Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Luxury Car Under $100K finalists announced – UPDATE
Here is every finalist in the running to win the Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Luxury Car Under $100K award.
Drive Car of the Year 2025
Now in its 20th year, the annual Drive Car of the Year awards program continues to be the Australian new car buyer’s most-trusted advisor.
At Drive, we test drive more than 200 new cars every year, evaluating each against its innate promise to sort the best from the rest. We divide the 400-plus new passenger cars, SUVs, 4WDs and utes into 19 price-banded categories focused on the end-user. Then we analyse the strengths and weaknesses of every car to find the cream of the automotive crop.
Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Luxury Car Under $100K
UPDATE, 16 December 2024 – FINALISTS CONFIRMED
There have been some interesting developments in the Best Luxury Car under $100K category for 2024.
In terms of traditional players, the all-new BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class models arrived, but stepped over the $100,000 price cap, and the new Audi A5, which replaces the A4, may have been introduced overseas, but Australian buyers will need to wait until next year.
Further, a refreshed Lexus ES is not due until at least 2025, as are launches from new Chinese challengers in the electric vehicle (EV) space.
And although a new Toyota Camry and Honda Accord both landed with more premium positioning than ever before, the challengers to the two-time category-winning Mercedes-Benz C-Class come from a new variant in BMW’s electric i4 lineup and a swoopy Scandinavian crossover.
The BMW i4 eDrive 35 delivers a true BMW experience under the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold, making the fully-electric four-door coupe something of a revelation for novated lease buyers. Fit and finish is typically well presented, and the 210kW electric motor offers punchy urban performance and an impressive 430km quoted range.
Sure, it misses out on some driver-assistance technology and personalisation options, but its sharp pricing and premium feel make it a solid contender.
Read more about the BMW i4 eDrive 35 here.
The W206 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is back to contest the title for the third-year running. From the three-pointed star on the grille, through the high-tech interior and rear-drive chassis, the C-Class presents and feels like a proper Mercedes, every way you look at it.
Both the C200 and C300 variants are eligible for the award, with the 190kW/400Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol C300 the current pick of the range.
Read more on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class here.
Another fully-electric contender, the Polestar 4, is also ready to throw its hat in the luxury car ring.
Both the 200kW single and 400kW dual-motor variants are eligible for the Drive Car of the Year award, with the Scandinavian four-door coupe’s minimalistic but high-quality interior, and window-less rear hatch creating plenty of chatter from DCOTY judges.
Read more here about the 2024 Polestar 4 line-up.
The Drive Car of the Year Best Luxury Car Under $100K winner will be announced on 24 February 2025.
The below was published on 13 November 2024:
The Best Luxury Car under $100K category is one where many of the judging criteria require the cars to be 'just so'. This is where judges (and buyers) are looking for vehicles that consider a premium approach to technology and include features that extend beyond the norm to enhance your motoring life.
Rather than looking at simply what is included with a car, this category assesses how things have been included. Judges look at everything from the material selection, comfort and quietude of the cabin, and even whether the keyfob feels up to the task.
Judges will ask, has the technology been integrated in a way that feels connected to the car, is the audio system partnered with a specialist in the game, and just how premium is the purchase and ownership journey?
The winner of this category in 2024 and 2023, the W206 Mercedes-Benz C-Class has set a strong stake in the ground for what level of 'luxury' buyers can expect from this price band. It looks like a baby S-Class, wants for no gizmo or gadget, and offers a perky and efficient driving experience, but can the Mercedes sedan hold on to the title for another year or is the door open for a new contender to make its mark?
To see the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord throw their respective hats in the 'luxury car' ring is a testament to just how much car you get for your money these days.
The range-topping Camry SL hybrid offers heated and ventilated seats, a panoramic glass roof, large alloy wheels, and a slickly appointed interior for just under $54,000 plus on-road costs whereas the Honda (for about $65K drive-away) brings the latest Google-backed infotainment technology, plenty of space and, like the Toyota, a quiet and efficient hybrid drivetrain.
Even the facelifted Skoda Octavia delivers a revitalised sense of Eastern European chic in either a sedan or wagon.
There's a new BMW 1 Series in play and some fresh electric contention from new-specification models of the BMW i4 and the Tesla Model 3, each providing a significant point of differentiation from their previously tested (and now excluded) brethren.
To round things out, the new Polestar 4 presents a whole new look at what luxury can look like with up to 400kW of zero-rear-window Scandi-style.
Will any of these offer enough tangible and intangible excess to topple the Mercedes? Stay tuned to find out.
FAQs
Which cars are eligible for this category?
Drive’s rules require that, for a car to be eligible, it must:
- Be all-new or significantly updated.
- Be on sale with customer deliveries commenced by 31 December 2024.
- Retail examples be made available for Drive to road test before that cut-off date.
- Pricing cut-offs exclude discounts and limited-time offers.
| Contenders | Not here in time |
| – Cars that are all-new or significantly updated since they last contested Drive Car of the Year. – New categories are open to all cars that fit category requirements. – Last year’s winner is an automatic inclusion. | – These cars meet category requirements, but are not due to arrive in time for Drive Car of the Year 2025 judging. |
| BMW 1 Series BMW i4 eDrive 35 – finalist Honda Accord Mercedes-Benz C-Class (defending) – finalist Polestar 4 – finalist Skoda Octavia Tesla Model 3 Performance Toyota Camry | Audi A5 (due to arrive early 2025) |
What are the next steps?
The winner of the 2025 Drive Car of the Year – Best Luxury Car Under $100K will be announced in February 2025.
Before then, we will announce the finalists, all of which deliver a "premium approach to technology and features that enhance motoring life".
Read more:
