The list of winners at the UK Car of the Year Awards 2025, sponsored by heycar, has everything from a spacious all-rounder to new versions of popular household names. There’s even a high-performance variant of a former winner of the Awards’ overall prize.
Leading the number of category wins is Hyundai, with the South Korean manufacturer picking up two of the seven awards on offer – the only manufacturer to win more than one accolade. The new Santa Fe triumphs in the Large Crossover category, while the prestigious Performance Car trophy is topped by the IONIQ 5 N. Another successful South Korean brand is Kia, which took the overall prize last year with the EV9. In 2025, that car’s smaller sibling and the latest in the ‘EV’ range, the EV3, lifts the Small Crossover crown.
The UK Car of the Year Awards continues to welcome new manufacturers to the list of winners. This year it’s the turn of MINI and Polestar. The MINI Countryman has been voted the best Small Crossover by the jury of expert motoring journalists, while Polestar’s stylish 4 takes the Executive Car title.
In the closely fought Small Car category, Suzuki emerged triumphant by a single vote. Meanwhile, Škoda, no stranger to the UK Car of the Year Awards, picks up its 12th prize in the history of the awards as the Superb dominated the Family Car category.
Created in 2014, the UK Car of the Year Awards has expanded the jury in 2025, with 31 motoring journalists based all over the UK now deliberating over the new cars launched in the 12 months to 31 December 2024. The group selects their winning cars in categories ranging from Small Car to Medium Crossover, and all the way to Performance Car. The successful model in each of the segments now qualifies for the next stage – the overall UK Car of the Year 2025, which will be revealed on 6 March 2025.
The UK Car of the Year Awards is run in association with heycar, which has sponsored the awards since January 2022. Dermot Kelleher, chief marketing officer at heycar, commented: “We are once again delighted to be the primary sponsor of the UK Car of The Year Awards, which, like heycar, celebrates the quality and breadth of customer choice in the British car market. The independence and integrity with which the winners are chosen aligns perfectly with heycar’s own values, helping the UK’s car buyers choose the car that’s right for them.”