Best smelling interiors from carsales Car of the Year 2023 ranked
When buying a car, there are a lot of things to consider from the cost to own and run, fuel economy, looks and size, but have you ever thought about its scent?New car smell is amongst the most popular fragrances in the world, and for good reason. The mixture of plastics, textiles and other materials combine to create a scent that in most cases reminds you of your brand-new car purchase.
Equally, when judging the carsales Car of the Year there are many components the team of experts look at to make their decisions. Price, depreciation, Running costs including finance, insurance, fuel/electricity and tyres, service costs, warranty and roadside assistance as well as assessing the safety features stand-out features standard across the range. Until now, smell has not been part of this consideration so we thought it time to offer an assessment of the best-smelling new cars of 2023.
So what defines best-smelling? We define it as having a pleasant aroma that does not make you flare your nostrils, need to wind down the windows or burn your eyes (yes, one was that unpleasant).
For the test, we simply walked up to the locked car, unlocked it, opened the door and sat inside both the front and rear seats. First impressions are everything. Obviously, as with most smells, the more you sit in it, the more you adjust to it. In some cars, that was not the case.
So where does a car's interior smell come from? It's essentially a mix of molecules known as volatile organic compounds released during the manufacturing process. They come from a combination of plastics, fabrics, adhesives, cleaning, paint, carpeting, leather and vinyl treatments that can go from being barely noticeable to smack bang in the face.
And while researchers found the new car smell is non-toxic, some people with allergies may have a slight reaction to the strong scent. Fortunately, most of these compounds quickly dissipate just a few months after manufacture.
The best smelling cars from carsales Car of the Year 2023:
12 - Mahindra XUV700 AXL7
As far as initial impressions of scents go, the XUV700 was the worst on test. This was due to the super synthetic plastic materials and synthetic leather seats emitting a scent that was not only extremely strong but also hurt our eyes.
11 – Nissan X-Trail Ti-L e-Power
The X-Trail had a strong mix of plasticky and leather scent, the car was wrapped head to toe in the material from doors to dash.
10 – Honda CR-V e:HEV RS
While the materials used in the CR-V were quite nice to touch, it was overshadowed by the incredibly strong smell of the leather seats. One team member remarked that the smell was "Woolshed-like".
9 – GWM Tank 300 Ultra
While the interior overall was a bit plasticky, the scent was not as strong as some other interiors on test and was generally tolerable.
8 – Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300
The Range Rover Sport's interior was super luxe as expected, and the seats were the most comfortable on test. The initial first impression smell though did give a bandaid-like scent, potentially from the material seats. But overall it was an okay smell ongoing.
7 – Mazda CX-90 G50E Azami Takumi AWD
The CX-90's interior fragrance was neither here nor there. No standouts, with the materials used not giving off any overt fragrance.
6 – MG4 64kWh Excite
The MG4 did have quite a nice scent overall. It did have a top note of plastic but did get tolerable after that and gave off expected new-car smell vibes.
5 – Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4MATIC
The GLC just had a nice, premium material scent from front to back.
4 – Hyundai Kona Premium 1.6 T-GDi N Line
The Kona Premium N-Line with its mix of Hyundai plastics and leather-appointed seats with Alcantara-like materials had a nice, material fragrance throughout.
3 – BMW X1 sDrive 18i
As expected, the X1's interior quality was top notch and had a very nice smell, was immediately identifiable as a BMW.
2 – Ford Mustang Mach-e Premium
The EV Mustang had a nice smell, which would be credited to the textile materials used throughout including its Sensico artificial leather seats. It also retained the iconic Ford interior fragrance that is also found in the Focus, Fiesta, Puma and Escape models.
1 – Polestar 2 Single-Motor Long Range
The first impression smell of the Polestar 2 was a beautifully nice, fabric scent. Textiles are used throughout the cabin to complement the plastics (which you can't smell). The seats were made from WeaveTech fabric which is a 100% vegan, dirt and moisture-resistant material.
Smell test takeaways
The key things we learnt from this smell test was that car interiors that had a lot of hard plastics and vinyls had a much stronger and harsher new car smell than compared to those interiors with soft-touch plastics and Alcantara or natural textile seat material. Also, leather seats depending on the style and treatment can give off varying degrees of smells.
Related: How we decided 2023 carsales Car of the Year
Related: Want to keep that new car smell? Here's how
Related: The car seat cleaner hack: Eight tips for your car's upholstery & interior
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