Kia Sorento named 2020 carsales Car of the Year

The Kia Sorento has been crowned winner of the 2020 carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.

Australia’s premier annual automotive consumer award recognises excellence in the new-vehicle market and celebrates just one winner from every new model released in Australia.

From off-road icons to the ultimate family seven-seat wagon, through to a $200K electric luxury performance car, the list of vehicles in the mix for the 2020 award was eclectic.

In the final judging, the Kia Sorento was named carsales COTY thanks to its unique and compelling offering – an affordable, family-friendly package that is also smart, frugal, safe, refined and still satisfying to drive.

“The Kia Sorento claimed top honours as the 2020 carsales Car of the Year. This is a stylish and refined SUV with the latest advanced safety and infotainment systems and all the comfort a family needs,” said carsales Editor-in-Chief, Mike Sinclair.

To determine the 2020 carsales Car of the Year proudly presented by Bingle, a multi-stage judging process whittled down a field of 27 finalists to a shortlist of 10, and then one overall winner and two highly commended models (based on strict eligibility outlined below).

“In response to COVID-19 challenges, the process of selecting our winner worked slightly differently this year,” said Sinclair.

“Vehicles were tested using a combination of expert opinion from carsales’ judges and data generated by car value specialist RedBook.com.au, with key factors including safety, cost to purchase, own and run.

“Having driven and reviewed the top 10 cars of 2020, carsales’ experts found the Sorento to be a standout option for Australians looking to buy a new car.”

carsales judges commented that the Kia Sorento is one of the safest SUVs available in the Australian market. It is also one of the few to benefit from extensive local development.

“The team at Kia are absolutely thrilled all-new Sorento has been awarded carsales Car of the Year 2020; our first carsales COTY win,” said Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer, Damien Meredith.

“We knew Sorento would be a game-changer for Kia in the Australian market and appreciate it has been recognised by the judges for the exceptional package that it is.”

In addition to awarding the Sorento, carsales judges recognised the Porsche Taycan and the Land Rover Defender as standout performers in this year’s field. Both the Taycan and Defender grabbed Highly Commended awards.

“The Porsche Taycan is a fully electric vehicle that delivers zero-emissions motoring, cutting-edge technology and top-shelf luxury, yet still reflects true Porsche performance DNA,” said Sinclair.

Porsche Cars Australia managing director Sam Curtis said: “The Taycan is a true Porsche sports car. It shows that the future of Porsche will continue to be both innovative and faithful to our heritage.

“The feeling of excitement and exhilaration that comes from driving the Taycan are authentically Porsche, and the technology, handling and performance are ground-breaking. We are pleased that the expert judges from carsales are as enthusiastic about the Taycan as we are.”

The born-again Defender, on the other hand, takes the iconic Land Rover nameplate and brings it firmly up to date – managing to blend day-to-day convenience with unbelievable off-road competence.

“The reborn Land Rover Defender has quickly captured the imagination of road testers and customers across the world and so I am delighted to be able to add this carsales Highly Commended award to a growing list of honours,” said Jaguar Land Rover Australia managing director Mark Cameron.

“The new Defender is as robust and capable as the original but now packed with technology and a level of refinement that truly sets it apart from other 4x4s.”

For 2020, carsales COTY judges included Sinclair, carsales Managing Editor, Marton Pettendy, carsales Technical Editor, Ken Gratton, carsales Consumer Editor, Nadine Armstrong, carsales News Editor, Sam Charlwood, carsales Senior Journalist, Feann Torr, carsales journalist, Alexandra Lawrence, and carsales contributor, Bruce Newton.

Value, warranty, aftersales support and projected cost of ownership are key factors considered when determining carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.

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

For the 2020 carsales Car of the Year, RedBook.com.au calculated each vehicle’s cost to run and its retained value over an ownership period of three years or 60,000km.

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

2020 carsales Car of the Year winner: Kia Sorento

2020 carsales Car of the Year Highly Commended: Porsche Taycan

2020 carsales Car of the Year Highly Commended: Land Rover Defender

Key eligibility requirements for carsales Car of the Year:

To be eligible for consideration in the 2020 carsales Car of the Year proudly presented by Bingle, passenger vehicles must comply with the following: