How Does ACOTY Define This Class?

Sedans in this category need to be priced mid-to-upper table in Singapore’s market, and should be from brands well known for their premium offerings. They can also be performance-oriented. Done.

Meet The Contenders

Four Germans and an Italian feature in this line-up.

The first three Germans represent Stuttgart. They are the Mercedes-Benz E 200 (left), Mercedes-AMG C 63 S (right) and Porsche Panamera.

Flying Bavaria’s flag for the Germans is the BMW 520i (left) and championing Italy is the Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce (right).

The Mercedes-Benz E 200 is the go-to status symbol for those who choose to show off their wealth. Elegant, comfortably plush, good tech-infused interior and looks that say ‘success’ without screaming it, this E 200 has solid executive vibes going for it.

If more muscle is preferred, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S fits the bill. 671hp and 1,020Nm of torque see to that. Four doors means it’s more practical than a purpose-built sports car. The pointed star emblem means it’s wholly suitable for executives. And it goes like the clappers. Phew!

The Porsche Panamera takes the premium/performance sedan game to the next level. Boy, can it dance through corners and rocket out of them! But it can also do the daily-cruise extremely well.

Very little can upset the Panamera’s superbly-sorted air suspension. The interior is a very nice place to be, with an upmarket look and feel. What more could you ask for?

The BMW 520i is undoubtedly an excellent luxo-barge for those who are reluctant to step up to the 7’er. Ride comfort is great. The interior is huge for a 5-Series. Quality materials adorn the inside and there’s tech up the wazoo to satiate techno-geeks.

The exterior looks sharp and imposing. And it’s pretty frugal. Executives, take note.

However, if you crave daily excitement without breaking the bank, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce is the premium/performance sedan to own.

The way it looks turns snaps heads. It’s snug and wraps around the driver, as a good performance sedan should. It can string a set of bends together with aplomb and sing with gusto on its way out.

It’s got lots of Italian flair and charm, and is practical to boot. This sedan will reboot your soul.

Five excellent choices, but only one can win.

AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Premium Sedan
Porsche Panamera

The winner with 346 points is the Porsche Panamera. It offers the right mix of premium look and feel, comfort, practicality and performance. And it’s always a plus to be able to say, “I drive a Porsche.”

More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.

Congratulations to the Porsche Panamera for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2025 Best Premium Sedan!

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV and on TikTok!

How Does ACOTY Define This Class?

Hot hatches, coupes, cabriolets and wagons are allowed in this category. They need to go around corners like a wet dream and get their owners hot under the collar before each drive.

Meet The Contenders

Three Germans feature this year. They are the Porsche Boxster (top left), Volkswagen Golf R (top right) and Mercedes-Benz CLE 200 (middle left).

Also in the contest, representing the UK, is the Lotus Emira (middle right), and representing Japan is the Subaru BRZ STI.

The Porsche Boxster needs no introduction. With wind in your hair, the Boxster is as quick as lightning, goes around corners like its on rails, feels beautifully exquisite to sit in and touch, and wears the glorious Porsche badge. ’nuff said.

If it’s hot-hatchery you’re after, the Volkswagen Golf R comes highly recommended. 315hp and 420Nm of torque make this hatchback go like the proverbial scalded cat. Practicality doesn’t take a backseat either, as it has very usable back seats and boot. Strap your family in and go for a blast!

Want a more practical coupe instead? The Mercedes-Benz CLE 200 has you covered. It may not be the quickest thing around, but can neatly string a set of bends together while looking and feeling bespoke, refined, and designed with a purpose. All done with comfort, style and efficiency.

What about a coupe with an almost single-minded purpose then? Look no further than the Lotus Emira, which stands testament to Lotus’ ability to build a proper sports car that looks absolutely gorgeous.

It goes like the clappers, changes direction faster than a traumatized feline, stops smartly and does all of that with the delicacy of a ballerina executing physics-defying moves. Get one while you can.

Which then brings us to the entry-level sports car of the group, the Subaru BRZ STI. Endowed with a naturally aspirated 2.4-litre boxer engine and rear-wheel drive, this is one seriously sweet-handling coupe without the price tag of the others. And it’s quite practical.

Although only one won, you won’t go wrong with any of these diverse choices.

AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Sports Car
Mercedes-Benz CLE 200

Believe us, we were as surprised as you are when the points were totted up and the result announced internally. But, in a very interesting way, we all arrived at the same conclusion with our individual scores.

The Mercedes-Benz CLE 200 takes the W with 377 points. Let’s face it, most car owners in Singapore need their one car to do practically everything, and the Merc fits that all-round bill the best.

More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.

Congratulations to the Mercedes-Benz CLE 200 for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2025 Best Sports Car!

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV and on TikTok!

How Does ACOTY Define This Class?

Every vehicle that qualifies for this category needs to be sold with a Category A Certificate of Entitlement (Cat A COE). It also needs to have a full-hybrid or plug-in hybrid drivetrain that allows it to be driven for some distance purely on electric power alone.

