Forget the Oscars, it's time to reveal Select's Cars of the Year!

• Select Car Leasing reveals its Cars of the Year!
• Our amazing automotive journalists pick their favourite vehicles of the last 12 months
• Big praise for the Kia EV3 and Renault 5 E-Tech
• Porsche 911 continues to impress
• Who needs the Oscars (which take place Monday 3rd March)?

Roll out the red carpet and prepare to rub shoulders with the great and good of the automotive world. 

Because today, to coincide with the Oscars movie awards taking place in Hollywood this weekend, we're revealing our very own Cars of the Year 2025 as we celebrate 12 months of motoring brilliance in 2025.

Here at Select we've got a crack team of journalists who fill these pages with all of the latest news and reviews. The scribes have worked for all your favourite national magazines and newspapers and it's their job to get into the driver's seat and to test pretty much everything with four wheels. 

We asked them to pick the absolute favourite car they've driven in the last 12 months - the one that truly shone through and left a big, daft grin on their faces.

And here are there individual expert verdicts: 

Kia EV3 

(By Steve Fowler, EV Editor of The Independent, regular contributor to The Guardian, former Auto Express, Autocar and What Car? editor)

Let’s deal with the contenders first, shall we? I’m a sucker for small, affordable cars and these days they tend to come with a level of luxury and safety kit that means the only compromise is on space.

I’d take the properly hybrid MG3 ahead of the mild hybrid Suzuki Swift, but both are great to drive, easy to park, yet still have enough space for occasional family car duties. And they’re both relative bargains with all the touchscreen tech and little luxury features (heated steering wheel, anyone?) that you’ll ever need. They’re efficient, too.

You don’t have to move too far up the price ladder to get even more greatness, and one other car that has really stood out this year has been the Citroen C3 Aircross (below). The Fowler family used to lease an old C3 Aircross and it was, to put it politely, perfectly acceptable. It wasn’t a car we fell in love with.

The new C3 Aircross is bigger, more stylish, better to drive and even more of a bargain than before. The e-C3 Aircross may be criticised for its meagre 188-mile range, but we never did 188 miles in a week in our old model Aircross, let alone in a single stint.

Citroen has kept its costs low thanks to its access to the Stellantis parts bin – the C3 Aircross shares much with the new Vauxhall Frontera and Fiat Grande Panda. And it’s the latter that also makes its way on to my shortlist.

The new Grande Panda (below) is a really clever piece of automotive engineering; brilliantly designed with references to iconic Pandas of old, but brought up to date in a usable package that’s great fun to drive and be in, and an ideal urban runaround. I loved it.

It’s hard to think of cars that cost more than £40,000 that have seriously impressed me over the past year, which is handy as that’s the level that the government has decided it’ll load an Expensive Car Supplement onto via the new road tax system coming in on April 1.

The Kia EV3 – or the best version of the Kia EV3 – costs £35,995 and this all-electric small SUV will go up to 375 miles on a single charge. You will not go further for less cash in an SUV and the combination of style, quality, kit and driving comfort is superb.

There could be a host of names in this shortlist that you’ve never heard of, but only one has impressed me enough to be mentioned here – the Xpeng G6. It’s a Chinese-made Tesla Model Y rival that undercuts the Tesla on price and beats it on ability – it’s much more comfortable to drive and easier to live with, not least because the tech count includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which the Tesla misses out on.

So, drum role… which is the best car I’ve driven in the past twelve months. It’s the Kia EV3. Yes, an electric car, but one which goes a long way to answering many of the questions people have about electric cars, namely price and range. On top of that, it’s a brilliant all-round family car that will be a joy to live with. I’d have one in a heartbeat.

Renault 5 E-Tech

(By Tim Barnes-Clay, former presenter and producer at ITV and seasoned freelance motoring journalist)

Since its reintroduction, the Renault 5 E-Tech has left an indelible impression on me.

If you’re too young to remember the original, the wedge-shaped supermini was a common sight on the UK’s roads from the early 1970s until it was discontinued in the mid-1990s.

Now Renault has managed to reincarnate it in ultra-modern form without ruining its heritage, with knowing nods to its 20th-century predecessor - and this new one is all-electric, too. Why is it great? Well, this is far more than a half-hearted tribute act to an old, fading icon - it’s an excellent all-rounder that’s attractive in just about every way.

