Review: Best new cars of 2025 named by motoring experts
Skoda's Elroq crossover - which starts from £31,510 - has taken this year's crown. It marks the fifth year in a row that an EV has been awarded the top prize. But it isn't just the quirky Elroq that's turned judges' heads this year. As Auto Express editor Paul Barker says, the 'standard of new cars coming to the market continues to rise'. So, here are the cars that have impressed reviewers the most and are highly recommended by the experts...
Skoda Elroq voted best new car of 2025
Skoda is a bit of a cult classic brand at this point, winning a legion of fans for its ability to offer quality, reliability and affordability. The Elroq can be praised for embodying all that in a mid-sized electric SUV, with a seriously competitive range of 360 miles and a huge amount of practicality – 470 litres of boot space to be exact – into a price package of just £31,510. Paul Barker summed it up when he said: 'As a mid-size SUV, it hits the sweet spot for many UK buyers, offering space, comfort, usability, and value – while also delivering the electric performance and refinement that drivers increasingly expect.
'It's a car that feels ready for the mainstream, and importantly, it doesn't demand big compromises to go electric. Skoda's clever packaging, mature driving dynamics and understated quality all shine through in the Elroq.' It is the fifth consecutive year that an EV has taken the top honour, with the Citroen e-C3 winning in 2024, the Hyundai Kona EV in 2023, the Nissan Ariya in 2022 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 a year earlier. Responding to the Elroq's victory, Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer said: 'Winning Car of the Year means a lot to all of us at Škoda. I'm grateful for this recognition of the hard work, creativity, and care that goes into building a car we're truly proud of. 'We set out to create a car that people would love to drive on their daily explorations. 'To see it connect with drivers and experts alike is incredibly rewarding.'
Skoda's other winners
Skoda is on a roll, sweeping the board in all the categories that deliver maximum practicality to drivers. As well as the Elroq being Car of the Year and Mid-Size SUV of the Year, the Octavia took home Family Car of the Year while the Superb won Estate of the Year, and the Kodiaq claimed Large SUV of the Year. The Octavia is a key example of Skoda's reputation for offering sensible, good-value and massively spacious cars.
Available as a Hatch or Estate, it's a versatile family car. Not only is there a big range of petrol and diesel engines, but the interior is surprisingly plush and the Estate has a 640-litre boot. And it only costs £28,250. The Superb won Estate Car of the Year, and considering the new version has even better fuel consumption than before as well as an improved ride for a price that massively undercuts rivals, that's not all that surprising. The Superb starts from £37,225 and comes with a PHEV option that gives you 62 miles of EV-only range.
And finally, the Kodiaq was crowned Large SUV of the Year, rounding out Skoda's winning night, with its seven-seater option making a go to for large families. Again, it won't break the bank costing £39,000 with loads of standard kit and tech thrown in, and a surprisingly plush interior.
Barker praised all Skoda winners but still elevated the Elroq as a step above its siblings saying: 'In a year where Skoda has taken home four major category wins, including with long-standing favourites like the Kodiaq and Superb, the Elroq is a worthy flagship. 'It shows how far the brand – and electric cars more broadly – have come.'
Other recommendations - from the luxurious to the affordable
BMW stormed home with five wins, making the German marque the other most awarded brand of the year. The iX – the car with very divisive looks but an almost unparalleled combination of EV luxury and practicality – won Large Premium SUV of the Year and Premium Electric Car, while the X3 was awarded Mid-size Premium SUV. With the iX's range of up to 426 miles and maximum luggage capacity of 1,750 litres you'd think it would be a slow sensible car. But no, it can do 0 to 62 in 4.6 seconds.
However, it isn't cheap, starting from over £75k and going up sharply to over £114k. The fun 2 Series took Coupe of the Year – a car that's always a hit with keen drivers who like old-school handling and rear-wheel drive. The 530e seek past the post in the Premium Hybrid category, rounding out that grand total of five awards.
Today there are four in five models available as battery electric, plug-in hybrid or hybrid, and almost two in five completely zero emission. So, it's not surprising that EVs are being recognised as some of the very best options on the market, shown by the number of categories won by zero emissions models. The Kia EV3, the South Korean brand's small electric B-segment SUV, was awarded Small Company Car of the year, while the Tesla Model 3 took home Mid-size Company Car of the Year. Kia's little Picanto won the City car category, bringing the total wins for Kia to two.
The EV3's rival, the Volvo EX30, was crowned Small Premium SUV and was the only trophy for the Swedish manufacturer. Audi's new A6 e-tron was an electric car that beat out intense competition from the fellow German rivals BMW i5 and Volkswagen ID.7. Its long-distance driving capabilities – it can do up to 464 miles on a single charge, undeniable good looks, plush interior and refined ride managed to snag it Large Company Car of the Year.
