The votes are in, and the KIA EV3 is the 2025 World Car of the Year winner.
Image: Supplied: Kia South Africa
LAST week we looked at the winner of the title of the World Luxury Car of the year. Then, the Volvo EX90 slugged it out with the BMW 5-Series, the BMW i5, the Lexus LM, the Mercedes-Benz CLE, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, and came out on top.
But what if you don’t have in excess of R2.5 million to splurge on a set of wheels, but you still want the best of the best?
The good news is that there’s a possible option available; a fantastic one at that!
And what’s that option? The Kia EV3, of course.
This world-beater was announced as the 2025 World Car of the Year (WCOTY) at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Why would I suggest that it was such an obvious choice? Simply because this is Kia’s second consecutive World Car of the Year win and its third win overall.
The Kia Telluride won the title in 2020, and the Kia EV9 won last year. This win brings Kia’s total number of awards to six in the 21-year history of the World Car Awards.
This year, the winner of the WCOTY title was chosen from an initial list of 52 contenders from around the world, which was then narrowed down to three finalists: the BMW X3, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 / Casper Electric, and the Kia EV3.
Ho Sung Song, President and CEO of Kia, expressed his honor at the EV3's win and highlighted Kia's global leadership in providing design-led, technologically advanced, and sustainable mobility solutions. He emphasized how the EV3's class-leading attributes redefine the user experience for customers worldwide.
The results were tabulated from the votes of 96 distinguished international automotive journalists from 30 countries, who selected the Top Three in the World finalists by secret ballot. Their evaluation of each eligible vehicle was based on their ongoing professional work.
Oh, by the way, for those wondering just how much more affordable the Kia is, the bad news is that I don’t know. However, though pricing has not been announced yet, it is estimated that the EV3 will come in around R550,000 to R800,000, depending on the trim level and features.
Finally, just for the record, if you’re wondering why a car you have been tracking didn’t make the cut, note that to be eligible for the World Car of the Year title, vehicles must have a production volume of at least 10,000 units per year, be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets, and be on sale in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, USA) on at least two separate continents between January 1, 2024, and March 30, 2025.
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