- Trio of finalists unveiled for World Car of the Year 2025 award
- BMW X3, Hyundai Inster and Kia EV3 will compete for title
- Overall winner announced April 16th
- Unveiling to take place at New York International Auto Show
Hurrah for affordable, compact EVs - because two of them have just been shortlisted for the prestigious World Car of the Year 2025 award.
The World Car Awards have been celebrating motoring excellence for more than 20 years, with the gongs decided upon by a panel of some 96 international journalists.
This year the overall ‘World Car of the Year’ title will be won by either the BMW X3, Hyundai Inster or Kia EV3 (below), with the victor announced next month.
It won’t be lost on you that two of those vehicles - the Inster and the EV3 - are fully-electric urban crossovers, while the recently-overhauled BMW X3 offers petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
The Hyundai Inster gets a range of up to 229 miles between charges while an efficiency-boosting heat pump comes as standard.
The highly-acclaimed Kia EV3 (also named 'UK Car of the Year' earlier this month) can journey up to 372 miles between trips to the plug and acts as the baby brother to the Kia EV6.
The fourth-generation BMW X3 (above) arrived in the middle of 2024 with fresh new exterior styling and more efficient engines. The plug-in hybrid variants are capable of travelling up to 56 miles using electricity alone.
The awards are sponsored by high-performance car parts specialists Brembo.
Daniele Schillaci, Brembo’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are honoured to celebrate the finalists of the prestigious World Car of The Year Awards. These awards recognise the best cars in the world, setting new benchmarks in technology, performance and design.”
Here’s a run-down of the finalists in each World Car Awards category:
World Car of the Year
- BMW X3
- Hyundai Inster
- Kia EV3
World Electric Vehicle
- Hyundai Inster
- Kia EV3
- Porsche Macan Electric
World Luxury Car
- Porsche Macan
- Porsche Panamera
- Volvo EX90
World Performance Car
- BMW M5
- Porsche 911 Carrera GTS
- Porsche Taycan Turbo GT
World Urban Car
- BYD Dolphin
- Hyundai Inster
- Mini Cooper Electric
World Car Design
- Kia EV3
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Volkswagen ID. Buzz
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