2025 CarsAwards: The Finalists

The 39 finalists of the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa, have been announced. The 13 category winners of the 2025 CarsAwards will be selected from these vehicles, each of which will be tested intensively at Gerotek in early November.

The 2025 CarsAwards (or #CarsAwards, on social media) marks the 8th iteration of South Africa’s most comprehensive and authoritative motoring awards programme that annually recognises the best purchasing propositions in 13 respective segments of the local new-vehicle market.

What’s more, like the preceding (2023/24) iteration of the programme, the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa is sponsored by Absa and endorsed by the Automotive Business Council of South Africa (the motor industry body formerly known as the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa), which organised the SA Autoweek event that took place in Cape Town this week.

The 39 finalist vehicles (3 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”. See also: 2025 CarsAwards: The Semi-Finalists

Unlike other automotive awards programmes, all models and derivatives available on the South African new-vehicle market on September 1, 2024 were eligible for the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa not only new products launched during the past 12 months.

However, to ensure that the 2025 CarsAwards best represents the local new-car market when the winners are announced in early next year, 3 models that were launched and made available for evaluation between September 1, 2024 and the time of finalist selection were included as wildcards.

Full list of 2025 CarsAwards Finalists

Best Budget Car (under R300 000)

Search our listings for a new/used: Hyundai Exter, Suzuki Swift, or Mahindra XUV 3XO.

Best Compact Hatch (R300 000 to R500 000)

Search our listings for a new/used: Honda Fit, Volkswagen Polo, or Suzuki Baleno.

Best Budget Crossover (R300 000 to R400 000)

Search our listings for a new/used: Toyota Urban Cruiser, Suzuki Fronx, or Kia Sonet.

Best Compact Family Car (R400 000 to R600 000)

Search our listings for a new/used: Kia Seltos, Toyota Corolla Cross, or Volkswagen T-Cross.

Family Car (R600 000 to R800 000)

Search our listings for a new/used: Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, Volkswagen Tiguan, or Kia Sportage.

Premium Crossover (R700 000 to R1m)

Search our listings for a new/used: BMW X2, Mini Countryman, or Volvo XC40.

Executive SUV (R1m to R1.3m)

Search our listings for a new/used: Lexus NX, Mercedes-Benz GLC, or BMW X3.

Best Premium SUV (R1m to R1.5m)

Search our listings for a new/used: BMW X5, Lexus RX, or Mercedes-Benz GLE.

Best Adventure SUV

Search our listings for a new/used: Ford Everest, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, or Land Rover Defender.

Best Leisure Double Cab (under R750 000)

Search our listings for a new/used: Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, or Toyota Hilux.

Ultimate Double Cab (above R750 000)

Search our listings for a new/used: Ford Ranger, Ineos Grenadier, or Toyota Hilux.

Performance Car (under R2 million)

Search our listings for a new/used: BMW M2, Audi RS3, or Mercedes-AMG A45.

Best EV (under R1.3 million)

Search our listings for a new/used: BMW X1, Mini Countryman, or Volvo EX30.

Toyota and BMW have the most finalists

As with the 2023/24 CarsAwards programme, Toyota and BMW have the most finalists with 5 contenders each (or 7 each, if you count Lexus and Mini with their respective parent brands). Ford, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Suzuki and Volkswagen are in joint third place with 3 finalists each.

Eighteen car brands are represented in the finalist list of the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa. This 2025 CarsAwards is further distinguished by the fact that models from Ineos Automotive and Mahindra have progressed to the final stage of the awards programme for the first time.

Three 2023/24 CarsAwards winners – BMW iX1 xDrive30 M Sport, Ford Everest 3.0TD V6 4WD Wildtrak and Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 85kW R-Line – have been chosen as finalists in their categories again.

Different derivatives of 3 defending champions – Kia Sportage, Toyota Corolla Cross and Mercedes-Benz GLC – have also made the list, while last year’s Premium Crossover winner (BMW X1) has been substituted by its X2 sibling. Other returning winners – Suzuki Swift (new model), Suzuki Baleno and Ford Ranger Raptor – feature in new categories.

What’s next for the 2025 CarsAwards?

During the next phase of the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa each of the 39 finalists (3 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.

Learn more about the 2025 CarsAwards judges & categories

As with previous iterations of the CarsAwards, the 19 judges’ scores for each of the 39 finalists will only count for 50% of the final standings. The other 50% will be based on rankings that the finalist vehicles’ respective brands achieved in the Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey.

The data incorporates feedback from thousands of vehicle owners, based on their experiences of their vehicles (less than four years old and serviced through franchised outlets).

The winners of the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa will be announced at a gala event in Gauteng in February 2025. The event will be complemented by a Cars.co.za Roadshow at the Mall of Africa, where consumers will be able to see the finalist vehicles (and even purchase them), interact with judges and have interactive #CarsAwards experiences.

The public can follow the 2025 CarsAwards on Cars.co.za, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.