Cars Awards 2025 Finalists

The Cars Awards 2025 finalists have been announced by the Cars.co.za team at at SA Autoweek in Cape Town on Wednesday 16 October.

In case you missed it, I am one of the judges for the Cars Awards, sponsored by Absa.

The #CarsAwards, now in its eight iteration, recognises the best purchasing propositions in 13 respective segments of the local new-vehicle market.

Hannes Oosthuizen, Cars Awards project lead, says: “The consumer is at the forefront of our business and we measure the success for our awards programme by its potential to positively impact consumer behaviour.”

“Therefore, we continue to evolve the Cars Awards programme to reflect South Africa’s ever-changing motoring landscape. We scrutinise sales data and market trends annually to define categories that are truly relevant to the South African consumer.”

“This year’s categories reflect that, especially in Best Budget Car, where the finalists we’ve chosen represent particularly strong value propositions with commendable safety specifications,” says Oosthuizen.

“Another example is the new category for automatic, four-wheel-drive double cabs under R750 000. South Africans love double cabs and the finalists in Best Leisure Double Cab (as opposed to Ultimate Double Cab) are variants that many prospective new-bakkie buyers aspire to own.”

These 39 finalist vehicles (three per category) were selected by the extended Cars.co.za editorial team from a list of 65 semi-finalists. Team members evaluated the semi-finalists individually, based on the categories’ respective “Filters of Eligibility” and “Pillars of Success”.

Full list of 2024/25 Cars Awards Finalists

Best Budget Car (under R300 000)

• Hyundai Exter 1.2 Executive
• Mahindra XUV 3XO 1.2T MX3
• Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX

Best Compact Hatch (R300 000 to R500 000)

• Honda Fit 1.5 Elegance Auto
• Suzuki Baleno 1.5 GLX Auto
• Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 85kW R-Line Auto

Best Budget Crossover (R300 000 to R400 000)

• Kia Sonet 1.5 LX Auto
• Suzuki Fronx 1.5 GLX Auto
• Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 XR Auto

Best Compact Family Car (R600 000 to R800 000)

• Kia Seltos 1.5 CRDi EX+
• Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 Hybrid XR
• Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI R-Line

Family Car (R600 000 to R800 000)

• Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max 2.0TGDi 390T Executive AWD
• Kia Sportage 1.6 CRDi GT Line Plus
• Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI R-Line

Premium Crossover (R700 000 to R1m)

• BMW X2 sDrive18i M Sport
• Mini Countryman S ALL4
• Volvo XC40 B4 Ultimate Dark

Executive SUV (R1m to R1.3m)

• BMW X3 30e xDrive M Sport
• Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport
• Mercedes-Benz GLC300d 4Matic

Best Premium SUV (R1m to R1.5m)

• BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport
• Lexus RX 500h F Sport
• Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d 4Matic

Best Adventure SUV

• Ford Everest 3.0TD V6 4WD Wildtrak
• Land Rover Defender 110 D350 X-Dynamic HSE
• Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2.8GD VX-R

Best Leisure Double Cab (under R750 000)

• Ford Ranger 2.0SiT XLT 4×4 Auto
• Isuzu D-Max 1.9TD LS 4×4 Auto
• Toyota Hilux 2.4GD-6 Raider 4×4 Auto

Ultimate Double Cab (above R750 000)

• Ford Ranger 3.0T V6 Raptor 4WD
• Ineos Grenadier 3.0T Quartermaster Trialmaster Edition
• Toyota Hilux GD-6 4×4 GR-Sport

Performance Car (under R2 million)

• Audi RS3 Sportback quattro
• BMW M2 Auto
• Mercedes-AMG A45 S 4Matic

Best EV (under R1.3 million)

• BMW iX1 xDrive30 M Sport
• Mini Countryman SE ALL4
• Volvo EX30 Plus Twin Motor Performance

During the next phase of the 2024/25 CarsAwards, each of the 39 finalists (three per category) will be subjected to back-to-back testing at the renowned Gerotek proving ground in Gauteng by the combined judging panel (the Cars.co.za editorial team members and respected guest judges from various backgrounds and fields of expertise) on 4 and 5 November 2024.

The 2024/25 #CarsAwards Judges:

• Ashley Oldfield (Cars.co.za)
• David Taylor (Cars.co.za)
• Gero Lilleike (Cars.co.za)
• Jacob Moshokoa (Cars.co.za)
• Wendy Knowler (Consumer Specialist, News24, Cape Talk, 702)
• Brenwin Naidu (Sowetan, Sunday Times)
• Muzi Sambo (Independent – Youtube)
• Mr HowMuch (Independent – Youtube/Social)
• Rebaneilwe Semakane (Youtube/Social)
• Juliet McGuire (Independent)
• Nafisa Akabor (Tech Expert)
• Phuti Mpyane (Business Day)
• Samuel Da Fonseca (The Car Scene)
• Brendon Staniforth (Maroelamedia)
• Relebogile Mabotja (702)
• Khutso Theledi (Metro FM)
• Kumbi Mtshakazi (Kumbi-M on Cars)
• Mpho Mahlangu (Independent/Social)
• Sibonelo Myeni (uKhozi FM, iMoto)

“The Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa is designed to be a guide for all new passenger vehicle buyers,” Oosthuizen concludes. “With 50% of the final scores determined by brands’ ratings in the survey, a vehicle only really stands a very good chance of winning if it is a good product in the eyes of the judges and if its brand delivers solid after-sales service.”

The Cars Awards winners will be announced at a gala event in Gauteng in February 2025.

Visit https://www.cars.co.za/content/carsawards/ for more.