Carwow Car of the Year Awards 2025
The Carwow Car of the Year Awards are your one-stop shop for car-buying advice. Whatever type of car you’re after and whatever your needs, our motoring experts have put together a list of the very best new cars introduced this year to help make your shortlist even shorter.
Our team has decades of car-testing experience between them, and has been behind the wheel of hundreds of new cars to pick the very best, focusing on everything from how they drive to how practical they are, and everything in between – all so you don’t have to. From big, luxurious SUVs to smaller, more affordable models and including petrol, diesel and electric cars, there’s something for everyone here.
Without further ado, here are the winners, along with highly commended alternatives that are also well worth a look…
This year's winners
Car of the Year 2025
Winner: Hyundai Santa Fe
Spacious family car that’s practical, well-built and reasonably priced
There’s so much to like about the Hyundai Santa Fe. Its bold styling turns heads wherever you drive and the interior is smart, high-tech and solidly put together. Practicality is important for any family car, and the huge cabin, roomy boot and more cup holders than you could ever rationally need put a big tick in that box. Importantly it’s not silly expensive either, so it’s good value to buy and comes with hybrid engines that mean running costs aren’t too wild either. The Santa Fe really does it all.
Adventurer's Choice
Winner: BMW X5
Rugged enough for when you’re driving in the wild, luxurious enough for when you’re not
If you’re looking for a car that can take you wherever your adventurous lifestyle demands, and do so in posh comfort, look no further than the BMW X5. All engines get four-wheel drive should you head off the beaten track and you can get a plug-in hybrid engine for low-cost local journeys, or a diesel if you do big miles. It’s spacious inside, and you can get seven seats so all the family can come on trips, too.
Highly commended: Toyota Land Cruiser
Imperious off-road with Toyota’s excellent reliability record and unmatched warranty
For those who are really adventurous and spend more time driving on dirt and gravel than Tarmac, the Toyota Land Cruiser is a compelling option. The boxy design and raised ride height leave you in no doubt that this is a proper 4x4, as do the various drive modes that make the car effortless to drive on the rough stuff. It’s not particularly luxurious inside, but has all the tech you need.
Highly commended: Skoda Kodiaq
Smart, practical interior with all the usual practical touches we know and love from Skoda
The Skoda Kodiaq might not be the sort of car that lights a fire in your belly, but that’s what makes it so damn good. It looks pretty smart on the outside and the interior is a cool mix of high-quality materials, minimalist design and high-tech screens. More importantly, it’s ridiculously practical, with a big boot and clever features to make life easier.
Family Values
Winner: Hyundai Santa Fe
Practical even for big families, with a price that undercuts posh alternatives it more than matches
What makes an excellent family car is one that’s practical enough for all your things, not too expensive to buy and run, and yet is still cool enough to live with everyday. The Hyundai Santa Fe hits all these marks because it’s ridiculously practical and has a quality cabin that’s a match for cars with posher badges, at a price that undercuts them. The ultra-modern design makes it look fantastic on the drive, too.
Highly commended: Peugeot 5008
Loads of space, cool design inside and out, and loads of on-board tech
The Peugeot 5008 is another family car that can appeal to your heart as well as your head. The interior has cool retro lounge vibes coupled with modern screens aplenty, giving it a unique ambiance. But it’s also incredibly practical, with a big boot even with all seven seats in place. You also get a choice of fuel-sipping hybrid engines, while there’s also the all-electric E-5008 for zero-emission motoring.
Highly commended: Volkswagen Tiguan
High-tech cabin, good choice of engines and loads of kit as standard
It might not have a shouty design, uber-cool interior or trick technology to wow your friends and family, but the Volkswagen Tiguan absolutely nails the basics of being a good family SUV. It’s spacious enough for the family and has all the tech you need, much of which is included as standard. And once you’re out on the road it’s easy to drive, quiet and comfortable over bumps. Lovely.
Urban Living Award
Winner: Toyota Yaris Cross
Small and easy to drive with a brilliant hybrid engine
When you’re driving around the city there’s no better car for the job than the Toyota Yaris Cross. It has small dimensions that make it easy to thread through tight streets and a high driving position that gives you a great view out, useful when nipping about in busy traffic. The icing on the cake is the hybrid engine, which can comfortably top 70mpg, meaning it’s cheap to run, too.
Highly commended: Hyundai Inster
Compact dimensions, smooth electric motors and a clever, practical interior
The Hyundai Inster’s cute styling is sure to put a smile on your face, as will the fact it’s so easy to drive in town thanks to smooth electric motors and big windows that provide fantastic visibility. There are some clever touches inside, such as the sliding rear seats, which mean it’s also surprisingly spacious for a small car. And despite its relatively small batteries, range is pretty good compared with alternatives.
