Kia wins World Car of
the Year

The Kia EV3 has won the 2025 World Car of the Year at the New York International Auto Show. The electric vehicle was selected from an initial pool of 52 eligible vehicles, with the BMW X3 and Hyundai Inster / Casper Electric named as the other two finalists.

The event marked its 125th anniversary as North America’s longest-running automotive show, drawing thousands of visitors and serving as a major venue for new vehicle debuts and industry trends.

This is the second consecutive World Car of the Year win for Kia and third World Car of the Year win overall. The Kia EV9 won the 2024 award while the Kia Telluride won in 2020. The award brings the total number of awards won by Kia to six in World Car’s 21-year history.

A jury of 96 international automotive journalists from 30 countries selected the finalists in the World finalists by secret ballot based on their evaluation of each eligible vehicle as part of their on-going professional work.

To qualify for the World Car of the Year award, vehicles must be produced at a minimum volume of 10,000 units annually, priced below the luxury segment in their primary markets, and available for sale in at least two major markets – such as China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, or the USA – across two continents between 1 January 2024 and 30 March 2025.

“It is an immense honour for everyone at Kia that the EV3 has been awarded the 2025 World Car of the Year title,” says Ho Sung Song, Kia president and CEO.

“This award highlights Kia’s global leadership in providing design-led, technologically advanced, sustainable mobility solutions and how the EV3’s class-leading attributes redefine the user experience for customers worldwide.”

Other winners at the 2025 New York International Auto Show included:

• Electric Vehicle: Hyundai Inster / Casper.
• Luxury Car: Volvo EX90.
• Performance Car: Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.
• Urban Car: BYD Seagull / Dolphin Mini.
• Car Design of the Year: Volkswagen ID. Buzz.