The Cars.co.za Consumer Awards have made its return to South Africa, with the panel of 20 judges recently announcing the 65 semi-finalists across the Awards’ 13 vehicle categories, which are all eligible to be crowned the best car in their class before the end of this year.
The expansive list includes model derivatives from no fewer than 25 brands, and they were all available on the South African market on 1 September 2023, with some vehicles like the Ora electric hatchback that will be launched later in the year also considered as they had already been priced, could be ordered by the public, and the judges had sufficient experience with them.
The brands with the most nominations are:
- Toyota – 8 nominations
- BMW – 6 nominations
- Suzuki – 5 nominations
Chery, Omoda, and Ora are all appearing on the list for the first time, too.
In the next round of the Consumer Awards which is due to take place in early October 2023, the panel of experts will score the semi-finalists individually, taking into account various criteria set out for each of the respective categories.
Following that, the top three finalists per category will be announced and subjected to back-to-back testing at the Gerotek proving ground in Gauteng by the combined judging panel on 2 and 3 November 2023.
The judges’ scores for each of the 39 finalists will only count for 50% of the final standings, however.
The other 50% will be based on rankings that the particular automotive brands represented by the finalists achieved in the Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey, which incorporates feedback from thousands of owners based on their experiences with their vehicles.
Consumer Awards semi-finalists
Detailed below are the five Consumer Awards semi-finalists in 13 price brackets:
Entry-Level Hatch – Under R250,000
- Citroen C3 1.2 Feel
- Renault Kiger 1.0 Zen
- Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX
- Toyota Vitz 1.0 XR
Budget Hatch – R250,000 to R350,000
- Hyundai Grand i10 1.2 Fluid
- Renault Clio 1.0 Turbo Zen
- Suzuki Baleno 1.5 GLX
- Toyota Starlet 1.5 XR
- VW Polo Vivo 1.6 Highline
Compact Hatch – R350,000 to R500,000
- Audi A1 Sportback 30TFSI S Line
- Honda Fit 1.5 Elegance
- Opel Corsa 1.2T Elegance
- Peugeot 208 1.2T
- VW Polo 1.0 TSI 85kW R-Line
Entry-Level Crossover – R300,000 to R400,000
- Chery Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5 Elite Auto
- Haval Jolion 1.5T Premium
- Suzuki Fronx 1.5 GLX Auto
- Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX manual
- Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 XR automatic
Compact Family Car – R400,000 to R500,000
- Haval Jolion S Super Luxury
- Omoda C5 1.5T 230T Lux S
- Peugeot 2008 1.2T Allure
- Renault Duster 1.5dCi Intens
- Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 XR
Family Car – R600,000 to R800,000
- Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max 2.0TGDi 390 Executive
- Haval H6 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury
- