Ten finalists have been announced for the 2025 edition of New Zealand’s most prestigious automotive prize, the New Zealand Car of the Year award (NZCOTY).
Representing automotive brands from Asia, the Americas and Europe, the finalists span a wide range of vehicle styles, but with SUVs and crossovers to the fore, and either full or partial electric power all but ubiquitous. Six of the 10 vehicles are only available in fully-electric guise, two land here only as hybrids, one is sold as either a hybrid or a petrol, and just one is solely powered by petrol.
Shortlisted from some three dozen all-new models released in the past twelve months, the 10 finalists to scoop this year’s New Zealand Car of the Year crown are, in alphabetical order:
- Audi A5
- Cadillac Lyriq
- Geely Starray EM-i
- Kia EV3
- Mercedes G580
- MG QS
- Mini Aceman
- Nissan Ariya
- Subaru Forester
- Volkswagen ID. Buzz
The Cadillac Lyriq, Kia EV3, Mercedes G580, Mini Aceman, Nissan Ariya and VW ID. Buzz are all pure electric vehicles. The Geely Starray EM-i is a plug-in hybrid, and the Subaru Forester is available as both a pure-petrol and self-charging hybrid. The MG QS is the only finalist sold here only as a pure-petrol model.
“While electrification is a common feature of all but one of the finalists, they otherwise represent significant variety,” says Motoring Writers’ Guild president Matthew Hansen.
“There are conventional cars, SUVs, and even – with the ID Buzz – a contemporary interpretation of the classic VW Combi.
“The Subaru Forester is the new generation of the model that won 2018 NZ Car of the Year honours in its previous generation, the Kia EV3 is the current World Car of the Year, and the Cadillac Lyriq and Geely Starray EM-i are the first models from those brands to make the cut as New Zealand Car of the Year finalists.
“To have such a mixture of different price points, silhouettes and carmakers present amongst this year’s nominees underlines the exciting and fluid state of the motoring industry in 2025.”
There is a wide spread of price points represented by the finalists, with three models available for under $50K, and three carrying six-figure price tags.
The award’s winner will be decided by the Guild’s voting members over the coming months and announced on TVNZ One’s Seven Sharp programme in February.
Guild members assess the finalists on a specified range of criteria spanning how the vehicle performs its intended role; its styling, interior design and accommodation; fit, finish and quality; ride and refinement; performance; road-holding and handling; value for money; active and passive safety and environmental responsibility.
NZCOTY is the country’s longest-running motoring award. Having been delivered annually since 1988, it is the only fully national motoring prize and is also celebrated for being free from commercial involvement. The current holder is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Previous New Zealand Car of the Year Winners
1988 BMW 5 Series
1989 Peugeot 405
1990 Mazda MX-5
1991 Lexus LS400
1992 Toyota Corona
1993 Citroen ZX
1994 Honda Accord
1995 Nissan Maxima
1996 BMW 5 Series
1997 Holden Commodore VT
1998 Volkswagen Passat
1999 Honda S2000
2000 Mercedes C-class
2001 Ford Mondeo
2002 Mazda6
2003 Honda Accord Euro
2004 Nissan Maxima
2005 Mazda MX-5
2006 Porsche Cayman
2007 Mazda2
2008 Ford Falcon FG
2009 Ford Fiesta
2010 BMW 5 Series
2011 Ford Focus
2012 Toyota 86
2013 Volkswagen Golf
2014 Mazda3
2015 BMW i3
2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
2017 Skoda Kodiaq
2018 Subaru Forester
2019 Jaguar I-Pace
2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC
2021 Hyundai Ioniq 5
2022 BYD Atto 3
2023 MG4
2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class