The 25 best cars of the 21st century… so far

We’re now a quarter of the way through the 21st century and the motoring world is almost totally unrecognisable in 2025 compared to how it was in the year 2000. While 1975-2000 brought huge improvements, fundamentally the cars were just evolutions of what had come before – but now, we’re dealing with the impending electrification of all new cars, fully autonomous vehicles and new manufacturers springing up to fill the voids left as traditional companies play catch-up.

It’s true that the archetypal ‘car enthusiast’ is arguably the group to lose out in this relentless march of progress. Features such as manual gearboxes, petrol engines and simple, lightweight cars are few and far between, with heavy SUVs and EVs the family cars of choice these days. And with ever-increasing autonomy, more and more complex systems and a definite shift from traditional car ownership to increased leasing, car sharing and finance purchases, that doesn’t look likely to change soon.

But there are rays of hope out there, with exciting vehicles on the horizon and plenty of downright brilliant cars already on sale. What does the next 25 years hold? We’re not sure – but below we’ve rounded up some of the most special, the most iconic and the most influential cars of the last quarter-century so you can look back before considering the future.

2000: Mk2 Ford Mondeo

‘Mondeo Man’ was the stereotype of stereotypes at the turn of the Millennium, and famously the target of the Labour party coming up to the 1997 election. The Mk2 Mondeo also exemplified the sort of cars Ford was building at the time. Following on from the fantastic Focus, its larger sibling was good-looking, practical, cheap to run and fantastic to drive – proving that even an ‘ordinary’ family car could be special.

Honourable mentions: Ariel Atom, Toyota Prius, Vauxhall VX220
Dishonourable mentions: Chrysler PT Cruiser, Pontiac Aztek

2001: Mini hatch

Reinventing the iconic Mini for the 21st century was never going to be easy – and knowing that the task fell to the distinctly non-British BMW lead to some serious apprehension. And while the ‘new’ Mini had some criticism for its styling and its size, it immediately won legions of fans for being affordable, cheeky and amazing fun. It singlehandedly made the Mini brand immensely successful, and spun off into a whole range of cars which even today retain the true spirit of the original.

Honourable mentions: Peugeot 406 Coupe, Renault Clio V6
Dishonourable mentions: Peugeot 307, Renault Vel Satis

2002: Volvo XC90

Back in 2002, the concept of a big family SUV wasn’t really a thing. Sure, there were some who ferried the kids around in Range Rovers, Mitsubishi Pajeros or Toyota Land Cruisers – but these were all off-roaders first. Volvo realised that most of these cars never saw any road more challenging than the M6 toll, and so launched the XC90 as a hugely practical, seven-seat SUV with no pretentions towards off-roading other than four-wheel drive. Volvo’s enviable safety record (to this day it claims no passenger has ever been killed in an XC90) made this perhaps the ultimate posh family car, and it’s one of the earliest examples of a breed that’s immensely popular today.

Honourable mentions: Mazda RX-8, Volkswagen Phaeton, Ferrari Enzo
Dishonourable mentions: Mercedes Vaneo, Ford Fusion

2003: Porsche Carrera GT

Porsche’s stillborn Formula One project left the company with a 5.7-litre V10 and nothing to put it in. Enter the concept Carrera GT, which debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 2000. Porsche never expected its customers to actually *want* one, but they did – and so a few years later it became a reality. That screaming V10 was paired to an old-school manual and rear-wheel drive, making this gorgeous creation one of the best drivers’ cars of all time.

Honourable mentions: Volkswagen Golf Mk5, BMW E60 5-Series, Smart Roadster
Dishonourable mentions: Rover CityRover, Chrysler Crossfire

2004: Toyota Prius

The Prius was first launched in 2000 as the first hybrid car to really capture the public’s imagination, but it wasn’t until 2004’s Mk2 model that it reached maturity. With its styling crafted by a wind tunnel and its powertrain tuned strictly for economy, it was not a fun or desirable car – until Hollywood decided it was the perfect way to show off its eco-credentials. Now, the Prius exists in a changing landscape, where hybrids are so commonplace that manufacturers don’t really need standalone hybrid model lines. But as long as cities need taxis, you can be sure the Prius will stick around – usually with more than half a million miles on the clock…

Honourable mentions: Aston Martin DB9, Ford Focus Mk2
Dishonourable mentions: Peugeot 407, Proton GEN-2

2005: Bugatti Veyron

The car that redefined performance for a generation, and proved that while handling, weight and balance mattered more in the real world, when it came to bedroom wall posters all that counted was power and top speed. The Veyron captured the production car speed record in 2005, then retook it in 2010 with the Super Sport variant, and its 1000hp W16 engine informed Bugatti’s output for the next 20 years.

Honourable mentions: Alfa Romeo Brera, Porsche Boxster (987)
Dishonourable mentions: Peugeot 1007, Subaru Tribeca

2006: Jaguar XK

The X150-generation XK was the first Jaguar fully designed by Ian Callum, who’d go on to bring the brand into the modern era with seriously handsome cars. Featuring gorgeous lines (with more than a shade of Aston Martin DB9 about them) the XK’s all-aluminium construction meant that the days of Jaguar being old-fashioned and fuddy-duddy were definitely over.

