South Africa's Car of the Year (COTY) competition has had some truly sensible and controversial winners in its 39-year history.
Take last year's top trophy recipient for example: the ultra-luxurious, ultra-pricey BMW 7 Series. The last time that happened was in 1988.
Still, for the most part, the competition has demonstrated a commitment to awarding relevant products within grasp of most citizens. In recent years these included victors such as the Ford Ranger (2023), Toyota Corolla Cross (2022) and Peugeot 2008 (2021).
With any annual motoring award programme, finding complete consensus — with a winner that pleases everyone — is a challenging task. The notion of seeking and awarding “overall excellence” is what has long guided SA Car of the Year. But of course, that overarching descriptor can also be tempered by a focus on topics such as affordability, innovation, environmental friendliness and more.
Underpinning the programme is a three-day course of rigorous testing, where the 27-strong jury puts the contenders through their paces on road and track. From handling to fuel economy, virtually every metric is put under scrutiny.
As it was since inception, the competition is organised by the SA Guild of Mobility Journalists. The current, headline sponsor for COTY is Old Mutual Insure.
The road to the 2025 instalment of the competition is well under way, with testing scheduled to take place early in March.
Expect a full dissection of those test days post-event. For now, here is a brief refresher on the field of 17 contenders vying for top honours, in alphabetical order. The models will also be categorised, with the potential for category winners in addition to the main title.
German automaker BMW has three models in contention. First up is the 5 Series (from R1,278,731), which is no stranger to plaudits: the nameplate won SA COTY in 1990 and 2011.
The ferocious V8-hybrid M5 derivative (from R2,690,000) also made the cut; possibly being the most powerful saloon to ever participate in SA COTY.
Priced from R1,136,417 is the edgy X3, which has the bragging right of being produced locally, at the BMW facility in Tshwane.
Ford's latest Mustang stays true to its roots as a blue-collar sports car. The R1,307,500 two-door brings rear-wheel drive and brawny acoustics to the mix.
As witnessed in previous SA COTY competitions, the Chinese firms have proven their worthiness. Could this be the year we see an overall winner from China? The executives at GAC are undoubtedly hopeful, with the compact GS3 Emzoom in the fold. It is priced from R419,900.
GWM's high-specification double-cab, the P500 (from R799,900) aims to follow in the footsteps of the Ford Ranger, which was the first bakkie to win the competition.
Apeing the aesthetics and flavour of a certain British SUV but for half the price is the R549,900 Jaecoo J7.
Now onto something from India: Mahindra's XUX 3XO. Odd naming convention aside, the R254,999 crossover has keen pricing and decent specification on its side. This is the brand's second shot at SA COTY glory, following the Scorpio-N's participation in 2024.
Mercedes-Benz has enjoyed victory more than once, with the 260E (1987) and A-Class in 2019. This year it has two finalists: the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance (from R2,484,020) and E-Class (from R1,356,167).
Never before has Mini participated in SA COTY. The Countryman makes its competition debut, priced from R724,820, with practical appeal beyond that of the niche three-door model.
Providing rivalry to the GWM P500 in the double-cab corner is the Mitsubishi Triton (from R639,900). Mitsubishi has never won SA COTY.
In the form of the Omoda C9 (from R785,900) we have yet another Chinese fighter. The C9 elevates the brand's stock, with a more premium execution. Omoda's C5 did battle in the 2024 competition.
Suzuki came extremely close to winning SA COTY 2024, with its Fronx taking second place to the BMW 7 Series. Perhaps the latest Swift (from R219,900) might have a better shot. Features such as six standard airbags (entry-level model included) remedy past criticisms of poor safety.
With beefy, retro-themed stying, a spacious interior and proven off-road prowess, the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (from R1,315,700) may follow in the footsteps of vaunted former winners such as the Corolla Cross and Corolla.
The Volkswagen Polo and Golf nameplates are previous SA COTY title-holders. Mzansi's best-selling German brand sees the participation of the latest Tiguan in the 2025 competition. Priced from R664,500, the latest iteration is an improvement in the areas that matter, even if it does look less assertive than before.
Last on the list is the Volvo EX30. Early reports were critical of its user-unfriendly interface, but the compact Swede has other redeeming features, including a keen price tag (in relation to premium electric SUV options) from R835,500.
2025 SA COTY FINALISTS BY CATEGORY:
BUDGET: Suzuki Swift, GAC GS3 Emzoom, Mahindra 3XO
FAMILY: Volkswagen Tiguan, Mini Countryman, Jaecoo J7
PREMIUM: Volvo EX30, BMW X3, Omoda C9
EXECUTIVE: BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class
ADVENTURE UTILITY: GWM P500, Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
PERFORMANCE: BMW M5, Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance, Ford Mustang
The author serves on the SA COTY planning committee and is one of three South Africans on the World Car Awards jury
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