The World Car Awards are announced every April. An international juror panel narrows down the finalists and selects winners in six different categories. Vehicles must be sold on two continents to be eligible. That precludes America-only cars, such as the Toyota Tacoma, and includes small city cars bound for Europe and Asia that will never reach the American market. However, the awards still offer fascinating global insights into a vehicle’s broader impact.
Results are in for 2025. And while multiple award winners are not currently sold in America, one vehicle that is, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, took home the award for World Car Design of the Year.
Key Takeaways
- The World Car Awards announced the 2025 winners
- The Volkswagen ID. Buzz won World Car Design of the Year
- The Kia EV3 took home the overall World Car of the Year
- Porsche, Volvo, and Hyundai also took home awards
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz Won The 2025 World Car Design Of The Year
For the design category, voters provided their top 5 vehicles. The ID. Buzz, with a total score of 328, beat out the new Toyota Land Cruiser (aka the Land Cruiser Prado outside America) and Kia’s affordable EV3 electric car. Previous category winners include the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Land Rover Defender, and Jaguar I-Pace.
As in life, a car’s design is the most subjective category. The ID. Buzz may not be ground-breaking per se — European cargo versions without the two-tone paint look a bit more prosaic. But the electric van is certainly a smart nostalgia play for a VW lineup that, particularly in America, where VW has jettisoned cars like the Beetle and base Golf, needed an injection of that.
Other World Car Award Winners
The Kia EV3, which could eventually arrive in America as a game-changing, affordable EV, took home overall World Car of the Year. It was the fifth time a Hyundai or Kia product had taken home the award in the last six years. The EV3 lost a narrow three-point battle to its corporate sibling, the non-steroidal Hyundai Inster, for World Electric of the Year. The Chinese-built BYD Seagull beat out the Inster in another nail-biter for World Urban Car of the Year.
Looking at vehicles that manufacturers do sell in America, the new Volvo EX90 beat out two Porsches for World Luxury Car of the Year. However, the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS took him the prize for World Performance Car of the Year.
TopSpeed’s Take
2025 was somewhat of an atypical year for the World Car Awards. Usually, one car dominates. The last three overall winners — the Kia EV9, Hyundai Ioniq 6, and Hyundai Ioniq 5 — took home multiple awards. Jurors seemed more divided this year, which could mean there wasn’t one standout vehicle. Alternatively, it could mean that there were too many compelling options to pick from.
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