Car of the Year 2025: here are the seven finalists
After winning the title of car of the year 2024 with its Scenic E-Tech, is Renault preparing to win this European trophy once again with its electric R5? Not everything is won, because among the seven finalists selected by the jury for the Car of the Year (COTY) 2025 election, several models seem cut out to obtain this award.
Thus, out of forty-two preselected models, the sixty automotive journalists from twenty-three different European countries who form the jury for the COTY election had to select only seven finalists, of which here is the list:
- Alfa Romeo Junior
- Citroën C3/ë-C3
- Cupra Terramar
- Dacia Duster
- Hyundai Inster
- Kia EV3
- Renault 5/Alpine A290
Who are the favorites to win the 2025 Car of the Year title?
The Alfa Romeo Junior, the brand's first model to have an electric version, has a reason to be appreciated by the jury. This city SUV, however, is not revolutionary beyond this position, being only yet another similar model offered by Stellantis.
The Citroën C3 inaugurates a new positioning for the city car. It lowers its prices, which is particularly rare for a new model, and offers for the first time an electric version ë-C3. Although the first models delivered are full of flaws of all kinds, this ë-C3 retains a certain potential thanks to its relatively aggressive prices. The fact remains that this is especially valid on the French market, where it benefits from the ecological bonus which its Asian rivals do not have.
The Cupra Terramar is one of only two finalist models to skip an electric version. It was fairly well received by the press, but this SUV will perhaps lack a truly innovative aspect to attract the jury of the Car of the Year election.
The third generation Dacia Duster, for its part, leaves in our opinion with many advantages to show off. Although it does not offer an electric version either, it is for the first time available with a hybrid engine which suits it well. It manages to remain one of the rare new cars at prices affordable to families and its features have made a lot of progress compared to the previous generation, like the rest of the Dacia range.
The majority of the automotive press has not yet been able to get behind the wheel of Hyundai's small electric crossover Inster. The latter, derived from the Casper sold in Korea, however seems well equipped to find a place in the category of accessible electric cars. It will be sold for around €25,000 at entry level and announces up to 350 km of autonomy with its largest battery.
The Kia EV3, although more expensive, is another electric SUV from the HMG group with the potential to seduce the COTY election jury. Its strong argument is its autonomy of up to 605 km, thus becoming the new benchmark in this area in the B segment.
Finally, the Renault 5 E-Tech is undoubtedly one of the favorite models in this election. It was nominated alongside its cousin Alpine A290, which is none other than its sports version. The electric R5 was very well received by the press, as a product with a strong design and interesting positioning. It is certainly not without its flaws and its prices are higher than expected, but it ticks most of the boxes to appeal to the COTY jury.
To find out the big winner of this election, you will have to wait until January 10, when the results of the Car of the Year 2025 election will be announced from the Brussels International Motor Show.
