07-05-2025
This is the 2025 SA Car of the Year...
The 2025 edition of the South African Car of the Year competition saw 17 finalists compete.
The locally built BMW X3 has been crowned the 2025 SA Car of the Year.
SA's popular Suzuki Swift took second place, and the BMW M5 hybrid took third.
Seventeen vehicles were in the running for the 2025 South African Car of the Year title for this year's competition.
The BMW X3 has been crowned as the 2025 South African Car of the Year by the country's most respected motoring journalists.
All new vehicles launched during a specific period in 2024 are eligible for the SA COTY competition, but facelifted models do not count. The seventeen finalists were voted on by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists jury after being narrowed down from a semi-finalists list. The final 17 were then put through testing over two days by the jury earlier in March this year and were individually scored on a 32-question score sheet.
It's important to note that finalists are not scored against each other but rather in each of their respective categories and against direct rivals based on the closest vehicle specifications and prices in their segments.
Most COTY titles
The win marks a successive victory for the German manufacturer, with the G70 generation 7 Series winning the 2024 title. BMW now holds the record for being the manufacturer with the most SA Car of the Year titles, with honours dating back to 1988 when the 735i won the competition. This is the first time the X3 nameplate has been awarded the title.
While the competition is not to find the most relevant or budget-friendly vehicle for the South African market, it's about finding motoring excellence, and the X3 showcases the local industry's capabilities and outstanding manufacturing standards.
The German sport-utility vehicle edged ahead in the score sheets, excelling in its high refinement levels, innovative design, high level of digitisation, and relative value for money.
Suzuki came in a highly respectable second-place ranking for the B-segment Swift. Completing the podium was the G90 BMW M5.
6 Categories
In addition to the Top 3 overall winners, SA Car of the Year incorporates six main categories: Budget, Family, Premium, Executive, Adventure Utility and Performance.
The BMW X3, Suzuki Swift and BMW M5 are the top finishers in their respective categories: Premium, Budget and Performance.
In the Family category, the Volkswagen Tiguan received the highest overall score.
BMW took another win in the Executive class with the G60 5 Series, and Toyota secured a victory in the Adventure Utility segment with its latest-generation Land Cruiser Prado.
Mabuyane Mabuza, chairperson of the SAGMJ, congratulated all the winners and entrants, noting the strong representation of South Africa's diverse market. 'Each year brings better technology, improved quality, and a stronger focus on safety – showing manufacturers' commitment to safer roads.'
The Mahindra XUV 3XO won the 2025 Old Mutual Insure Car of the Year Motor Enthusiast 'People's Choice' Award. Voted for by the public, this compact SUV ticked all the right boxes with its bold looks, feature-packed interior, great fuel efficiency, and unbeatable value for money.
Jerry Anthonyrajah, chief commercial officer at Old Mutual Insure, said the category, introduced four years ago, highlighted the growing role of public engagement in COTY competition. 'From dual 10.25-inch screens and advanced safety tech to a panoramic sunroof and smooth drive, it brings big-car energy without the big price tag.
'It's the kind of car that gets people talking and driving. As a brand that is customer-centric and develops products to better service our customers, Old Mutual Insure is thrilled to yet again play a part in celebrating vehicles that resonate with everyday South Africans,' said Anthonyrajah.
Mabuza further explained that the COTY expert panel evaluates each finalist on design, technology, engineering, performance, handling, ingenuity, and safety.
Lightstone Auto contributes essential market intelligence and data-driven insights, including value-for-money assessments relative to market rivals and each finalist's category sales performance. An independent audit firm formally verified the 2025 competition results to ensure fairness and transparency.