No plug-in hybrids were launched this year under Certificate of Entitlement Category A (COE Cat A).

Meet The Contenders

Here are the first three contenders. Representing Japan is the Lexus LBX (left), and South Korea is represented by the Hyundai Kona Hybrid (right) and the Hyundai Avante Hybrid.

The next two contenders can run very briefly on pure electric power, and therefore make an appearance here.

Representing Italy is the Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce (left), and representing Japan is the Suzuki Swift Mild Hybrid (right).

The Lexus LBX is smooth, quiet and feels suitably premium and upmarket on the inside. Its hybrid powertrain means that it’s frugal to run and its compact dimensions make it a great runabout in town.

The Hyundai Kona Hybrid looks futuristic with its angular styling. It’s also longer, taller and wider than its predecessor, meaning more space and practicality than before. Throw in a classic modern interior, essential creature comforts and fuel-frugal attitude, and you’ve got a really attractive package here.

The Hyundai Avante Hybrid’s sharp and angular looks are modern and befitting a vehicle twice its price tag. With sufficient tech and more than enough creature comforts on the inside, comfortable ride and a frugal engine, this is the sedan too look at in the Cat A hybrid segment.

The Alfa Romeo Tonale brings excellent handling for a front-wheel drive SUV, striking good looks befitting an Alfa and decent interior space and practicality.

Ever loved by enthusiasts, the Suzuki Swift is a hatchback that’s affordable, nimble, frugal and quite practical.

Five contenders face off for green-cred bragging rights, and there can only be one.

AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Cat A Hybrid
Lexus LBX

The winner with 383 points is the Lexus LBX. While it may cost a pretty penny, it also feels equally as upmarket while being able to confidently flash its green credentials without breaking a sweat.

More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.

Congratulations to the Lexus LBX for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2025 Best Cat A Hybrid / Plug-In Hybrid!

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV and on TikTok!

How Does ACOTY Define This Class?

The Overall Best Cat B Vehicle is chosen from among five Cat B winners from Round 1. Check out their respective Round 1 awards below.

Meet The Contenders

Audi Q3

The Audi Q3 feels like the most grown-up and well-put-together SUV of the trio to the judging panel, which is why it won the Best Cat B SUV category. Audi’s renowned build quality and solidity, along with a clean and premium design aesthetic puts it in contention here.

MG 4 EV

The MG 4 EV won Best Cat B Hatchback EV because how it’s priced versus what it offers in return makes it a spanking value and performance proposition. Which car enthusiast wouldn’t salivate at the prospect of a rear-wheel-driven hot hatch at this price point?

Nissan X-Trail e-Power

In this era of historically high COEs, the Nissan X-Trail e-Power is sufficiently well-equipped to offer its owner a premium-feeling experience for a car that, relatively speaking, is positioned as a mass-market model. This is why it won the Best Cat B Hybrid SUV award. It also helps that the mother of one of the judges absolutely loves it to bits.

Hyundai IONIQ 6

The Hyundai IONIQ 6 won Best Cat B EV due to its swooping, head-snapping looks, well-appointed interior that’s also sufficiently tech-infused, and performance that doesn’t disappoint one bit. Vivek is still waxing lyrical about “the Korean Saab” by the way.

BMW 330i Touring

That the BMW 330i Touring won the Best Cat B Premium Vehicle category is no surprise. Sufficient space to carry five people and their luggage, the way it drives, the way it handles and the way it makes one feel is why it is a contender here.

So who won?

All five vehicles are noteworthy in their own right. The diversity represented here made the judging panel’s work that much more difficult. However, there could only be one at the end.

Where the points tally in Round 1 was the final determinant of each category’s winner, here in Round 2, points are taken into consideration but are not the final arbiter of victory.

AutoApp Car Of The Year Overall Best Cat B Vehicle
BMW 330i Touring

The BMW 330i Touring won by virtue of its aforementioned offerings, plus the brand cachet that the blue and white roundel brings to dinner tables and at valet parking services. This is one desirable wagon.

More on the scoring categories used to derive points in Round 1 here.

Congratulations to the BMW 330i Touring for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2024 Overall Best Cat B Vehicle!

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV!

How Does ACOTY Define This Class?

Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are a perennial favourite among buyers not just in Singapore but worldwide. On the premium side of things, SUVs that qualify for this category need to be sold in the 50th or higher price percentiles.

Meet The Contenders

We tested five premium SUVs this year. Three come from parent group Stellantis, of which two hail from the land of the free aka ‘MURICA and the third is an obligatory Italian without which a premium round-up wouldn’t be served justice. One hails from the United Kingdom while the other comes from South Korea and proudly represents Asia.

They are the Jeep Wrangler Sahara (top left), Jeep Grand Cherokee (top right), Maserati Grecale (middle), Land Rover Defender 90 (bottom left) and Hyundai Palisade (bottom right).

Kicking things off with one-half of the ‘MURICAN siblings, the Jeep Wrangler Sahara is so endearing in how it’s raw and unabashedly off-road worthy. That it wears these credentials on its sleeve is what makes it so appealing.