Highly commended: Mini Cooper
Stylish and upmarket, yet relatively affordable
Minis have always made great cars for the city and the latest Cooper is no different. It’s small and nippy which makes it ideal for urban areas, and it gets Mini’s funky fabric interior and circular infotainment display. It’s also genuinely entertaining to drive on a twisty road, meaning you’ll look forward to road trips outside the city. And despite its upmarket image, it’s actually pretty affordable.
Outstanding EV
Winner: Kia EV9
A long-range family EV offering near-Range Rover luxury for much less money
It’s easy to see why the Kia EV9’s taken home the win here. It’s not just an outstanding electric car, it’s an outstanding car full stop – it’s great to drive, huge inside, luxurious and clever in equal measure. With all models claiming over 300 miles on a charge, you can really make the most of all that ability on long journeys, too. Nobody else builds an electric SUV this good for less than £100,000 - Kia’s done it for ⅔ of that.
Highly commended: Polestar 3
Roomy and comfortable with a superb interior and brilliant performance
Polestar’s new luxury SUV takes aim at some really accomplished electric cars. Its Scandi-cool Swedish vibes are best embodied by the interior, which is both minimalist and easy to use – not an easy thing to achieve. It also comes with a super-long range and incredibly fast charging, which really takes the sting out of long trips.
Highly commended: Porsche Taycan
High-tech, high-speed and high-class
There’s no denying the Porsche Taycan comes at a price, but you’re paying for some of the very best EV technology you can get right now. Available models range from pretty quick to blindingly fast, but no matter which you go for you’re getting a massive battery that can charge incredibly fast. The Taycan is a stunningly good GT car that just happens to be electric.
Desirability Award
Winner: Bugatti Tourbillon
More like a work of art than a car
Bugatti doesn’t make normal cars. It makes intricate works of engineering art, so it’s no wonder the new Tourbillon takes home our desirability award. Yes, it’s a 277mph hypercar with a hybrid V16 engine - but it’s also beautifully designed and crafted, from the muscular styling to the watch face-inspired interior. It’s the stuff bedroom wall posters are made from.
Highly commended: Rolls-Royce Spectre
Rolls-Royce goes electric with stunning - and silent - results
True luxury doesn’t shout - and nor does the Rolls-Royce Spectre. Going electric means that Rolls can make this ultra-exclusive coupe so eerily quiet that you could quite easily conduct a conversation at motorway speeds in a whisper. Every Spectre is handcrafted out of the finest materials and even looks cool, with a more futuristic vibe than the more traditional combustion-engined Rolls-Royce models. It’s the ultimate in lavish magnificence.
Highly commended: Lamborghini Revuelto
The Lamborghini hypercar for the hybrid age
Lamborghini’s well-known for making cars which aren’t necessarily the fastest or the most powerful, but are so outlandish that they become proper automotive pin-ups. The Revuelto is one such car. It may be a plug-in hybrid, but it still gets a screaming V12 engine, and the madcap styling stands out no matter where it goes.
Smart Spender
Winner: Dacia Duster
Cheap and very, very cheerful
The third-generation Dacia Duster is the easiest one to recommend yet, because not only is it stonking value, it’s actually a really great car to live with. The hybrid engine is efficient, but you can still get a four-wheel drive model if you need something that can do a bit of mud-plugging. It’s roomy, the interior looks cool, and best of all it still undercuts even small hatchbacks in price. What’s not to like?
Highly commended: Renault Clio
The best small petrol hatchback you can buy
Huge SUVs and expensive electric cars may be popular, but the Renault Clio is all the car that most people really need. Great to drive with a posh interior and a massive boot, the Clio ticks just about every box - you can even choose from a fuel-sipping hybrid engine or a cost-effective petrol.
Highly commended: Citroen e-C3
An electric car that’s as affordable as a petrol car
Cheap electric cars usually demand a massive compromise but there’s not too much of that with the Citroen e-C3. Not only will it do nearly 200 miles between charges, but the interior has enough space for a small family and it’s as comfortable over bumps as many cars twice its price. The e-C3 proves that EVs don’t have to cost the earth to be good.
Pleasure of Driving Award
Winner: Porsche 911
Porsche’s icon goes hybrid with great results
Porsche has successfully transitioned its enduring 911 lineup to use hybrid power without spoiling what everyone likes best about it - the way it drives. The T-Hybrid system is clever, lightweight and makes the 911 even more enjoyable than before. Add in the pin-sharp handling and everyday usability we’ve come to love and the 911 Carrera GTS is truly fantastic.
