Kia EV3 is the 2025 World Car of the Year – wins too for Porsche, Volvo, Hyundai and more

The Kia EV3 has been declared the 2025 World Car of the Year, beating the Hyundai Inster and BMW X3. Wins too for Porsche, Volvo and more.

Last month, we learned that the three finalists for the 2025 World Car of the Year award were the Kia EV3, BMW X3 and the Hyundai Inster, with the clever money on the Kia EV3 to be declared the winner.

Having already grabbed the UK Car of the Year 2025 gong the Kia EV3 has now, as expected. been declared World Car of the Year 2025 in New York, the second WCOTY gong in succession for Kia, having taken the 2024 award with the EV9.

Ho Sung Song, President and CEO at Kia, said:

It is an immense honour for everyone at Kia that the EV3 has been awarded the 2025 World Car of Year title. This award highlights Kia’s global leadership in providing design-led, technologically advanced, sustainable mobility solutions and how the EV3’s class-leading attributes redefine the user experience for customers worldwide.

In a list of winners dominated by EVs, the BYD Seagull was named World Urban Car of the year, beating the Hyundai Inster and electric MINI Cooper, although the Inster came out on top in the World Electric Vehicle category, with the Volvo EX90 being declared World Luxury Car ahead of the Porsche Macan and Porsche Panamera.

Another EV claimed the Car Design of the Year – the VW ID. Buzz – which fought off competition from the Kia EV3 and Toyota Land Cruiser, with the only non-EV winner the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, which beat the BMW M5 and Porsche Taycan Turbo for the World Performance Car award.