Honourable mentions: Audi R8, Kia Ceed
Dishonourable mentions: Dodge Nitro, Vauxhall Antara

2007: Nissan Qashqai

Nissan decided not to directly replace its Almera hatchback, choosing instead to offer the Qashqai SUV as its mid-sized family car. This particular move opened the floodgates for the crossover craze, and this push is still being felt today with many mainstream manufacturers offering purely SUV model line-ups. The Qashqai was conventional, doughy and quite dull – but its influence is undeniable.

Honourable mentions: Tesla Roadster, Fiat 500
Dishonourable mentions: Mini Clubman, Renault Koleos

2008: BMW X6

The X6, like the Qashqai above, isn’t a particularly good car – but it is an influential one. The idea of a jacked-up SUV which is somehow also a sleek and impractical coupe sounds wild when you spell it out, but the X6 did it and single-handedly created the market for so-called coupe-SUVs – and now you can hardly move for sloping rooflines combined with raised ride heights.

Honourable mentions: Vauxhall Insignia, Ford Fiesta Mk6
Dishonourable mentions: Alfa Romeo MiTo, Suzuki Celerio

2009: Skoda Yeti

The Yeti is one of those cars that totally exemplifies its manufacturer. A wild mishmash of items from the Volkswagen parts bin, styling that was a strange combination of boxy and curved and the name of a mythical mountain beast – it should never have worked. But frankly ridiculous levels of family-friendly practicality and a great driving experience meant it captured the hearts of both motoring media and the public – and a well-publicised appearance on BBC’s Top Gear didn’t hurt either.

Honourable mentions: Ferrari 458, Aston Martin One-77
Dishonourable mentions: Peugeot 3008, Kia Venga

2010: Mercedes SLS AMG

The Mercedes SLS really nailed the flagship brief when it was introduced. It looked fabulous, with that long-bonnet silhouette and head-turning gullwing doors. But it also went like the clappers thanks to what was, at the time, the most powerful naturally-aspirated engine in production. Though the 6.2-litre V8 engine wasn’t unique to the SLS, it was tuned specially to sound at its best in that car, making it an even more special experience.

Honourable mentions: Lexus LFA, BMW 5 Series (F10)
Dishonourable mentions: Peugeot 508, Nissan Juke

2011: Range Rover Evoque

Range Rover had been the last word in luxury SUVs for years, but buoyed by the colossal success of the Range Rover Sport in 2005 the brand decided to go one further and produce an even more compact SUV. The resulting Evoque was wildly successful, helping Land Rover to double its sales between 2009-2012, and so there was little need to fiddle with the formula too much for the Mk2 model. Small luxury SUVs now abound, and they have the Evoque to thank.

Honourable mentions: Volkswagen Up, Porsche 911 (991)
Dishonourable mentions: DS 5, MG3

2012: VW Golf Mk7

Apart from a few years of disappointment in the middle, the VW Golf has been one of the most consistent model lines around – you know that you’ll get something solidly engineered, practical and great to live with. This was exemplified in the Mk7 model, which had that all-too-rare quality of being a car with not a single annoying feature. Yes, alternatives had bigger boots, were nicer to drive or cost less to buy, but even today the Mk7 Golf is a staggeringly good all-rounder and arguably better than the screen-heavy Mk8 that replaced it.

Honourable mentions: Morgan Three-Wheeler, Toyota GT86
Dishonourable mentions: Skoda Rapid, Vauxhall Mokka, Mini Paceman

2013: Dacia Sandero

Good news! Dacia’s introduction to the UK market gained meme status thanks to James May, but also gathered headlines in its own right thanks to the sheer value on offer. Building a car using last-gen Renault parts, and keeping trim extras to a minimum, meant Dacia could sell the cheapest car in the UK with surprisingly little compromise. It retains the accolade today with the latest Sandero, though that comes in at more than £14,000 compared to the 2013 car’s £5,995 price tag.

Honourable mentions: Jaguar F-Type, Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1
Dishonourable mentions: Alfa Romeo 4C, Maserati Ghibli

2014: Tesla Model S

Tesla’s first car, the Roadster, was a niche offering, and so when its first major product was launched nobody expected too much. But the Model S was transformational, making the world sit up and take notice of electric cars as more than just a fringe offering for a handful of eco-weirdos. The Model S was luxurious, fast, had a practical interior and a range of more than 200 miles. It kickstarted Tesla’s reign as the electric car champion, and now that EVs are firmly in the mainstream Tesla’s even more successful.

Honourable mentions: BMW i8, Porsche Macan
Dishonourable mentions: BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, Toyota Mirai

2015: Mazda MX-5 ND

Cars typically bloat up between generations, getting bigger and heavier – but after the slightly chubby third-generation MX-5, Mazda decided to reverse that trend. The fourth-generation model stayed true to the MX-5’s original formula – compact dimensions, light weight, not too much power, rear-wheel drive and a manually-operated fabric roof. The result? The perfect entry-level sports car – as friendly to a novice as it is fun for an enthusiast, and great-looking to boot. The fact that this design of MX-5 is still on sale is testament to how good it is.

