2025 World Car of the Year – G45 BMW X3, Hyundai Inster and Kia EV3 EVs named as top three finalists

The finalists of this year’s World Car Awards have been announced before the eventual winners are announced next month at the 2025 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). A jury of 96 automotive journalists from 30 countries placed their ballots to select the finalists that will compete in six categories.

The latest BMW X3 which was revealed last June will be competing for the highly coveted World Car of the Year award, which was won by the Kia EV9 last year. To do so, it will have to fend off two compact electric SUVs in the form of the Hyundai Inster (also known as the Casper Electric) as well as the Kia EV3.

Both electric SUVs are also in the running for the World Electric Vehicle award, with the Porsche Macan Electric being the third finalist in this category. Kia will look to pull back-to-back wins in this category, as the EV9 won it in 2024.

Moving on to the World Luxury Car award (2024 winner was the BMW 5 Series), two of the three finalists in this category are from Porsche, namely the Macan and Panamera. The electric Volvo EX90, which is currently open for booking in Malaysia, rounds off the top three.

In the exciting World Performance Car category, we once again have two contenders from Porsche, the 911 Carrera GTS and the Taycan Turbo GT. It’s an all-German affair here, with the BMW M5 being the third finalist looking to take the title after the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N won it last year.

Next up is the World Urban Car category that was won by the Volvo EX30 last year. The compact-sized finalists this time are the BYD Seagull (also known as the Dolphin Mini), the Hyundai Inster/Casper Electric as well as the MINI Cooper Electric. For those keeping track, Hyundai’s EV is in the running for three of the six awards available.

The same is also true of the Kia EV3, which is also a finalist in the World Car Design category alongside the latest Land Cruiser 250 (also known simply as the Land Cruiser in the United States or Land Cruiser Prado in other markets) and Volkswagen ID. Buzz.

You’ll notice that there are no American brands in any of the categories and German brands are very well represented at the 2025 World Car Awards. Which models do you think will win? Share your answers in the comments below.

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