The South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ) has announced the winners of the 2021 Car of the Year awards.
The winners were announced during a virtual awards ceremony nearly four months after the guild first announced the finalists in each category.
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“The South African Car of the Year trophy, awarded since 1986, is the country’s most highly respected and sought-after motoring accolade,” the guild said in a statement.
“While the competition has evolved over the years (categories were introduced recently), one thing has remained true to the contest; it celebrates and rewards automotive excellence.”
The first-place overall winner of the awards is the Peugeot 2008.
The guild declared the French SUV winner in the Compact Family category. It also received the Jurors Excellence Award.
The Toyota Hilux Double Cab took second place, having triumphed in the Double Cab category.
The BMW 4 Series was awarded third place.
The 2021 South African Car of the Year winners
The 2021 South African Car of the Year category winners are as follows:
- Budget: Toyota Starlet
- Compact: Hyundai Venue
- Compact Family: Peugeot 2008 SUV
- Family: Audi A4
- Premium: BMW 4 Series
- Adventure: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
- Double Cab: Toyota Hilux Double Cab
- Performance: Porsche 911 Turbo S
- New Energy: Porsche Taycan
- Motor Enthusiast’s Choice: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Jurors Excellence Award: Peugeot 2008 SUV
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SAGMJ did not host its scheduled two-day juror evaluation event.
Instead, the guild deployed an online scoring system available to its members. The members then scored vehicles based on their experiences at launch or when they test drove them.
Once the scoring process concluded, the guild applied factors such as sales performance and value for money to each vehicle.
In the case of the Motor Enthusiast’s Choice Award, members of the public could vote on their preferred vehicle. Those votes then counted towards the jurors’ scores and held the weight of a single juror.
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Featured image: Peugeot
