World’s best cars are all EVs
Electric cars from Ford, Kia and Hyundai to vie for 2022 World Car of the YearThe three finalists for the World Car of the Year award in 2022 are all battery-electric.
The top honour will be decided between the Hyundai IONIQ 5, the Kia EV6 and the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
We named the Hyundai IONIQ 5 electric crossover our 2021 carsales Car of the Year, its Korean sister model was recently crowned as European Car of the Year and the Ford Mustang Mach-E – also a coupe-styled medium/large SUV, is yet to be confirmed for Australian release but recently took one step closer.
Last year’s WCOTY champion was also an electric car, the Volkswagen ID.4 mid-size SUV.
The three final contenders have emerged from a three-phase testing and voting process involving 102 motoring journalists and commentators from 33 countries.
The IONIQ 5 is also a finalist for World Electric Vehicle in 2022, where it faces off against the luxury Audi e-tron GT and Mercedes-Benz EQS.
But the contenders for the best Urban Car for 2022 are driving in a different direction, as the Opel Mokka is up against the Toyota Yaris Cross and Volkswagen Taigun in a battle of the tiddlers for the city-and-suburban crown.
Meantime, the Audi e-tron GT, BMW M3/M4 and Toyota GR 86/Subaru BRZ will vie for World Performance Car.
This year’s contest is the 17th year of the world’s biggest motoring awards and marks a return to a less-disrupted judging process.
The WCOTY panel has been severely restricted in its test regime throughout the COVID-19 pandemic but a growing number of judges has been able to fulfil the award’s requirements to test drive any vehicle for which they vote.
In Australia, where there are two WCOTY judges, only the IONIQ 5 and EV6 are currently in showrooms and many of the other contenders for the minor awards are yet to arrive.
The award winners will be announced at the New York International Motor Show on April 13, although Luc Donckerwolke – the chief creative officer at the Hyundai Motor Group – has already been named as World Car Person of 2022.
2022 WCOTY finalists each category:
World Car of the Year
- Ford Mustang Mach-E
- Hyundai IONIQ 5
- Kia EV6
World Electric Vehicle of the Year
- Audi e-tron GT
- Hyundai IONIQ 5
- Mercedes-Benz EQS
World Urban Car
- Opel Mokka
- Toyota Yaris Cross
- Volkswagen Taigun
World Luxury Car
- BMW iX
- Genesis GV70
- Mercedes-Benz EQS
World Performance Car
- Audi e-tron GT
- BMW M3/M4
- Toyota GR 86 / Subaru BRZ
World Car Design of the Year
- Audi e-tron GT
- Hyundai IONIQ 5
- Kia EV6
Related: Hyundai IONIQ 5 named 2021 carsales Car of the Year
Related: Kia EV6 named 2022 European Car of the Year
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