Vote for your favourite car
Voting is under way to find the favourite vehicle of Kiwi motorists as the AA Driven NZ Car of the Year awards return for 2022.
The annual awards will hand out gongs in a range of vehicle classes, as well as crowning the overall car of the year and the people’s choice winner, which is being contested by 15 models.
The finalists for the honour chosen by the public are the Ford Ranger, Honda Jazz, Hyundai Kona II, Kia Sportage, MG ZS, four Mitsubishi’s – the ASX, Eclipse Cross, Outlander and Triton, Suzuki Swift, Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y, and three Toyota’s – the Corolla, Hilux and RAV4.
Jonathan Sergel, AA Motoring Services’ general manager, says there’s a good mix of cars in the running with a few firm favourites alongside the increasingly popular electric vehicles (EVs).
“Kiwis’ love affair with the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux is still strong but at the opposite end of the spectrum we’re seeing Tesla climb the ranks and, interestingly, this has seen medium-sized SUVs, which includes the Tesla Model Y, grow in popularity and jump ahead of the compact car,” he adds.
“The tide is certainly turning, in terms of the types of vehicles being purchased, and we look forward to seeing how Kiwis cast their votes this year.”
Nearly 50,000 votes were received for the people’s choice section in 2021, which was won by the Tesla Model 3.
Besides helping decide the winner, people taking part in the vote will be in with a chance to win $5,000 of fuel or EV charging.
Other categories in the AA Driven NZ Car of the Year awards include small SUV, medium SUV, large SUV, passenger (sedan, hatch, wagon), sports and performance, light commercial vehicle, and luxury (over $100,000), safety. There are also three clean classes – battery electric vehicle (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and hybrid vehicle (HEV).
Judges will score vehicles against a range of criteria including price and value, safety, equipment, features, technology and driving dynamics as well as performance and fuel economy.
The overall car of the year award, which was taken out by the Toyota GR Yaris last year, will go to the vehicle that receives the highest score across all classes.
The judging panel comprises motoring journalists and AA experts and finalists of each class will be revealed over the coming weeks before the 2022 winners are revealed on December 2.
Sergel, who is among this year’s judges, says they look at everything a vehicle has to offer and how it stacks up against what else is on the market.
“There’s a lot to think about when deciding on a car and our goal is to weigh up the pros and cons of the vehicles available, to make it a little easier for our members and the wider New Zealander public to find the car that’s right for them.”
Voting for the people’s choice award can be done at driven.co.nz/vote, with the ballot closing at 5pm on November 26.
