Leading online motoring portal Cars.co.za announced the 39 finalists of the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa, at SA Autoweek in Cape Town on Wednesday 16 October.
Now in its eighth iteration, the CarsAwards (or #CarsAwards, on social media) is 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.
The 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards marks the second consecutive year that the programme is sponsored by Absa and endorsed by The Automotive Business Council of South Africa (Naamsa) – the organiser of SA Autoweek, which took place in Cape Town this week.
“The consumer is at the forefront of our business and we measure the success for our awards programme by its potential to positively impact consumer behaviour,” says Cars.co.za’s Hannes Oosthuizen, who has been the head of the CarsAwards project since its inception in 2015.
“Therefore, we continue to evolve the Cars.co.za Awards programme to reflect South Africa’s ever-changing motoring landscape. We scrutinise sales data and market trends annually to define categories that are truly relevant to the South African consumer,” Oosthuizen adds.
“This year’s categories reflect that, especially in Best Budget Car, where the finalists we’ve chosen represent particularly strong value propositions with commendable safety specifications.
“Another example is the new category for automatic, four-wheel-drive double cabs under R750 000. South Africans love double cabs and the finalists in Best Leisure Double Cab (as opposed to Ultimate Double Cab) are variants that many prospective new-bakkie buyers aspire to own.”
These 39 finalist vehicles (three 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”.
As opposed to 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 – not only new products that were launched during the past 12 months.
However, to ensure that the CarsAwards best represents the local new-car market when the winners are announced in early 2025, two models that were launched and made available for evaluation between September 1 and the time of finalist selection were included as wildcards.
“Importantly, consumers have just as much say in which vehicles are named category winners as our judges,” Oosthuizen adds. “They can participate in the CarsAwards by telling us about their experiences with the vehicle/s they own, especially with regards to after-sales service. Data collection (in partnership with Lightstone Consumer) is a vital aspect of the programme.”
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 finalists list of the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa. This year’s CarsAwards further marks the first time that models from Ineos Automotive and Mahindra have progressed to the final stage of the awards programme.
Full list of 2024/25 CarsAwards Finalists
Best Budget Car (under R300 000)
- Hyundai Exter 1.2 Executive
- Mahindra XUV 3XO 1.2T MX3
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX
Best Compact Hatch (R300 000 to R500 000)
- Honda Fit 1.5 Elegance Auto
- Suzuki Baleno 1.5 GLX Auto
- Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 85kW R-Line Auto
Best Budget Crossover (R300 000 to R400 000)
- Kia Sonet 1.5 LX Auto
- Suzuki Fronx 1.5 GLX Auto
- Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 XR Auto
Best Compact Family Car (R600 000 to R800 000)
- Kia Seltos 1.5 CRDi EX+
- Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 Hybrid XR
- Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI R-Line
Family Car (R600 000 to R800 000)
- Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max 2.0TGDi 390T Executive AWD
- Kia Sportage 1.6 CRDi GT Line Plus
- Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI R-Line
Premium Crossover (R700 000 to R1m)
- BMW X2 sDrive18i M Sport
- Mini Countryman S ALL4
- Volvo XC40 B4 Ultimate Dark
Executive SUV (R1m to R1.3m)
- BMW X3 30e xDrive M Sport
- Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport
- Mercedes-Benz GLC300d 4Matic
Best Premium SUV (R1m to R1.5m)
- BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport
- Lexus RX 500h F Sport
- Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d 4Matic
Best Adventure SUV
- Ford Everest 3.0TD V6 4WD Wildtrak
- Land Rover Defender 110 D350 X-Dynamic HSE
- Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2.8GD VX-R
Best Leisure Double Cab (under R750 000)
- Ford Ranger 2.0SiT XLT 4×4 Auto
- Isuzu D-Max 1.9TD LS 4×4 Auto
- Toyota Hilux 2.4GD-6 Raider 4×4 Auto
Ultimate Double Cab (above R750 000)
- Ford Ranger 3.0T V6 Raptor 4WD
- Ineos Grenadier 3.0T Quartermaster Trialmaster Edition
- Toyota Hilux GD-6 4×4 GR-Sport
Performance Car (under R2 million)
- Audi RS3 Sportback quattro
- BMW M2 Auto
- Mercedes-AMG A45 S 4Matic
Best EV (under R1.3 million)
- BMW iX1 xDrive30 M Sport
- Mini Countryman SE ALL4
- Volvo EX30 Plus Twin Motor Performance
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.
During the next phase of the 2024/25 CarsAwards, each of the 39 finalists (three 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.
The judges for the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa are:
- Ashley Oldfield (Cars.co.za)
- David Taylor (Cars.co.za)
- Gero Lilleike (Cars.co.za)
- Jacob Moshokoa (Cars.co.za)
- Wendy Knowler (Consumer Specialist, News24, Cape Talk, 702)
- Brenwin Naidu (Sowetan, Sunday Times)
- Muzi Sambo (Independent – Youtube)
- Mr HowMuch (Independent – Youtube/Social)
- Rebaneilwe Semakane (Youtube/Social)
- Juliet McGuire (Independent)
- Nafisa Akabor (Tech Expert)
- Phuti Mpyane (Business Day)
- Samuel Da Fonseca (The Car Scene)
- Brendon Staniforth (Maroelamedia)
- Relebogile Mabotja (702)
- Khutso Theledi (Metro FM)
- Kumbi Mtshakazi (Kumbi-M on Cars)
- Mpho Mahlangu (Independent/Social)
- Sibonelo Myeni (uKhozi FM, iMoto)
Consumer input as important as judges’ scores
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 Cars.co.za Awards – sponsored by Absa is designed to be a guide for all new passenger vehicle buyers,” Oosthuizen concludes. “With 50% of the final scores determined by brands’ ratings in the survey, a vehicle only really stands a very good chance of winning if it is a good product in the eyes of the judges and if its brand delivers solid after-sales service.”
“The CarsAwards brings together insights of the top motoring experts in the country combined with feedback from real people who drive these vehicles every day to help our users make the best choices for their budget and lifestyle,” adds Cars.co.za Managing Director, Amasi Mwela.
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.
