How Does ACOTY Define This Class?

Every Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) that qualifies for this category needs to be sold with a Category A Certificate of Entitlement (Cat A COE). Simple right?

Meet The Contenders

There used to be a time back in the 2000s when MPVs were all the rage and filling up the roads. Over time, SUVs took over the scene, but there are some MPVs still going strong today that one should have a serious look at.

Both contenders in this category hail from the land of the rising sun. They are the Toyota Sienta Hybrid and Honda Freed.

The Toyota Sienta Hybrid is not only practical but very frugal as well. It looks cute on the outside, built tough on the inside, and can be configured in a few ways to liberate more legroom, seats for up to seven people or transformed into a minivan. It is no wonder, then, that there are so many of these running around as private hire vehicles or PHVs on our streets.

The Honda Freed looks rather good and has an interior that feels a bit more upmarket. It seats seven with relative ease and the cabin feels spacious and airy. Coupled with both iOS and Android smartphone connectivity, this is a good entry-level MPV for one’s family.

Both MPVs are similarly sized, but one stood out to us.

AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Cat A MPV
Toyota Sienta Hybrid

The winner with 335 points is the Toyota Sienta Hybrid. This feels like more car for the money, and coupled with its excellent fuel economy, decisively won this category’s crown.

More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.

Congratulations on the Toyota Sienta Hybrid for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2024 Best Cat A MPV!

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

How Does ACOTY Define This Class?

Compared to the rest of ACOTY 2024’s contenders, vehicles in this category need to sit in the 50th price percentile or higher. They also need to be juiced up, powered and driven solely by electron vibrations. Easy peasy.

Meet The Contenders

While the luxury segment is where manufacturers get to flex their industrial muscles and put on a show of what they can achieve, it is in the premium category where there often is a greater flurry of activity.

Manufacturers continually vie for the newly upwardly mobile middle-class’ moolah. Customers are keen to move into a more premium motoring experience while looking to exhibit their newfound wealth through their choice of car. Manufacturers must rise to meet this challenge while still keeping prices relatively affordable. This flurry of activity is especially so where green credentials come into play, and premium electric vehicles also find themselves increasingly required to stand in good stead with the ever-burgeoning eco-conscious middle class.

And so we found ourselves reviewing three such vehicles this year. Going head-to-head in the premium electric vehicles category are the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line, BMW i4 Gran Coupé eDrive35 and Lexus RZ 450e Luxury.

Sitting at the 81st price percentile, the opulence and comfort of the Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line impressed us, as did its ease of driving, impressive range and how quickly the battery pack could be charged from just over half capacity.

Being a unique contender vis-a-vis price in this market segment sets the BMW i4 Gran Coupé eDrive35 apart from everyone else. It was endowed with sufficient technology, drove and rode well and handled like a BMW should.

That it was also the most frugal premium electric vehicle tested to date and the most affordable in this group at the 67th price percentile made this “first-ever fully-electric Gran Coupé” that much more endearing to the judging panel.

The RZ 450e, Lexus’ first-ever purpose-built EV, is the only SUV in this line-up. It certainly has sharp looks and taut proportions going for it, as well as great practicality and a sumptuously appointed interior that complements its superb ride comfort.

Pretty obvious, then, that buyers in the premium electric vehicles segment are spoilt for choice. The under-$500,000 question is, who will take the crown?

AutoApp Car Of The Year Best Premium EV
BMW i4 Gran Coupe eDrive35

There is a clear victor. Given how much car one gets at its price point, the BMW i4 Gran Coupé eDrive35 takes the chequered flag with a resounding 377 points.

More on the scoring categories used to derive points here.

Congratulations to the BMW i4 Gran Coupé eDrive35 for winning the AutoApp Car of the Year 2024 Best Premium EV!

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