Cars on the runway, this years selected Cars.co.za winners

Cars.co.za which has survived turbulent economic waters was proud to host its annual consumer award ceremony at the Sandton Mall Rooftop, all in a showcase of cars that received several votes of confidence on Thursday night.

On a night of glitz and glam where ladies and gentlemen were dressed under the theme of black tie, it was a competitive night filled with top-tier engines battling against similar weighted competitors.

This year brand winners in various categories were adjudicated by a panel of 20 judges in the motoring media.

This year’s awards were sponsored by Absa which proudly introduced their new tagline, Stories that Matter as a show of faith in people’s stories.

The vehicles were put to the test based on their quality, reliability, and overall aftersales experience of vehicles survived through franchised product quality.

Cars.co.za chose 39 finalist vehicles which included 18 brands. All vehicles had to be available on the new vehicle market on September 2023.

The glamorous event was attended by hundreds of guests, hosted by comedian Nik Rabinowitz and radio personality Khutso Theledi.

Winners

Toyota now leads the total #CarsAwards Brand of the Year wins tally with 4 trophies, followed by Suzuki (2) and Volkswagen (1).

An electric car the BMW iX took home the Premium SUV category.

Kia took its first win in the history of the program courtesy of the Sportage 1.6CRDi EX in the Family Car category.

Suzuki won the Budget category for the 5th time, while a Swift 1.2 GLX won the entry-level Hatch trophy.

Volkswagen won the Compact Hatch category with a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol Polo.

Winner Brand of the Year: Toyota/Lexus

Winner Leisure double cab:  Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 Ecoboost, Raptor 4WD.

Winner Performance car: Toyota GR Yaris Rally

Winner Adventure SUV: Ford Everest 3.0 V6 Wildtrak

Winner Premium SUV: BMW iX xDrive40

Winner Executive SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLC 220d

Winner premium crossover: BMW X1 sDrive 18d M Sport

Winner Family car: Kia Sportage 1.6 CRDi Ex

Winner Compact family car:  Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 XR

Winner Entry level crossover: Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX

Winner Compact hatch: Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 85kW R-Line

Winner Budget hatch: Suzuki Baleno

Winner entry-level hatch: Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX

Also read: Why Apple ditched EV’s