2025 Canadian Car of the Year winners announced by Automobile Journalists Association of Canada
TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2025 /CNW/ - The four winners of the 2025 Canadian Car of the Year Awards (CCOTY), presented by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), were announced today during the opening ceremonies of the Canadian International AutoShow.
The Honda Civic is the 2025 Canadian Car of the Year. This is the second time in four years that the Civic – Canada's biggest-selling car – has taken top honours, after it won in 2022. AJAC jurors identified the Honda's ergonomics and handling as key to its appeal.
The 2025 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year is the Hyundai Santa Fe. This completely redesigned family SUV has proven a hit with AJAC's jurors, who praised its interior ergonomics, infotainment system and refinement.
There are also two awards for the growing electric vehicle market. Already a previous CCOTY winner, the BMW i4 has secured another award as the 2025 Canadian Electric Car of the Year. The judges loved its smooth, efficient powertrain and high quality.
Meanwhile the 2025 Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. The regular Ioniq 5 has previously been recognized by the CCOTY judges as the Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year and EV of the Year; now it's the turn of the high-performance N model, with 641 horsepower and the sporty, gearbox-like N Shift feature, to take home a trophy – it's Hyundai's second win for 2025.
The 2025 CCOTY winners at a glance:
- Canadian Car of the Year – Honda Civic
- Canadian Electric Car of the Year – BMW i4
- Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year – Hyundai Santa Fe
- Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year – Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
"Congratulations to this year's Canadian Car of the Year winners," said Jason Campbell, General Manager of the Canadian International AutoShow. "We are pleased to have partnered with AJAC and Canadian Car of the Year to announce the winners for 2025. The tough competition in all four categories reflects the depth of quality in the Canadian auto market. Now more than ever, buyers are spoiled for choice. We welcome visitors to come and check out the winning Canadian Car of the Year vehicles, as well as many other incredible machines from more than 40 brands, at this year's show."
"Every year I'm proud of the Canadian Car of the Year team and our AJAC Expert Jurors, and this year is no different" said Evan Williams, AJAC President. "Our 47 expert jurors from all across the country drove every vehicle before casting their ballots, covering the same Canadian roads and in the same Canadian conditions you face day every day. It's why I'm so confident that each year we can identify the best vehicles for Canadians, be it a car or utility vehicle, with gas or electric power. Congratulations to BMW, Honda and Hyundai on your well-earned wins".
All 4 winning vehicles will be on display at the Canadian International AutoShow until February 23, 2025.
About Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY)
The Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) awards have been presented since 1986. Since its inception, the goal of the program has not changed: it seeks to provide Canadians with reliable car buying advice, sourced from professional, well-respected automotive journalists from all corners of the country.
The CCOTY awards are conducted by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), a professional association that connects Canada's best auto journalists and provides consumers with unbiased car buying advice from across the industry, across all media.
Thousands of test drives take place each year across Canada and journalists use these experiences to vote on standout vehicles in each segment. Thousands of data points collected in the process provide insight on which vehicles deserve to be singled out in their segment.
The CCOTY awards announce four main category winners:
- Canadian Car of the Year
- Canadian Electric Car of the Year
- Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year
- Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year
For more information, visit www.canadiancaroftheyear.ca or follow us on social media @canadiancaroftheyear
About Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC)
The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) is an association of professional journalists, writers, photographers, video journalists and corporate members whose focus is the automobile and the Canadian automotive industry. Collectively, its primary objectives are to promote, encourage, support, and facilitate professionalism in Canadian automotive journalism and to ensure factual and ethical reporting about the automobile and automotive issues to Canadian consumers. This is achieved through the work of its members and AJAC's annual vehicle testing and evaluation events, the Canadian Car of the Year Awards (CCOTY), Innovation Awards, and EcoRun.
SOURCE Automobile Journalists Association of Canada
For further information: Stephen Elmer, CCOTY Chair, 647-523-6494, [email protected]; Evan Williams, AJAC President, 902-401-1784, [email protected]; Cindy Hawryluk, AJAC Operations & Events Manager, 905-978-7239, [email protected]
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