Carmaker’s EV3 electric compact comes out on top among 52 candidates
Kia has once again claimed the automotive throne this year, winning top honors at the 2025 World Car Awards for the second year in a row.
The Korean automaker’s EV3, an electric compact sport utility vehicle, was named the World Car of the Year at the New York International Auto Show last week. It received an overall score of 780 points to beat out the two other top contenders -- the Hyundai Casper Electric with 764 points and the BMW X3 with 754 points.
According to the World Car Awards committee, a jury of 96 international automotive journalists from 30 countries selected the top three cars of the year worldwide by secret ballot based on their evaluations of each vehicle.
The Kia EV3 was picked as the best vehicle of the year from a long list of 52 contending cars across the globe, which passed the eligibility hurdles that require production volume of at least 10,000 units per year, a price lower than the luxury car level in their primary markets, and availability in at least two major markets among China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America and the United States.
Of the ten evaluation categories, the Kia EV3 scored the highest in efficiency, at 8.3 points, as the vehicle features up to 605 kilometers of driving distance per charge based on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure.
“It is an immense honor for everyone at Kia that the EV3 has been awarded the 2025 World Car of the Year title,” said Kia CEO Song Ho-sung.
“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.”
At the World Car Awards last year, the top trophy went to Kia's EV9, an electric three-row SUV. With the latest triumph by the EV3, Kia has now won three top awards in the 21-year history of the World Car Awards, including World Car of the Year for the Kia Telluride in 2020.
The Kia EV3 has also won car of the year awards in Denmark, Finland, Korea and the United Kingdom.
hwkan@heraldcorp.com
