Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Urban Car Under $50K finalists announced – UPDATE

12/16/2024 12:53 AM

Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Urban Car Under $50K

UPDATE, 16 December 2024 – FINALISTS CONFIRMED

The dust has settled on the first round of voting for this year's Drive Car of the Year Best Urban Car Under $50K award, and three finalists have emerged.

Naturally, the Volkswagen Golf automatically gets an invite back to defend its title. But, Drive judges have determined that it faces tough competition in the Hyundai i30 Sedan and Honda Civic e:HEV hybrids.

Though nothing has changed with the Volkswagen Golf throughout 2024, it's automatically invited back into the finalist's circle to defend its win from last year. It still represents one of the most premium-leaning cabin presentations in its segment, with judges giving a nod in particular to the small hatchback's sturdy build quality.

Its powertrain might not be the most powerful in the class, and it continues without hybrid technology, but the refinement and poise of the drivetrain will be hard for rivals to match.

Read more about the Volkswagen Golf here.

The new Honda Civic's inclusion in this category came as a surprise to Drive judges, despite the brand being encouraged to put cars forward for testing.

In any case, a late launch of the new hybrid-powered Honda Civic has deemed it eligible for our category, priced just under the $50,000 barrier in e:HEV L trim. Judges were thrilled with how the petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain worked – a seamless blend of two power sources designed to cut fuel use.

Additionally, buyers want for nothing inside the cabin – it's well-appointed with plenty of features and technology.

Read more about the Honda Civic here.

Hyundai issued some changes to the i30 nameplate in 2024 – the i30 hatch was refreshed with a new engine, but it's the hybrid-powered i30 Sedan that has made its way into the final stages.

Blending a frugal petrol-electric powertrain with a quiet, refined driving character, the i30 Sedan received praise for its everyday driveability and low running costs. As well, the interior is impressively spacious for a small sedan.

Read more on the Hyundai i30 here.

The winner of the Drive Car of the Year Best Urban Car Under $50K award will be announced on 24 February 2025.

The below was published on 13 November 2024:

Cars have never needed to accomplish more things simultaneously than they do in 2025. They need to be affordable, practical, entertaining, and tech-forward – and these non-negotiables need to be packaged in compact dimensions that ensure small cars are easy to park while remaining frugal on fuel.

It’s a lot to ask at the affordable end of the Australian new-car market, but manufacturers have responded with compelling options. Although much of Australia’s buying attention centres around SUVs these days, there’s still strong competition in the hatchback and small sedan classes below a $50,000 price point.

The Best Urban Car Under $50K price band is the second-most affordable of all categories and looks for the best combination of equipment, safety, and efficiency. A large emphasis is also placed on a car’s driving experience – it has to be easy to drive and city-focused – while remaining fuss-free for ongoing costs.

This category was all-new for Drive Car of the Year 2024 and featured finalists such as the BYD Dolphin, MG 4, and Volkswagen Golf. There’s a blend of petrol-only cars as well as fully electric options – with last year’s awards being the first time Drive has integrated electric cars within conventional categories.

Ultimately, the Volkswagen Golf claimed the category for its refinement, style, and all-round excellence. As such, it will be invited back to the category in 2025 to defend its title.

It will contend against frugal options such as the Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid, which is among the most fuel-efficient of its class, and even Hyundai’s updated i30 hatchback which has gone to a new turbocharged mild-hybrid powertrain. However, it’s now more expensive than the model it replaces.

Japanese brands are represented too: the Subaru Impreza was updated in 2024, as was the Suzuki Swift – which crosses price bands and appears here, as well as in the Best Urban Car Under $30K category.

In addition to the Volkswagen Golf which will return to defend its crown, Volkswagen’s own T-Cross was updated in the second half of 2024 with a strong mix of equipment and style.

FAQs

Which cars are eligible for this category?

Drive's rules require that, for a car to be eligible, it must:

1. Be all-new or significantly updated,
2. Be on sale with customer deliveries commenced by 31 December 2024.
3. Retail examples be made available for Drive to road test before that cut-off date.
4. Pricing cut-offs exclude discounts and limited-time offers.

Unfortunately, there were some cars that couldn’t make it for this year’s running. The Mini hatch was launched during 2024 but not supplied by Mini for Drive judges to test.

As well, the price bands of some model ranges extend beyond our $50,000 barrier. In this case, only the variants with retail prices less than $50,000 are considered worthy of the Best Urban Car Under $50K category.

What are the next steps?

The winner of the Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Urban Car Under $50K will be announced in February 2025.

Before then, we will announce the finalists, all of which deliver on the buyer's expectations for cost-effective urban motoring. One thing is certain: this category promises to be one of the toughest confronting our experienced judges.

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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