NZ Car of the Year finalists

1/12

Small SUV: Kia Seltos  

2/12

Small SUV: Mazda MX-30  

3/12

Small SUV: Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid  

4/12

Medium SUV: Mazda CX-5  

5/12

Medium SUV: Seat Ateca  

6/12

Medium SUV: Toyota RAV4  

7/12

Large SUV: Kia Sorento  

8/12

Large SUV: Subaru Outback  

9/12

Large SUV: Toyota Highlander  

10/12

Passenger: Honda Jazz  

11/12

Passenger: Tesla Model 3  

12/12

Passenger: Toyota Yaris Hatch  

The cars that will be vying for the SUV and passenger categories at the AA Driven New Zealand Car of the Year awards have been announced, with Toyota an ever-present in all four sections.

The Japanese marque has secured a spot with models in the small, medium and large SUV classes, while its Yaris Hatch is in the final three chasing the passenger award.

Mazda gets nods in two sections, small and medium SUVs, as does Kia, which will battle for the small and large SUV honours.

Honda, Seat, Subaru and Tesla complete the line-ups after details for the first four categories were announced by the AA and Driven.

After Covid-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 awards, the competition is back this year but being judged under slightly different criteria.

While the main focus is on cars launched in the past 12 months, judges have considered all cars on sale as long as they have a five-star crash rating. 

There are 10 categories overall, with finalists for the other sections due to be announced over the coming weeks, and votes have opened for the People’s Choice Award.

Finalists

Small SUV: Kia Seltos, Mazda MX-30, Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid

Medium SUV: Mazda CX-5, Seat Ateca, Toyota RAV4

Large SUV: Kia Sorento, Subaru Outback, Toyota Highlander

Passenger: Honda Jazz, Tesla Model 3, Toyota Yaris Hatch