As superminis go, it's surprisingly practical. It offers plenty of space in the front and enough room in the back for a couple of adults as long as they're not too tall. An impressive boot capacity of 326 litres beats most rivals.

Regarding drivability, it's a nice blend of ride comfort and handling. It offers an engaging driving experience, keen cornering, and decent steering without feeling excessively firm, making it suitable for motorway cruising, zipping around town centres, and tackling twisty rural roads.

Power comes in two forms - 120PS or 150PS - the former good for 0-62mph in 9.0 seconds, dropping to 7.9 seconds in the latter. The Sport driving mode, available in all but the entry-level model, provides sharper throttle response, making it feel even quicker.

The funky, modern interior is superbly equipped, with all models getting a user-friendly 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen, a seven-inch digital driver display, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring, dual-zone climate control, 18-inch alloys, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic LED headlights and taillights.

Higher models get a larger 10.3-inch driver display, driving modes, ambient lighting, a rear-view camera, a wireless phone charger, and a synthetic leather steering wheel. The top model heats the wheel and the seats and adds lumbar adjustment.

Driver assistance systems are abundant, with automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist, among many others. The top model even gets adaptive cruise control, hands-free parking, and a blind spot warning.

Two battery options, 40kWh and 52kWh, provide a claimed range of 190 and 248 miles, respectively. The latter beats most competitors and can top up from 15 to 80% in just 30 minutes at its maximum 100kW charging rate. 

The Renault 5 E-Tech has already won several noteworthy awards, and it's not hard to see why. Its many attractive attributes culminate in a versatile, adaptable family car that's cheap to run.

And the icing on the cake? It costs almost a third less than some of its closest competition. It is truly excellent value for money - especially when it comes to leasing.

Abarth 600e 

(By Phill Tromans, former AutoTrader, Evo, Car, Fleet News, DriveTribe staffer and F1 podcast host)

I’ve long felt that Abarth cars are a curious lot. I’ve had an awful lot of fun in cars developed by this performance-focused offshoot of Fiat, but I’ve never felt they were particularly good. The Abarth 595, by way of example, is objectively a bit rubbish, but it’s hilariously good fun to drive.

So I had relatively low expectations of the Abarth 600e, envisaging a beefed up version of the Fiat of the same name, with a few upgrades to make it look sportier and some gimmicks that I had little time for.

The launch event was suitably shambolic, with two full days of travelling in Italy for less than an hour of actual driving. And the gimmicks are present and correct – fake engine noise in an all-electric car, and enthusiastic epithets daubed on the interior. “MIND THE SCORPION” screams lettering on the centre console, which while good life advice feels unnecessary in an electric SUV.

And yet, the brief blast of the top-spec Abarth 600e Scorpionissima on a test track was the most fun I've had in a car all year. Where earlier Abarth’s were a bit dynamically all over the place, this one is properly sorted, with fantastically meaty, direct steering, loads of grip and a predictability in its handling that just makes you want to lean on it.

The instant oomph from the all-electric drivetrain makes it the most powerful Abarth ever, with 280PS in the Scorpionissima model, and gives you both instant acceleration and lots of mid-corner adjustability, which is both useful and enjoyable in a performance car.

There are issues, of course. Fun and impressive as the 600e is, it’s not particularly practical compared to its opposition, which is something of a problem for what is supposed to be a family car. Rear legroom is tight, there aren’t enough storage spaces and the boot isn’t particularly massive, either. The battery range – up to 207 miles on a single charge – is unremarkable when rivals like the Cupra Born VZ will manage more than 370.

And yet. The incoming dominance of electric cars has prompted much wailing and gnashing of teeth among many petrol-headed driving enthusiasts, but if a small electric SUV can be this much fun then there is considerable hope for the future. It also makes me much more interested in what Abarth gets up to next, because the 600e represents a very impressive new driving benchmark. Bravo.