Beating all others to the ultimate luxury tag was the Bentley Flying Spur. It topped Range Rover (no easy feat) to be Auto Express' Luxury Car of the Year. Is it the sustainable Nappa leather interiors, the endless customisation options, the Wellness seating specification or the Ultra Performance Hybrid V8 powertrain that's most covetable? We'll let you decide. In pure performance though, the McLaren Artura took home first, winning Performance Car thanks to its V6 twin-turbo hybrid petrol engine, 700PS, and rear spoiler with 50kg of downforce.
The Honda Civic Type R is a cheaper and more compact option for performance lovers, but potentially no less fun. It's Hot Hatch of the Year – approved by boy racers the world over no doubt. On the cheaper end the MG3 Hybrid + was awarded Affordable Hybrid Car of the Year, the Mazda MX-5 took Convertible of the Year and the newly reincarnated Fiat Grande Panda (available as a hybrid or electric) won Supermini of the year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
UK borrowing costs fall as PM backs chancellor
The cost of government borrowing has fallen in early trade on Thursday, partly reversing a surge prompted by the chancellor's emotional appearance in the Commons the previous yield on UK 10-year bonds fell to 4.53%, down from 4.61% at Wednesday's close - as markets reacted to the prime minister's comments that he worked "in lockstep" with Rachel pound, which also fell on Wednesday, recovered some ground to $1.3668, although it has not regained all the ground it lost. One analyst told the BBC financial markets seemed to be backing the chancellor, afraid that if she left her job then fiscal discipline would disappear. Will Walker Arnott, head of private clients at the bank Charles Stanley, told the Today programme it seemed like a "rare example of financial markets actually enhancing the career prospects of a politician"."I think the markets are concerned that if the chancellor goes then any fiscal discipline would follow her out the door and that would mean bigger deficits."Mohamed El-Erian, president of Queens' College, Cambridge, and chief economic adviser at Allianz, warned that markets were likely to remain on edge."The minute you put a risk premium in the marketplace, it's very hard to take out," he told the Today programme."I suspect that we will see some moderation, but we will not go back to where we were 24 hours ago."
Reuters
20 minutes ago
- Reuters
Santander's bet on Britain with TSB deal shows banks' need for scale
MADRID/LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - Santander's ( opens new tab plan to buy TSB for 2.65 billion pounds ($3.61 billion) and boost its position in the UK came together only a few weeks ago, after the Spanish bank had been considering a possible exit from Britain, three sources close to the process said. The lender, grappling with years of underperformance at its UK business and a market share that at best had flatlined, had this year been reviewing its two-decade presence in Britain. Instead, two developments coincided to hand Santander a chance to snap up TSB, the British unit of Spanish bank Sabadell ( opens new tab, one of the sources close to the process said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. In early May, Santander announced it was selling its Polish bank, raising 6.8 billion euros ($8.02 billion) in the process. Then word reached it that Sabadell - which itself is the subject of a takeover offer from Santander rival BBVA ( opens new tab - had started receiving offers for TSB, the seventh-biggest British bank by number of branches and a lender that has struggled under Sabadell's control. Advised by Centerview, Robey Warshaw and Deutsche Bank, Santander and its bankers had worked for the past three weeks to put in an offer late on Friday, the source said. Sabadell - working with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley - appeared to keep everyone guessing until a Tuesday board meeting. In the end, Santander beat runner-up Barclays (BARC.L), opens new tab, with the difference between the offers tiny, two sources close to the process said. The deal highlights how rising consolidation in European banking is prompting lenders outside the top tier to realise they need to scale or sell out. Santander and Sabadell declined to comment. Centerview, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley also declined to comment. Robey Warshaw did not respond to requests for comment. Acquiring TSB will boost Santander's ranking in UK mortgages to fourth from fifth, RBC estimates. For that, Santander is paying 1.45 times TSB's book value, which analysts said was high but reflected the depth of cost-cutting the Spanish lender believes possible by slashing duplicated back office roles and branches. "The acquisition of TSB serves to bulk up Santander's UK business significantly and presents material cost extraction opportunities," said John Cronin, banking analyst at SeaPoint Insights. Cronin said it could be "the first step in a wider play to drive consolidation within the mainstream lending space - with Santander potentially on the offensive". British lenders flush with cash from higher interest rates are looking at more deals, notably as upstart challenger banks call time on their struggles to take market share from the biggest players. It mirrors a consolidation process taking place in other European markets, including in Italy, as banks are forced to compete for size because of tighter regulations and massive technology costs. Bankers say the Santander move will also increase pressure on other British lenders wanting to expand through acquisitions, especially as the number of obvious options