Highly commended: Toyota GR Yaris
Hot hatch royalty, now even better
Everyone went crazy for the rally-bred Toyota GR Yaris when it was first launched in 2020. Well, now it’s even better, with an improved interior, more power, and the option of an automatic gearbox for the first time. It’s still ballistically fast and hugely fun, an utter pleasure to hoof down a good road.
Highly commended: Aston Martin Vantage
A British bruiser, refined for 2024
The recipe for the Aston Martin Vantage is one that’s both simple and great - huge, powerful V8 engine up front, rear-wheel drive, and a frankly gorgeous coupe body draped over all of it. For 2024 Aston gave the Vantage a new look, a huge boost in power and refined its chassis all in the name of making it better to drive - and it succeeded magnificently.
Comfortable Cruiser Award
Winner: Skoda Superb
The Ronseal of cars - it just does everything well
The Skoda Superb isn’t flashy, but it’s so good at everything else that you can forgive it for blending into the crowd slightly. Massively spacious, with a clever interior, it’s also fantastically comfortable to drive with such an easygoing nature that 400 miles on the motorway feels like a breeze.
Highly commended: BMW i5 Touring
Long-range electric estate with a standout interior
Few cars are as good at covering distance as a big BMW estate, and the i5 Touring keeps up the tradition. It’s incredibly refined and comfortable on a long journey, and that estate body means you can take plenty of stuff with you at the same time. A range of up to 348 miles and impressive performance are just the icing on the cake.
Highly commended: Citroen C5 Aircross
Hugely comfortable and fantastic value for money
The Citroen C5 Aircross is one of the most comfortable SUVs on sale, thanks to Citroen’s ‘Advanced Comfort’ suspension which has hydraulic elements – just like those big Citroens of old. Despite the clever suspension and efficient hybrid engines, the C5 Aircross is incredibly good value – less than some small hatchbacks, which is remarkable for a big, family sized SUV.
Brand of the Year
Winner: Hyundai
Stylish designs, great interiors and standout EV tech
With so many category wins it’s not totally surprising that Hyundai is Carwow’s brand of the year for 2024. Every model it builds is good – whether it’s the dinky i10, practical Tucson, cheeky Inster or the superb Santa Fe and Ioniq ranges. Hyundai cars are good to drive, great to own and usually cheaper than the competition too.
2025's Most Anticipated Car
Winner: Dacia Bigster
Budget SUV is a winner with our readers
To gauge our most anticipated car of 2025 we took a look at the numbers - and more people have read about the Dacia Bigster on our site than any other vehicle. The biggest model from the budget brand, the Bigster promises clever design, rugged performance and a price tag that won’t even come close to breaking the bank.
Tech Trailblazer Award
Winner: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
Artificial gearshift makes this EV as much fun to drive as any hot hatchback
Faking it never has the desired effect - or does it? The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is full of deception – though it’s equipped with a silent and gear-free electric powertrain, it acts and sounds like a rorty hot hatchback complete with pops and bangs, realistic revs and an artificial gearbox. Compared with the silent and smooth progress of most EVs, the Ioniq 5 N is truly thrilling to drive (helped by its 641hp power output, of course), and its N e-Shift feature is well deserving of recognition.
Van of the Year
Winner: Ford Transit Custom
Britain’s best-selling van deserves its success
The Ford Transit Custom makes driving a van for business a pleasure. It’s thoughtfully designed, with a cab that’s both hardwearing and clever, and you can have such a wide array of body sizes, layouts and optional features that there truly is a van to suit all needs. It doesn’t matter whether you go for one of the diesel engines or the excellent E-Transit Custom, as they’re both brilliant.
Highly commended: Ford Transit Courier
Small van is great to drive and surprisingly practical
The Transit Courier is based on the same underpinnings as the Ford Puma SUV, but it’s not afraid of a bit of hard work. It may be tiny but you can still fit two pallets inside, while the option of petrol engines or even a fully electric version mean that it’s ideal for deliveries in and around the city. It’s even quite fun to drive, thanks to its passenger car roots.
Highly commended: Toyota Proace City
A fab small van with an even better warranty
Toyota’s van line-up is based on the Stellantis range of light commercial vehicles, but stands out in one important way – aftercare. The ‘Relax’ warranty means that as long as you service your van with Toyota, you’ve got up to ten years of cover, and a growing network of highly-regarded Toyota Professional centres promise to keep you on the road with as little downtime as possible. It helps too that this small van has a high payload, a comfortable drive and a nice cab. Tick, tick, tick.