Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Small SUV Under $80K finalists announced – UPDATE
Yesterday at 11:46 PM
Here are the finalists in the running for the Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Small SUV Under $80K category.
Drive Car of the Year 2025
Now in its 20th year, the annual Drive Car of the Year awards program continues to be the Australian new car buyer's most-trusted advisor.
At Drive, we test drive more than 200 new cars every year, evaluating each against its innate promise to sort the best from the rest. We divide the 400-plus new passenger cars, SUVs, 4WDs and utes into 19 price-banded categories focused on the end-user. Then we analyse the strengths and weaknesses of every car to find the cream of the automotive crop.
Drive Car of the Year 2025 is a go!
Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Small SUV Under $80K
Considering the field of contenders, the Best Small SUV under $80k category could almost be renamed as the Best Small Electric SUV Under $80k set.
The Volvo XC40 has held this award for the past four years, but advances in technology have seen the competition finally step beyond the stylish Swede.
Fully-electric contention is high, with all three finalists representing an EV powertrain, albeit with a slight catch.
The new Mini Countryman brings fresh style and functionality, plus some fun new technology to the market while offering buyers a choice of either petrol or electric from their compact SUV.
It's this combination, paired with an array of trims, colours and personalisation configurations, that make the Mini a compelling runner in this year's awards.
Read more about the Mini Countryman.
After a decade-long hiatus, Smart is back in the Australian market and it lands with a sharp offering in the appropriately Gen-Z-named #1.
The Geely-developed underpinnings, shared with the Volvo EX30 and Zeekr X, offers decent range and efficiency as well as a comfortable and compliant ride.
Like the Mini, there are plenty of fun choices for buyers to create a personalised example, while maintaining a flexible and functional SUV format.
Read more about the Smart #1 here.
While the XC40 may have handed in its crown, the all-electric Volvo EX30 is still flying the blue and yellow flag for the Swedish brand.
The compact EV delivers some stylish Scandinavian minimalism and sustainable materials along with a choice of drivelines and a well-sorted suspension setup. Will this be enough to keep the trophy in Volvo's cabinet for 2025?
Read more about the Volvo EX30 here.
The Drive Car of the Year Best Small SUV Under $80K will be announced on 24 February 2025.
The below was published on 14 November 2024:
Buyers shopping for a compact SUV but looking for a little more style and presence have a long list of contenders to choose from, and as is the way for 2025, the majority of the field are either fully electric or hybrid vehicles, which puts operating efficiency front and center.
The reigning champion, for the past four years, is the Volvo XC40. Time has been kind to the Swedish SUV, particularly in terms of interior design and finish. Now Volvo’s technology implementation is starting to show its age, and a few fresh-faced competitors have joined the race, including one from the Volvo showroom. Can the XC40 make it five in a row? Here’s what it is up against…
First up is the all-electric Volvo EX30, along with its Geely-backed cousins by way of the Smart #1, Smart #3 and Zeekr X. These compact but feature-rich SUVs may share platform components, but each approaches the SUV market slightly differently, making them unique players in a crowded segment.
Keeping with the electric theme, the stylish Renault Megane E-Tech, Jeep Avenger, Mini Countryman, and Hyundai Kona all provide buyers with decent range, zippy performance and urban practicality, while each flexing their individual brand flavours.
The new BMW X2 is in the mix, as is the plug-in-hybrid variant of the Alfa Romeo Tonale and updated Mercedes-Benz GLA, with competition from the petrol (as well as electric) versions of the new Mini Countryman. Rounding out the European contenders is the updated Renault Arkana SUV coupe.
This price category sees entry from the hybrid Nissan Qashqai e-Power and range-topping Toyota C-HR GR Sport hybrid as well.
It’s a heavily contested segment, but given the format of small SUVs, judges will be looking for cars that blend flexibility and practicality along with a sense of premium value, which means lots of equipment, choice materials and solid ownership proposition.
Is it time for electric to step up as the premier driveline for a premium buyer? Stay tuned to find out.
FAQs
Which cars are eligible for this category?
Drive's rules require that, for a car to be eligible, it must:
- Be all-new or significantly updated.
- Be on sale with customer deliveries commenced by 31 December 2024.
- Retail examples be made available for Drive to road test before that cut-off date.
- Pricing cut-offs exclude discounts and limited-time offers.
| Contenders | Not here in time |
| – Cars that are all-new or significantly updated since they last contested Drive Car of the Year. – New categories are open to all cars that fit category requirements. – Last year's winner is an automatic inclusion. | – These cars meet category requirements, but are not due to arrive in time for Drive Car of the Year 2025 judging. |
| Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV BMW X2 Hyundai Kona Electric Jeep Avenger Mini Countryman (petrol and electric) Mercedes-Benz GLA Nissan Qashqai e-Power Renault Arkana Renault Megane E-Tech Smart 1 Smart 3 Toyota C-HR GR-Sport Volvo EX30 Volvo XC40 (defending) Zeekr X | Alfa Romeo Junior Kia EV3 Lexus LBX Morizo RR Mini Aceman |
What are the next steps?
The winner of the 2025 Drive Car of the Year – Best Small SUV Under $80K will be announced in February 2025.
Before then, we will announce the finalists, all of which deliver apremium approach to technology and features that enhance motoring life.
Read more:
Drive Car of the Year 2025 is a go!
Drive Car of the Year Overview
Drive Car of the Year 2024 winners
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