declines, with Virgin Money, Tesco's (TSCO.L), opens new tab bank and now TSB all taken over in the past 18 months. After reports emerged in January that Santander, a sprawling bank operating in 10 core markets, wanted out of Britain, Executive Chair Ana Botin said publicly that the bank was committed to the UK. While the TSB deal delivers on that promise, the success of the transaction is partly predicated on potentially difficult cost cutting. Santander has said it expects to take out 400 million pounds of costs, about 55% of TSB's cost base. That well exceeds feasible cost synergies of 40% in the UK based on past transactions, analysts at BofA said in a report. The bank said the deal will generate a return on invested capital of over 20% and help lift the UK business' return on equity to 16% from an industry-lagging 11%. Integrating computer systems and migrating customer accounts has proven a tough task in Britain due to a reliance by lenders on often decades-old legacy software. Two of the sources close to the process said Santander would use Gravity, its new IT system, to help with the integration. The Spanish lender's aim to cut costs by slashing branches and jobs may also trigger protests from unions and customers, as well as political scrutiny. Santander will also have to battle to win market share from Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), opens new tab and NatWest (NWG.L), opens new tab that dominate more profitable banking services such as mortgages and credit cards, even with the scale it has added by buying TSB. ($1 = 0.7346 pounds) ($1 = 0.8480 euros)
BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
The first year of a United Ireland could cost €3bn
The first year of a united Ireland could cost €3bn (£2.6bn) according to a report which describes it as "well within what could be afforded".The research, from Dublin City University and Ulster University, has calculated the cost of unity over the first 10 suggests the cost has been exaggerated partly because of how much the UK government subsidises Northern Ireland being "misinterpreted and misunderstood."It also suggests if Northern Ireland was back in the EU the potential growth has not received enough attention. How is the cost worked out? The subsidy from the UK government is the difference between how much tax is raised in Northern Ireland, and Northern Ireland's share of the overall UK report estimates that number will be €1.7bn (£1.5bn).This is after breaking down pensions, debt, defence, UK central costs, and taxation, and is much lower than other estimates of €11.5bn (£10bn) to €16.1bn (£14bn).The report arrived at the €3bn (£2.6bn) first year total cost by taking that €1.7bn (£1.5bn) into account, plus an additional €1bn (£0.86bn) in public spending for "necessary investment", as well as the added costs of wage and pension recommends public spending in Northern Ireland should increase by €1bn (£0.86bn) a year to deal with necessary investment in health, welfare, education, and says this additional spending should be maintained, as a minimum, for 10 years. There would also be the added cost of equalising public sector sector wages in the Republic are on average 48% higher than those in Northern Ireland – impacting 29% of the entire NI labour report suggests it would cost an extra €152m (£131m) each year over 15 addition, it suggests the transfer of public sector and state pensions would cost an additional €115m (£99m) a year over 40 said: "This is well within what could be afforded, and allows scope for additional investment, as the economy grows, beyond the €1bn (£0.86bn) a year of additional spending built into this model."Depending on economic growth, it suggests Northern Ireland would end its need for a subsidy in five to nine growth in the Republic averaged 3.2% a year from 2000 to 2024, whereas growth in Northern Ireland averaged just 1.3% over the same with the south would therefore be likely to see a significant increase in economic growth. Report author Professor John Doyle, Vice President for Research in Dublin City University said:"With the same set of policies on education, infrastructure, tax and Foreign Direct Investment, there is no obvious reason why Northern Ireland would remain so much poorer and so much less economically productive that, for example Munster.""Convergence with the more productive and wealthier Southern economy will take time, but the deficit will close much more quickly," he University Economic Policy Centre's Dr Eoin Magennis said: "This paper sets out the ambitious level of growth needed to close gaps in public finances but also the time that will be needed to produce such a necessary convergence.""How to do that – through improving educational outcomes in NI or adopting different infrastructural choices – will mean a fresh set of choices needing to be made," he added. 'Not convincing' However Dr Esmond Birnie suggests Professor Doyle is minimising the assumed financial costs of a "United Ireland"He said: "Prof Doyle, as in his 2021 ARINs article, rather optimistically assumes that the UK government would both meet all public sector pension obligations and release NI from its pro rata share of UK public debt."He describes the report's funding requirements under different future growth scenarios as "not all that convincing.""It would be desirable if NI moved on to a higher growth path but chronic under-performance in the NI economy suggests some of these things are not easily changed.""Major constitutional change is neither a necessary or sufficient condition of improving economic performance and this report does not provide evidence that a United Ireland per se would spur performance," he added.
