Ten cars, five trucks and ten utility vehicles will advance to finalist round of the prestigious awards process
DETROIT – Twenty-five vehicles have been named the “Best of 2025” by the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year™ (NACTOY) Awards organization and will move on to the second round of judging. The semifinalist vehicles were revealed today at “Cars at the Station,” an event developed by automotive enthusiast brand Hagerty in partnership with Michigan Central Station, Newlab and the City of Detroit.
NACTOY honors vehicles that excel across several criteria: innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, user experience, driver satisfaction and value. Vehicles are evaluated by a jury of 50 veteran automotive journalists who write for a wide variety of print, online and broadcast media across the U.S. and Canada; the awards are highly coveted in the automotive industry because of their lack of association with any single publication.
“We have a great variety of vehicles on the list, from the sporty to the family sedan,” said Jeff Gilbert, NACTOY president and the automotive reporter for WWJ Newsradio 950. “This list is an example of the great products that the auto industry is producing, from cutting edge electric vehicles to traditional gasoline powered cars and trucks, but also hybrids, which are a growing share of the market.”
NACTOY’s greatest strength is the ideological diversity of its jury; each juror has their own perspective on what makes a vehicle award-worthy and their own comprehensive method for evaluating vehicles. The group will convene in October for an annual meeting and comparison drive. After jurors complete their individual and collective evaluations, they will cast votes to determine the three finalist vehicles in each category. These finalists will be announced in Los Angeles on November 21, and winners will be announced at the Detroit Auto Show on January 10, 2025.
| 2025 North American Car of the Year Candidates | 2025 North American Truck of the Year Candidates | 2025 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year Candidates |
| BMW 3 Series BMW M5 Cadillac Celestiq *Dodge Charger EV *Fiat 500e *Honda Civic Hybrid Kia K4 Mercedes-AMG E Class Porsche Panamera Toyota Camry | Ford Ranger GMC Sierra EV *Ram 1500 Rivian R1T *Toyota Tacoma | Chevrolet Equinox EV *Honda Prologue *Volvo EX90 *Hyundai Ioniq 5 N *Hyundai Santa Fe Jeep Wagoneer S *Lincoln Nautilus Porsche Macan EV *Toyota Land Cruiser *VW ID. Buzz |
* Indicates electric vehicle
Spanish and French versions of this release are available on NACTOY’s website. A media kit with photos and b-roll of the videos is available at this link.
ABOUT NORTH AMERICAN CAR, TRUCK, AND UTILITY VEHICLE OF THE YEAR™
The awards are intended to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, user experience and value. The organization gives out three awards. They are: “North American Car of the Year™,” “North American Truck of the Year™” and “North American Utility Vehicle of the Year™.” The awards are unique because they are given by an independent jury of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada instead of by a single publication, website, radio or television station. For more information about NACTOY and its history: http://northamericancaroftheyear.org.
Source: NACTOY
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