The winners in this year’s South African Car of the Year (SA COTY) awards have been announced. Here’s the winners in each of the eight categories. (It’s worth noting that the ninth category — Compact — has been omitted as “although the entrant was commendable, it did not meet the required percentage to secure a category win”. As a reminder, the sole competitor in this segment was the Renault Clio VI.) As a reminder, in the 2023 instalment of SA COTY, 21 finalists (from a pool of 55 vehicles) vied for top honours, with the new Ford Ranger claiming the crown as SA’s Car of the Year.
COMPACT FAMILY — BAIC BEIJING X55
The first Chinese vehicle to claim a category win at the SA COTY awards, the BAIC Beijing X55 went up against a trio of crossovers, the new Nissan Qashqai, Opel Mokka and Volkswagen Taigo.
MIDSIZE — KIA SPORTAGE
Kia’s first win was in the Midsize category, with the new Sportage besting the Alfa Romeo Tonale, Cherry Tiggo 8 Pro (which claimed the “Motor Enthusiasts Choice” award), Hyundai Tucson and Honda Civic RS for top honours. As a reminder, Kia SA recently introduced the diesel Sportage to the local line-up.
PREMIUM — KIA SORENTO
Kia claimed its second award in the Premium category. The Sorento — the winner — had only one competitor, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee L.
ADVENTURE SUV — FORD EVEREST
The Everest, of which we recently sampled the entry-level XLT and Wildtrak derivatives, was the sole competitor in this year’s Adventure SUV category. Earlier this year, we also tested the range-topping Platinum.
DOUBLE CAB 4X4 — FORD RANGER
The Blue Oval brand claimed its second award in the Double Cab 4×4 category, with the new Ranger besting the Isuzu D-Max for first prize. However, as mentioned, this wasn’t the only award for the Ford — it was also crowned the overall SA COTY winner.
LUXURY — MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS
The S-Class claimed two awards at this year’s SA COTY awards, the first of which was the gold in the Luxury category — in which it was the only competitor — with the second being the COTY Jurors Excellence Award. The latter award “recognises the unparalleled driving experience of an extraordinary vehicle and represents the jurors’ raw scores, acknowledging exceptional vehicle quality and craftsmanship”.
PERFORMANCE — AUDI RS3
The RS3 hatch/sedan, which we tested at the end of last year, was the sole competitor for the 2023 SA performance car of the year.
NEW-ENERGY — VOLVO XC40 P8 RECHARGE
The New-Energy catgegory comprised a quartet of cars, Audi e-tron GT/RS e-tron GT, Haval H6 HEV, Toyota RAV4 E-Four and the Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge, the latter of which won.
