Photo: World Car of the Year 2025 (newatlas.com) Author: Konstantin Shirokun
The organisers have announced the finalists for the World Car of the Year award. This season of the World Car of the Year competition started in the autumn of 2024, the shortlists were published in January, and now it has become known which cars have reached the final.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the World Car Awards website.
The BMW X3, Hyundai Inster and Kia EV3 will compete for victory in the main nomination. It is noteworthy that last year the same brands – BMW, Hyundai and Kia – reached the final, but with other models. Then the Kia EV9 was recognized as the car of the year, and in two nominations at once – the main one and “Electric Car of the Year”.
Models vying for the title of “World Car of the Year” this season must meet certain requirements. First, they must be officially presented on at least two continents and in two main markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America or the USA). Second, their annual production volume must be at least 10,000 units. Third, they must cost less than luxury cars.
There are also related nominations, such as “City Car”, “Premium Car”, “Sports Car of the Year”, “Electric Car of the Year” and “Best Design”, and in these categories the annual circulation of cars can be less than 10 thousand. The winners are selected by an expert jury, which includes about a hundred automobile journalists from 30 countries.
The three finalists in the additional categories are as follows. The BYD Seagull, Hyundai Inster and MINI Cooper Electric will compete for the title of “City Car of the Year”. The Hyundai Inster, Kia EV3 or Porsche Macan Electric could become the Electric Car of the Year, but the Volkswagen ID. Buzz and Volvo EX90 did not make it to the finals.
In the premium segment, the top three includes two Porsche models, the Macan and Panamera, as well as the Volvo EX90. The Sports Car of the Year category features the BMW M5, Porsche 911 Carrera GTS and Taycan Turbo GT. Finally, the Kia EV3, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and Volkswagen ID. Buzz are vying for the Best Design award. The results will be announced on April 16 at the New York Auto Show.
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