Drive Car of the Year 2025
After months of testing and assessment, the 2025 Drive Car of the Year category winners have been announced on Drive.
Congratulations to the overall winner of the 2025 Drive Car of the Year, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid.
Click below to learn more about the Hyundai Santa Fe and why it won, or choose from one of the six category groups below.
How Drive Car of the Year works in 2025
Now in its 20th year, the annual Drive Car of the Year awards program continues to be Australia's most trusted and comprehensive new car awards program.
At Drive, we test drive more than 700 new cars every year, evaluating each against its innate promise to sort the best from the rest. We divide the majority of the 400-odd new passenger cars, SUVs, 4WDs and utes into 19 price-banded categories that place a key focus on the end-user, then analyse the strengths and weaknesses of every car to find the cream of the automotive crop.
Here are all the 2025 Drive Car of the Year categories and finalists:
| Category | Finalists | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Urban Car under $30K | Chery Tiggo 4 Pro | MG 3 | Volkswagen Polo |
| Best Urban Car under $50K | Honda Civic Hybrid | Hyundai i30 Sedan | Volkswagen Golf |
| Best Luxury Car under $100K | BMW i4 eDrive 35 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | Polestar 4 |
| Best Family Car under $80K | Ford Tourneo | Kia Carnival | - |
| Best Small SUV under $50K | Hyundai Kona Hybrid | Lexus LBX | MG ZS |
| Best Small SUV under $80K | Mini Countryman | Smart #1 | Volvo EX30 |
| Best Medium SUV under $50K | BYD Sealion 6 | Hyundai Tucson Hybrid | MG HS |
| Best Medium SUV under $80K | Genesis GV70 | Lexus NX | Skoda Enyaq |
| Best Large SUV under $80K | Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid | Kia Sorento | Toyota Kluger Hybrid |
| Best Luxury SUV under $150K | Cadillac Lyriq | Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class | Porsche Macan |
| Best Off-Road SUV under $80K | Ford Everest | GWM Tank 500 | Toyota LandCruiser Prado |
| Best Off-Road SUV under $150K | Defender 110 | Lexus GX550 | Toyota LandCruiser Prado |
| Best Dual-Cab Ute under $50K | LDV T60 | KGM Ssangyong Musso | Mitsubishi Triton GLX |
| Best Dual-Cab ute under $100K | Ford Ranger | GWM Cannon Alpha | Isuzu D-Max |
| Best Dual-Cab ute under $150K | Chevrolet Silverado 1500 | Ford F-150 | Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster |
| Best Electric Vehicle under $50K | BYD Seal Dynamic | Chery Omoda E5 | MG 4 |
| Best Urban EV under $100K | BMW i4 eDrive 35 | Polestar 4 | Tesla Model 3 |
| Best Family EV under $100K | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Kia EV9 | Volkswagen ID. Buzz |
| Best Luxury EV under $150K | Cadillac Lyriq | Polestar 3 | Porsche Macan |
20 years of Drive Car of the Year winners
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