- The semifinalists for the 2025 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year have been announced.
- Electric vehicles dominated the list and account for nearly 50% of contenders.
- Candidates include the BMW M5, Cadillac Celestiq, and Dodge Charger Daytona.
The 2025 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) awards have their semifinalists, and the lineup is electrifying—literally. Nearly 50% of the 25 contenders, or 12 vehicles, are electric. The shift is even more pronounced in the utility category, where 70% of the semifinalists are EVs.
They include the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Honda Prologue, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, Jeep Wagoneer S, Porsche Macan EV, Volvo EX90, and VW ID. Buzz. They’ll have to contend with the Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Land Cruiser, and the Chinese-made Lincoln Nautilus.
Read: EVs Make Up 8% Of Total New Vehicle Sales In The US In 2024
The EX90 likely won’t be a contender for very long as early reviews have called it a half-baked mess. That’s despite a lengthy delay, which was supposed to iron out the kinks.
On the truck side of the equation, there are only five contenders and two of them are EVs. They’re the GMC Sierra EV and Rivian R1T. Besides the electric pickups, there’s the redesigned Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma. Last but not least is the facelifted Ram 1500, which eschews a V8 engine.
That brings us to the candidates for 2025 North American Car of the Year. It’s a pretty diverse group which includes everything from the $21,990 Kia K4 to the $300,000+ Cadillac Celestiq. The latter is an ultra-luxury EV and there’s no shortage of upscale contenders as choices include the BMW 3-Series, BMW M5, Mercedes-AMG E-Class, and Porsche Panamera.
More: Ford Super Duty, Kia EV9, And Toyota Prius Prime Are The 2024 North American Vehicles Of The Year
On the mainstream side, there’s the Dodge Charger Daytona, Fiat 500e, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Toyota Camry.
Following a test drive in October, a panel of 50 jurors will vote for the three finalists in each category. These will be announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, while the winners will be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January next year.
2025 NACTOY SEMIFINALISTS
Cars
- BMW 3 Series
- BMW M5
- Cadillac Celestiq*
- Dodge Charger EV*
- Fiat 500e*
- Honda Civic Hybrid
- Kia K4
- Mercedes-AMG E Class
- Porsche Panamera
- Toyota Camry
Trucks
- Ford Ranger
- GMC Sierra EV*
- Ram 1500
- Rivian R1T*
- Toyota Tacoma
Utility Vehicles
- Chevrolet Equinox EV*
- Honda Prologue*
- Volvo EX90*
- Hyundai loniq 5 N*
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Jeep Wagoneer S*
- Lincoln Nautilus
- Porsche Macan EV*
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- VW ID. Buzz*