Honourable mentions: Rolls-Royce Dawn, Honda Civic Mk10
Dishonourable mentions: Fiat Tipo, MG GS

2016: Volvo S90/V90

Volvo has strong heritage in making estate cars, but it took until the 2016 V90 – and the S90 saloon variant – for the brand to properly lean into the Scandi-cool aesthetic over prioritising practicality outright. The V90 was high-tech, utterly obsessive about safety, and looked desirable – no wonder every Volvo since has used an expression of the same design language.

Honourable mentions: Skoda Kodiaq, Alfa Romeo Giulia
Dishonourable mentions: Infiniti QX30, Mitsubishi Mirage

2017: Hyundai i30 N

By this point Hyundai had a reputation for building solid, unexciting cars and SUVs. So when it poached the former head of BMW’s performance-focused M division and decided to launch a hot hatchback, nobody really knew what to think. The result – the Hyundai i30 N – was staggeringly good, leaving established cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTI or Ford Focus ST playing catch-up.

Honourable mentions: Ferrari 812 Superfast, Volvo XC40
Dishonourable mentions: Vauxhall Crossland, Lamborghini Urus

2018: Jaguar I-Pace

There’s been a lot in the news recently about Jaguar’s massive brand reinvention, but you can’t forget how attention-grabbing the all-electric I-Pace seemed when it launched back in 2018. It looked nothing like any Jaguar before it, thanks to its cab-forward stance, but some of that Jag magic was captured in the way that it drove. Only selling one electric car before a total U-turn into full EV production may be foolhardy, but we’ll know more when Jaguar’s new models finally hit the roads.

Honourable mentions: Toyota Corolla, Alpine A110, McLaren Senna
Dishonourable mentions: Audi e-tron, MG HS

2019: Tesla Model 3

The Tesla Model 3 launched in 2016 but it took three long years to reach the UK – and it became an immediate hit. Like the larger Model S, the Model 3 felt like upstart Tesla was showing established manufacturers how an electric car should be done – it was no more expensive than many diesel alternatives but you got incredible performance, a high-tech interior and the warm fuzzy feeling you were saving the planet. No wonder the Model 3 has been an incredible success story for Tesla.

Honourable mentions: Land Rover Defender, Ford Puma
Dishonourable mentions: Renault Arkana, Ford Mustang Mach-e

2020: Porsche Taycan

A brand as fastidious as Porsche wasn’t going to just half-arse its first ever electric car. So it came as no surprise that the Taycan was everything Porsche fans had hoped for – fast, handsome, and incredibly good in the bends. It was the first EV to really beat Tesla at its own game, albeit for a fair chunk more money. The facelifted model introduced in 2024 is even better still.

Honourable mentions: BMW iX, Fiat 500e
Dishonourable mentions: Honda e, Volkswagen ID4

2021: Toyota GR Yaris

The Toyota Yaris is a sensible, hybrid-powered hatchback, focused on reliability and running costs. The Toyota GR Yaris is a rally-bred, four-wheel drive performance monster focused on going down a twisty road as quickly as humanly possible. Don’t get them muddled up. Originally conceived as a rally homologation model, Toyota is to be credited with putting the GR Yaris into production even after dreams of it competing were dashed – it’s evidence that car nuts do still get to call the shots sometimes, even at the world’s biggest car company.

Honourable mentions: Kia EV6, Dacia Jogger
Dishonourable mentions: Toyota bZ4X, DS 9

2022: MG 4 EV

Carwow’s Car of the Year for 2022, the MG 4 was the first Chinese car we can remember driving that you wouldn’t feel like you had to apologise for. Previous efforts had been cheap, but not much else – however the MG wasn’t just brilliant value, it was practical and surprisingly great to drive to boot. Since the 4, MG has launched improved model after improved model, and its UK sales have shot up correspondingly.

Honourable mentions: BMW i7, VW ID Buzz
Dishonourable mentions: Ineos Grenadier, BMW XM

2023: Volvo EX30

The EX30 was the surprise hit of 2023 – not just another solid and stylish Volvo, but one that was a top-class electric car as well as being absolutely cracking value. We awarded it Car of the Year for 2023, noting that as well as appealing to the head it was so characterful and charming that it could also appeal to the heart.

Honourable mentions: Porsche 911 Dakar, BMW M3 Touring
Dishonourable mentions: Vauxhall Grandland GSe, Lexus RZ

2024: Hyundai Santa Fe

We reach the present day with the current Carwow Car of the Year – the truly fantastic Hyundai Santa Fe. We rated this car so highly because it does everything that the big, established luxury SUVs do but at two-thirds of the price – it’s great to drive, incredibly practical for family use and looks amazing too. Hyundai is on a real roll at the moment, and even took home Brand of the Year as well as two further awards – so we look forward to seeing what 2025 brings.

Honourable mentions: Dacia Duster, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
Dishonourable mentions: Alfa Romeo Junior, Omoda 5

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