What are the best vehicles of 2025? North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year semi finalists are revealed

(WWJ) It’s a mix of supercars, pickup trucks, electric vehicles and passenger sedans, as we learn “The Best of 2025.”

These are the vehicles that have been chosen to be considered for the prestigious North American Car Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards. (Scroll down for the complete list)

I’m honored to be the president of the jury that decides the winners, and was privileged to make the announcement of our “Best of 2025” list at an the first ever “Cars at the Station” event at the Michigan Central Station.

For the first time in six years, the actual awards ceremony will return to its original spot to open the Detroit Auto Show.

Just under half of the 25 vehicles have electric powertrains. Ten of the vehicles are domestic nameplates (if you include Rivian and Fiat.) Several with foreign nameplates are also made in the US. One with a domestic nameplate is made in China.

It’s a diverse field, and I’ve often said that the diversity of the jury is what makes these awards special. We have gearheads who can tear apart and rebuild a vehicle blindfolded. We have enthusiasts who take vehicles on the track. Some jurors are really into styling. Others into technology. We all like a good value.

The “Best of 2025” list is a result of a vote by jurors, narrowing down a list of all vehicles that are either brand new, or completely redone for the current model year. All of these vehicles either have been – or will be – delivered to their first customer sometime during the 2024 calendar year.

Now that we have our competitors, the next step will be to make sure we drive them all.  Jurors will have a special event near Ann Arbor next month where they have an opportunity to drive these vehicles back to back.

Each juror has 25 points to award. They can award no more than 10 to any one vehicle, and only one vehicle can get 10 points. The points are tallied and certified by Deloitte. The top three finishers in each category will be named finalists.

The finalists will be announced November 21 to open the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The second vote lets jurors award ten points in any way they wish.

Deloitte tallies the points, puts the winners names in sealed envelopes, and nobody else knows those names until the envelopes are opened.

The decision to return the Detroit Auto Show to its January roots allowed the awards ceremony to return it its traditional position at the start of the show.  The 2025 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year winners will be announced at a ceremony at Huntington Place the morning of January 10, 2025

“The Best of 2025”

CAR

Toyota Camry

Honda Civic Hybrid

Kia K4

Dodge Charger EV

Cadillac Celestiq

BMW 3 Series

BMW M5

Mercedes AMG E Class

Fiat 500e

Porsche Panamera

UTILITY

Volvo EX 90

Hyundai Santa Fe

VW ID Buzz

Chevrolet Equinox EV

Toyota Land Cruiser

Lincoln Nautilus

Jeep Wagoneer S

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

Honda Prologue

Porsche Macan EV

TRUCK

Toyota Tacoma

Ford Ranger

Ram 1500

GMC Sierra EV

Rivian R1T