The Hyundai Group has been a dominant force in winning prestigious vehicle awards, particularly in the electric vehicle category. In 2020, Kia won multiple awards at the World Car of the Year (WCOTY) competition, including the overall title with the Telluride, World Performance Car with the EV6 GT, and World Urban Car with the Kia Soul EV. However, in 2021, Hyundai did not win any awards.
This changed in 2022 when Hyundai Ioniq 5 won three awards: World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle, and World Car Design of the Year. In 2023, Hyundai Ioniq 6 also won these same awards. Meanwhile, Kia made a strong comeback in 2024 with EV9 winning two titles: World Car of the Year and World Electric Vehicle.
To be eligible for entry into WCOTY competition, cars must meet certain criteria such as having an annual production exceeding 10,000 units, being available in at least two major global markets and being priced lower than luxury options in their region. This year’s WCOTY saw a panel of one hundred automotive journalists from 29 countries testing out 38 vehicles to determine winners.
In the electric vehicle category, there were many impressive contenders but it was ultimately EV9 that emerged victorious over competitors like BYD Seal and Volvo EX30. The BMW i5 and Volvo EX30 took home awards for World Luxury Car and World Urban Car respectively while Hyundai Ioniq N beat out other performance cars including M2 and XM to claim its title as best performance car.
One of biggest surprises came from Toyota Prius which won the coveted award for 2024 World Car Design of the Year beating out over