buyers interested in electric vehicle technology may want to wait until they hit the used car market, as the initial models are expected to be priced at more than $30,000 dollars.