EV3 secures Kia hat-trick
Kia’s EV3 has been voted the outright winner at the 2025 World Car Awards at the New York International Auto Show.
It’s the second consecutive such victory for the marque and its third overall. The EV9 won last year’s top honour while the Telluride took out the title in 2020. It means the total number of awards won by Kia now stands at six in the awards’ 21-year history.
“It’s an immense honour for everyone at Kia that the EV3 has been awarded the 2025 World Car of the Year title,” says Ho Sung Song, president and chief executive officer at Kia.
“It highlights our global leadership in providing design-led, technologically advanced and sustainable mobility solutions, and how the EV3’s class-leading attributes redefine the user experience for customers worldwide.”
The EV3 was chosen from an initial list of 52 contenders. It then made the final three alongside the BMW X3 and Hyundai Inster / Casper Electric.
To be eligible, vehicles must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units per year, be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets and must be “on sale” in at least two major markets on at least two separate continents between January 1, 2024, and March 30, 2025.
The world electric vehicle award went to the Hyundai Inster / Casper Electric, while the Volvo EX90 was luxury car of the year. Porsche’s 911 Carrera GTS won the performance award, BYD’s Seagull was voted the best urban car and the Volkswagen ID. Buzz won the award for design.