Porsche 911

(By James Fossdyke, regular contributor to Sunday Times Driving as well as former Press Association Motoring scribe)

I never cease to be amazed at the bandwidth of the Porsche 911 range, and it’s clear the latest-generation car carries on where its predecessors left off. I know Porsches are seen as a bit dull and a bit unimaginative, but they’re just so good they’re impossible to ignore. And somehow, despite ostensibly being the same cars, every version feels noticeably different. There is, in essence, a 911 for everyone.

If you want a pure sports car, get yourself the standard Carrera Coupe. If you’re after the visceral involvement of a well-sorted open-top roadster, go for the sensational Carrera T Cabriolet, and if it’s technical excellence you want, it’s the Carrera 4 GTS T-Hybrid you need. And in the fullness of time, there’ll be a Turbo version for those who want to zip across continents at breakneck speed, and a GT3 RS for those who want to feel like an endurance car racer.

So while I’ve loved every version of the new 911 (confusingly known in Porsche circles as the 992.2) I’ve driven thus far, I keep coming back to the completely standard Carrera Cabriolet. It isn’t the fastest 911 in the range – it’s actually one of the slowest – and it doesn’t have the most feel, the best handling or the most practical interior. But it is the most comfortable 911, and it is (relatively speaking) the cheapest. It also sounds good, drives well and has just about enough equipment, so if I had to drive a 911 every day, or if I wanted to go on a road trip, this is the car I’d choose.

Yet while the Carrera Cabriolet is the Porsche I’d recommend simply on the basis of it being almost flawless, it is not the 911 I’ve enjoyed most in the past 12 months or so. Nope, that honour belongs to the Carrera T Cabriolet, a closely related sibling that’s infinitely more irritating but, like the ex-girlfriend you know you really should forget, still somehow lives on in the depths of my heart.

There is an awful lot wrong with this car. It’s more expensive than the standard Carrera Cabriolet, but no more powerful – it has the same 3.0-litre flat-six engine that produces 394hp – and it’s even slower from 0-62mph thanks to its six-speed manual gearbox. It also has a wooden gear knob, which is just plain weird, and it has a silly manual gearbox motif on the windows and dashboard.

Other problems include a relative lack of standard equipment over and above the (much cheaper) Carrera Cabriolet, and weird grey wheels and stickers on the doors. Even worse than that, Porsche has firmed up the suspension in a bid to improve the already pretty spectacular handling, and tweaked the steering. And while all that may make the Carrera T even more tactile than the standard car, it also makes it quite a lot less comfortable. Every pothole feels like being smacked in the kidneys by a heavyweight boxer.

And because Porsche has decided to shave a few kilos from the Carrera T’s kerb weight (in its lightest form, it’s 42kg lighter than the equivalent standard Carrera), there’s less soundproofing, so you can hear the rain drumming on the lightweight glass and the spray splattering the uninsulated arches. All of which makes the Carrera T a very unpleasant car to drive through the middle of Reading on a dull, drizzly Monday morning.

But like some sort of four-wheeled gremlin, it’s a completely different animal when the sky clears and you burst out of the city and into the countryside. With the roof down, the sports exhaust makes a fabulous snarl that reverberates off the dry stone walls and echoes down valleys. It’s the sort of noise that makes the hair on your arms stand on end.

Those arms have to work hard, though, because the steering wheel picks up every little movement and shimmy of the front wheels and feeds it back through your fingertips. You know exactly what those fat tyres are going through at any given moment, and that makes the car superbly controllable no matter what. It’s a useful feature in a car that’s light, powerful and rear-wheel-drive.

Even when your left hand leaves the steering wheel to change gear, it’s overwhelmed with information. The gear change is mechanical and precise, and when you get it exactly right, there’s no better feeling in the world. But you won’t always get it right, and the Carrera T doesn’t necessarily suffer fools too gladly. Put your foot down mid-corner and the tail will wag like a dog in a shop window, but the feel means putting that right is intuitive and almost easy – as long as you’re expecting it.

So as you can see, the Carrera T Cabriolet is far from perfect, yet for me, it still kind of is. But the beauty of the 911 is that while the Carrera T may not be for everyone, there’s probably another version that’s better suited. Whether that’s a Targa 4 GTS or a Carrera 4S Coupe, the 911 always delivers. And that’s what has made it the definitive sports car not just of the past year, but of all time.

