Green power dominates the 2023 News Corp Australia Car of the Year award.
Of the eight cars to make the cut for our finals, four are powered only by electricity and three are hybrids.
A solitary diesel ute waves the flag for traditional internal combustion engines.
The make-up of our field reflects the priorities of the car industry.
Very few car makers are investing in new petrol and diesel engines, so genuinely “new” traditional models are scarce.
Nevertheless, culling dozens of new models launched each year to a handful of finalists is not an easy task.
Cars must be released in the 12 months leading up to our awards, and be available for testing before our cut-off date.
Machines must also be new or significantly revised; a new bumper treatment and fresh alloy wheels isn’t enough to get a car across the line.
The finalists will be subjected to an intense examination according to five criteria: value for money, performance, design, technology and safety.
Some well-known names and highly anticipated new models narrowly missed the cut for this year’s awards.
Some highly anticipated new models narrowly missed the cut for this year’s awards, while the updated Tesla Model 3 and new BYD Seal sedan arrived at the eleventh hour, after we took our group photo.
As a result, we have added the impressive Seal to our list of finalists for this year’s award.
A handful of EVs fell short of judges’ expectations, often because they were too expensive.
Fiat’s 500e and the Ford Mustang Mach-E are great cars that cost too much and the same could be said of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 that adds a swoopy roofline and increased costs to a previous champion in the Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Some cars simply weren’t good enough, such as the Chery Omoda 5, Jeep Grand Cherokee or Mazda’s CX-60 and CX-90 SUVs.
Other standouts were too expensive: the new Range Rover Autobiography and Ferrari 296 GTB hybrid are on speed dial should we win the lottery, but they’re too dear for the real world.
The lack of luxury cars can be partly blamed on our ridiculous Luxury Car Tax, which slugs buyers with a 33 per cent impost if they buy an expensive vehicle.
It’s hard to make a value-for-money argument for a vehicle when a large chunk of the asking price goes straight to the tax office.
Impressive performance cars in the Honda Civic Type R and Toyota GR Corolla also missed the cut.
They were judged too narrowly focused to appeal to a broad audience, with near-$70,000 asking prices for hatchbacks only available with a manual transmission.
Our finalists are cars that anyone can drive.
MG4 Electric
Originally launched as Australia’s cheapest EV, this no-frills hatchback is the first purpose-built electric car from MG.
Rather than adapting a petrol car to run on battery power, MG has built the MG4 from the ground up to take advantage of its battery and rear-drive electric motor.
Affordable and fun to drive, with a comprehensive safety arsenal, the MG4 was one of the first cars on our shortlist.
BYD Dolphin
Build Your Dreams delivered the surprise package of last year with its Atto 3, a medium-sized electric SUV that took the fight to established heavyweights, including the eventual winner, Tesla’s Model Y. The Dolphin is smaller and cheaper, delivering a truly impressive level of equipment for a surprisingly affordable price.
Cupra Born
Volkswagen’s Spanish spin-off beat its big brother to market with its first electric car. A close relative of the VW ID. 3 electric car sold overseas, the attractive and engaging Cupra Born is pitched as a hot hatch for the modern era, one that could have drivers thinking twice about conventional turbo machines.
Kia EV9
The first electric seven-seater from Kia is a big deal. Picking up where trailblazers such as the Tesla Model X left off, it’s a family-friendly people mover for the electric age. There’s nothing quite like the big Kia in Australian showrooms today.
Undoubtedly modern inside and out, the EV9 will have to overcome a six-figure price tag to take home our prize.
Nissan X-Trail ePower
Nissan’s green X-Trail delivers a different spin on hybrid technology. Instead of employing an electric motor to boost the petrol engine, Nissan uses a small petrol engine to act as a generator for the electric motor. This innovative solution means the X-Trail drives like an electric car, with the same low-down torque that makes for effortless – and silent – acceleration off the mark. Factor in a modern and spacious cabin and the X-Trail is easy to recommend.
Honda CR-V Hybrid
It’s easy to forget that Honda was the first company to sell a hybrid car in Australia, way back in 2000. More than two decades later, the Honda CR-V represents a polished and impressive family car that is far more relevant to consumers than the original Insight.
It isn’t cheap – Honda only offers hybrid power on fully-loaded, range-topping machines – but it is roomy, well equipped and stylish.
Hyundai Kona Hybrid
Space-age looks and class-leading fuel economy are the main drawcards of Hyundai’s hybrid-powered Kona. Bigger than before, it promises to be a practical choice for smaller families who don’t need a super-sized SUV. It also wins points with an attractive $40,000 drive-away price.
Volkswagen Amarok
The Amarok stands out in this company, literally casting a shadow over smaller contenders.
Its selection recognises the enormous popularity of dual-cab utes and highlights the fact that for those buyers, diesel is the only practical option.
If you want to tow a boat or caravan long distances, then the Amarok is arguably the most comfortable and stress-free way to do it.
A plusher version of Ford’s deeply impressive Ranger, the Amarok is the best ute of 2023, and a car that is incredibly relevant to today’s new-car customers.
Our team of expert judges will run the ruler over our finalists this week before returning with a verdict next week.