carsales Car of the Year 2019: Understanding the award

The 2019 carsales Car of the Year, presented by Shell V-Power, has been named, following a rigorous process that melds hands-on field and road testing with critical RedBook data to arrive at a verdict most relevant to Australian new-car buyers.

For our most prestigious annual award, carsales assembled the highest number of contenders yet, evaluated by our strongest ever judging panel.

A total of 28 finalists were selected and gathered for field testing by 12 judges.

Judging comprised a number of interlinked stages and processes: on-road testing, key criteria teasing, ownership and running cost comparisons and, finally, a drive-off and vote for carsales Car of the Year from our top ten.

Here are the details behind the choice of finalists and the testing stages of what we believe is the most rigorous and consumer relevant new car award Down Under.

The field of finalists gathered for carsales Car of the Year was shortlisted by the carsales.com.au editorial team, from scores of new vehicles released in 2019.

Basic eligibility requires that all vehicles must be series-production models available via dealers or a wholesale distribution chain. For consideration each vehicle must be substantially updated or a new variant within this calendar year, on sale prior to December 31 and available for field testing.

If a vehicle is not available for evaluation, we reserve the right to include it in subsequent carsales Car of the Year testing. This ensures that cars that have been launched but are not available for our test timetable can be included in later year(s).

Key eligibility requirements for 2019 include the fitment of a reversing camera and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system as standard across their range. At least one variant in the range must be priced below $250,000.

Value, warranty, after-sales support and projected cost of ownership are key factors considered when determining carsales Car of the Year, presented by Shell V-Power.

This data, supplied and curated by RedBook, not only sets the award apart from its competitors, but more importantly, delivers real insight into information important to Australian new-car buyers.

For the 2019 carsales Car of the Year, RedBook calculated the cost to run and the retained value of our 28-strong field against an ownership period of three years/60,000km.

Cost to run factors include fuel, tyres, insurance, servicing and the like, while cost to own data comprises financing, warranty coverage and depreciation, retail price and value for money (the last item calculated against key segment rivals).

An essential element of the judging process is, of course, the carsales road test team, whose combined experience assessed the 28 finalists against predetermined criteria to decide a top ten and, eventually, an overall victor.

This year, the judging panel comprised carsales.com.au Managing Editor, Marton Pettendy; Road Test Editor, Matt Brogan; Technical Editor, Ken Gratton; News Editor, Sam Charlwood; Senior Staff Journalist, Feann Torr and Consumer Editor, Nadine Armstrong.

In addition, a blend of noted journalists and long-standing carsales.com.au contributors were enlisted: Andrea Matthews, Tim Britten, our man in London, John Mahoney, Bruce Newton and Paul Gover, plus newcomer Alexandra Lawrence.

Over a week of testing, the judges assessed the 28 finalists on the road and through a series of testing stations at Wodonga TAFE’s Logic Centre, Barnawartha North campus.

The Logic Centre has been the headquarters for carsales Car of the Year testing for several years. It's a modern facility with excellent workshop facilities and a handy test track on the same plot of land.

Lake Hume provided scenic backdrops for video and still photography – and, most importantly, a varied drive program. The route passed through hamlets with names like Bellbridge and Bethanga and was chosen for its mix of coarse-chip bitumen, bends and elevation changes to test the cars thoroughly for on-road refinement and driveability.

In addition to back-to-back road loops, our 28 cars were also tested for key attributes including dry and wet braking, double lane-change and other dynamic properties on the TAFE Wodonga test track.

During field testing, the finalists were put through their paces against the following criteria, the result forming part of the overall score as a percentage:

RedBook Cost of Ownership (score out of 30 per cent)
Dynamics and Safety (20 per cent)
Innovation and Technology (20 per cent)
Practicality and Presentation (20 per cent)
Road Testing (10 per cent)

Each of the scoring scores is an amalgam of weighted and individually marked benchmarks.

The station and Redbook scores establish the Top Ten cars, from which the full panel of judges determine a single carsales Car of the Year, plus two Highly Commended runners-up.