Volvo EX90

(By Phil Huff, Editor of Professional Van and Professional Pickup and who writes cars, vans and pick-up reviews for national and regional newspapers)

There are so many options to choose from this year, which makes life difficult, but there’s been no single standout model, with a breadth of talent across brands from budget to luxurious.

I think I can guess what some of my colleagues will pick — James will undoubtedly pick a Porsche, and somebody will have chosen the new Renault 5. Both would be justified.

The Kia EV3 would be a contender for me, but the price tag is far from the value offering the brand is famous for. The same can be said of the Dacia Duster. It’s not glamorous, but it does ‘being a car’ really well. Honestly, I’m tempted to get one myself, but by the time I’ve specced it up to how I’d like it, I’d be perilously close to rather more luxurious motors.

So I’m going to go to the other end of the scale and pick a car costing £100,000, and one that I gave a rather harsh three-star rating.

The truth is, it’s an incredibly confusing car. One minute, it’s the best thing on the road, and then you remember you’ve spent six figures on a car with equipment missing. There’s a large lump above the windscreen that houses a Lidar array, but it’s not connected to anything meaningful and doesn’t help your driving in any way. Likewise, cross traffic alerts are missing, so pulling out of parking spaces in more than five metres of SUV is a nerve-wracking experience. Android Auto is absent, the cruise control system doesn’t have all of its functions, and the Plug&Charge system that works in a Kia doesn’t work in a Volvo. You can’t even set a light theme on the screens, limited to gloomy dark screens. Volvo says all this will get fixed with software updates, although they have so far avoided saying when.

So why the hell would I choose the Volvo EX90?

Volvo hasn’t skimped on the EX90, using it as a bit of a marker of what they can do when given free rein to build a car more expensive than a Porsche 911 Carrera that I’m still betting James has chosen (editor's note: yep, see above!).

It’s an electric SUV that’s pushed beyond five metres, weighs 2.8 tonnes, and comes with a battery that, despite the vehicle’s bulk, is good for 374 miles. And that seems accurate, with my own testing showing a range of 363 miles despite some rather enthusiastic driving.

You shouldn’t be using a seven-seater SUV as a performance car, but there’s 517hp and a mammoth 910Nm of torque under the bonnet, with power going to all four wheels. Slip the drive mode into Sport, and it’s surprisingly agile. Taking it to a sunlit canyon road outside of Los Angeles, it kept up with a Corvette C6, although I suspect I was working harder than the driver in front of me.

That’s not the California sun getting to me, as it was a delight on the wet, miserable and cold roads around Staines when I got my chance to drive it in the UK in December. It’s a near-silent haven, cutting out the noise of the city and leaving you wonderfully isolated inside. It’s a little stiffer than I might like, but no doubt it’s a compromise to keep the thing upright when asking the wide tyres to keep you on the road, although it’s never uncomfortable.

The cabin is wonderful, too. I rather laid into its little brother, the EX30, for its complete reliance on an unfathomable digital screen, but there’s more money in the EX90 so Volvo has fixed many of the issues.

It’s still pared back, but there are buttons for most of the essential functions, and you get both a stunningly good digital instrument panel and a head-up display ahead of you. Ok, they all failed briefly somewhere on the outskirts of LA, but I’ll put that down to it being one of the first cars off the production line that was missing the first software updates.

My car was upholstered with a wool blend, which is a glorious material to sit on for hours at a time. Keep your hot, sticky leather.

There’s recyclable and sustainable material all over the place — which is a little pointless in a MASSIVE seven-seater that’s already used more of the Earth’s resources than I’d like to consider — and the rear-most seats will (just) fit a couple of adults. There’s even a half-decent boot left, which extends to enormous proportions when you run it with the rear seats folded flat.

It’s a glorious car. Volvo has nailed what makes a car like this work so well — although, amusingly, they also haven’t made it work, with all the missing kit. So, my Best Car of the Year is picked with a huge caveat: I’m trusting Volvo to do the right thing and deliver all the updates they promise. 

The Volvo EX90 shares pretty much everything with the Polestar 3, although the latter only has five seats. I’ve not driven that yet, but coincidentally, one arrives on my driveway the day after I’m writing this. The Volvo EX90 tops my list for now, but that could change within a week…

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