Some may call it a dinosaur in this day and age but boy can this Jeep turn heads and get tongues wagging. That it can also mimic a mountain goat at will is a bonus.

By comparison, its sibling the Jeep Grand Cherokee feels like a Rolls-Royce Cullinan beside it. Trimmed in suitably upmarket upholstery and looking appropriately dapper, it’s also big. B-I-G-G.

You get a lot of car for the money here. It may not be highly technological, but can hold its own in a sea of Continental offerings. Plus it’s brisk.

The Maserati Grecale is the most sporty on-road premium SUV of the bunch. Being the latest offering from Maserati, the Grecale’s interior takes a significant step upwards in terms of premium feel, which some may call swish.

It’s got enough gizmos to keep a technophile happy and a longer wheelbase than its Stellantis-sister SUV Alfa Romeo Stelvio means that rear occupants will be that much more comfortable. Plus it handles well in the twisties.

Where the Jeep Wrangler was unabashedly off-road-y, the Land Rover Defender 90 brings some upmarket flair to the go-anywhere genre. It looks absolutely baller while remaining conservatively styled in a nod to its heritage, and is industrially comfortable on the inside.

Wherever it goes, it turns heads, and can also mimic a mountain goat when the terrain gets rough.

Which then brings us to the most sensible contender here – the Hyundai Palisade. Its palatial-sounding name is not by accident, for the Palisade has taken the three-row SUV world by storm from the time it was introduced.

This mild refresh for 2023 brings a more polished look to the outside and a redesigned dash and infotainment system on the inside. You get a lot of standard-fit kit for the moolah here, and it’s also smooth, quiet and reasonably quick for the all-important family haulage duties.

So many great choices, and yet, there can only be one winner. Decisions, decisions…

AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Premium SUV
Hyundai Palisade

The winner is the Hyundai Palisade with 347 points. No surprise here, that the winner is also the most competent SUV on test in this segment. Its practicality and comfort, combined with value-proposition is why the Palisade scored the win.

More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.

Congratulations to the Hyundai Palisade for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2024 Best Premium SUV!

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV!

How Does ACOTY Define This Class?

To us, and along with the majority of the world, hatchbacks are defined as having a fifth door with a relatively vertical rear windscreen to access the boot. Plus, all hatchbacks that qualify for this category need to be sold with a Category A Certificate of Entitlement (Cat A COE). Easy peasy.

Meet The Contenders

Representing Japan in the realm of Cat A hatchbacks are the Suzuki Swift Mild Hybrid (top left) and the Honda Jazz Crosstar (top right). Championing the Czech Republic but with German genes is the Škoda Scala 1.0 Monte Carlo (middle).

Finally, flying the German flag are the Volkswagen Golf Life (bottom left) from Wolfsburg and the BMW 216i Active Tourer (bottom right) from Bavaria.

The Suzuki Swift is a hatchback loved by many an enthusiast. It’s affordable (the cheapest car in the ACOTY line-up), nimble and does everything right. Easy to drive, easy to park, frugal to run and fun to look at, the Swift definitely deserves a place here as a contender.

Take a Honda Jazz and jazz up (literally) the suspension, and you’ve got yourself the Honda Jazz Crosstar. It looks macho and rugged while sitting slightly higher to make ingress and egress that much easier. Spacious on the inside with good visibility outside, practical and frugal to run, there’s so much going for the Jazz Crosstar.

The Škoda Scala 1.0 has a lot to like. Sharp looks, smooth ride, responsive controls and surprising cornering abilities mean this Czech ain’t one of those run-of-the-mill Cat A hatchbacks that’s JUST for point A to B transportation. Its interior works a treat too, and the Scala can put a genuine smile on one’s face. Czech’d!

Featuring a 1.5-litre eTSi engine with 130hp, this Volkswagen Golf Life neatly slips into COE Cat A to offer a more value-for-money Golf to the motoring public. One can wax lyrical about the comfort and practicality of a VW Golf all day long, and it’s not difficult to see why. Pleasant in looks, good in handling and frugal on fuel means your dollar goes further with the Golf Life.

The BMW 216i Active Tourer brings briskness, practicality and creature comforts. It may be the most expensive of the bunch here, but it also offers brand cachet to those who partake in this blue-and-white roundel-wearing hatchback. Premium touches are notable throughout the cabin, and technology abounds for those willing to have a go with this Bimmer.

Though there could only be one winner, you won’t go wrong with any of these excellent Cat A hatchbacks.

AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Cat A Hatchback
BMW 216i Active Tourer

With 361 points, the resounding victory goes to the BMW 216i Active Tourer. Brand cachet plays a big part here, and this Bimmer has tons of it. Success sometimes needs to be put on display, and the practical and well-appointed 216i ticks all the boxes. The points it garnered point to unanimity among the judging panel.

More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.

Congratulations to the BMW 216i Active Tourer for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2024 Best Cat A Hatchback!

Read more automotive news at AutoApp, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV!