Nine models fight for top gong
Tesla has two models in contention to win the Driven Car Guide AA Insurance 2025 New Zealand Car of the Year award.
The marque’s Model 3 and Model Y, pictured, are among nine vehicles battling for the annual gong after being named respective winners in the passenger and safest categories.
Other cars in the running for the top prize include the Kia EV3, which has been crowned the best city SUV of 2025, and the Subaru Forester, after it took out the family SUV section.
Judges, who consider last year’s prize getters alongside new models for 2025, have named the victors across nine categories. They will whittle that list down to a top three before announcing the competition’s overall winner on December 5.
The other models battling to scoop that accolade are Mazda’s CX-80, the Leapmotor C10, Cadillac Lyriq, Porsche 911 and BYD Shark 6.
BYD’s Sealion 6 won the 2024 title after also prevailing in the hybrid/EV section.
2025 category winners
City SUV: Kia EV3. Runners up: Chery Tiggo 4, Toyota C-HR.
Family SUV: Subaru Forester. Runners up: GWM Haval H6, MG HS.
Large SUV: Mazda CX-80. Runners up: Peugeot 5008, Skoda Kodiaq.
Passenger: Tesla Model 3. Runners up: Cupra Leon, Suzuki Swift.
Hybrid/EV: Leapmotor C10. Runners up: BYD Shark 6, Kia EV3.
Luxury: Cadillac Lyriq. Runners up: Lexus RX, Mercedes-Benz/AMG G-Class.
Sports/Performance: Porsche 911. Runners up: Toyota GR Yaris, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
Lifestyle/Adventure: BYD Shark 6. Runners up: Kia Tasman, Ford Everest.
Safest: Tesla Model Y. Runners up: Tesla Model 3, IM6.
