Honda’s storied Civic compact car, a 2022 Car of the Year finalist, is back with consequential changes that are not immediately noticeable from the curb. The 2025 Civic drops its available turbocharged engine in favor of a gas-electric hybrid powertrain, while its entry-level engine is swapped for a new, leaner-burning Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
The lineup still consists of front-wheel-drive, four-door sedans and hatchbacks, with each body style available in three or four trim levels. Entry-level LX (sedan only) and volume-selling Sport (the entry-level hatchback) trims get the new gas engine, while the top two levels, Sport Hybrid and Sport Touring Hybrid, as you’d probably already guessed, get the new hybrid setup. Head here for the full 2025 Honda Civic COTY review.
2025 MotorTrend Car of the Year: The Finalists
One of these finalists is the 2025 Car of the Year.
MotorTrend StaffWriter, PhotographerAlan MuirIllustrator
Nov 19, 2024
It’s already been a year since we picked the Toyota Prius as our 2024 Car of the Year, and now it’s time for that excellent hybrid to turn its crown over to a fresh winner. After hundreds of miles and multiple days of driving all the contenders and finalists for our ultimate prize, one of the cars on this page has emerged to hoist our iconic Golden Calipers. As a reminder, vehicles do not compete against each other directly for the honor of being named the MotorTrend Car of the Year; rather, they are evaluated using our six key criteria: Advancement in Design, Efficiency, Safety, Value, Engineering Excellence, and Performance of Intended Function. Some cars will nail only one or two of these categories, some will nail more than half, but it’s the rare car that excels against the board. This year’s winner did just that.
More Of The Year:
- 2025 COTY Contenders
- 2025 SUVOTY Contenders | Finalists | Winner
- 2024 COTY Contenders | Finalists | Winner
2025 Honda Civic
Honda’s storied Civic compact car, a 2022 Car of the Year finalist, is back with consequential changes that are not immediately noticeable from the curb. The 2025 Civic drops its available turbocharged engine in favor of a gas-electric hybrid powertrain, while its entry-level engine is swapped for a new, leaner-burning Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
The lineup still consists of front-wheel-drive, four-door sedans and hatchbacks, with each body style available in three or four trim levels. Entry-level LX (sedan only) and volume-selling Sport (the entry-level hatchback) trims get the new gas engine, while the top two levels, Sport Hybrid and Sport Touring Hybrid, as you’d probably already guessed, get the new hybrid setup. Head here for the full 2025 Honda Civic COTY review.
2025 Kia K4
Kia had a big problem with the Forte before discontinuing the model: prospective buyers were cross-shopping it with used cars. The 2025 Kia K4 is here to address that scenario, complete with daring styling and a tech-heavy interior. But did Kia take its formula far enough to match competing compact sedans? That’s one of the main things we endeavored to find out about the K4 during our Car of the Year testing. Head here for the full 2025 Kia K4 COTY review.
2025 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Mercedes-Benz has long positioned its E-Class as being all things to all people. An executive sedan providing serene escapes during evening commutes. A high-riding family station wagon for light exploration. A convertible for Sunbelt fun. And a more mature sports car in the form of a coupe. But the problem with doing so many body styles is that a need for one (say, a power-folding top) can result in compromises for the others. With the spin-off of both the E-Class coupe and convertible into the all-new CLE-Class, the new-for-2024 10th-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class illustrates the benefit of a focused effort on making the best possible sedan and wagon. Head here for the full 2025 Mercedes-Benz E-Class COTY review.
2025 Porsche Taycan
It’s rare for an automaker to address every last issue we’ve had with a car, but Porsche isn’t like other automakers. With upgraded motors, batteries, and charging, this 2025 Porsche Taycan 4S represents a massive leap forward in EV tech for the German marque, “fixing” things that we didn’t even think were broken and propelling this sport sedan from being a fun, if compromised, performance car to a more comprehensive (and still fun) technological marvel. Head here for the full 2024 Porsche Taycan COTY review.
2025 Toyota Camry
Beyond being a midsize sedan, what is a Camry? Now that the ninth generation has arrived, Toyota presents a modified answer to that question, offering the 2025 Camry exclusively hybrid powertrains, in both front- and all-wheel-drive configurations.
Otherwise, the Camry keeps its familiar sedan form factor; the new Camry’s roofline is identical to the outgoing model, though the front and rear fascia have been overhauled to conform with the rest of the Toyota lineup’s design language. Shoppers still have a choice between comfort-oriented LE and XLE trims and sporty SE and XSE variants. For MotorTrend’s 2025 Car of the Year competition, the range-topping 2025 Camry XLE and XSE variants make an impressive showing as worthy finalists but stumble when held up to the scrutiny of our criteria. Head here for the full 2025 Toyota Camry COTY review.
2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz
We’ve been here before. Volkswagen’s last cleaver slammed between boomers and their money, the New Beetle, was an unexceptional car with exceptional retro appeal. Surely the new ID Buzz, VW’s Microbus revival, is another soon-to-fizzle nostalgia ploy.
It sure looks like a miss against our Car of the Year criteria—at least on paper. Anything “retro” swims upstream against advancement in design, and the $61,545 opening ask bends the upper stratosphere of minivan pricing. Then there’s its 234 miles of range, which lives in the basement of expectations for EVs generally, challenging its value case. Head here for the full 2025 Volkswagen ID Buzz COTY review.
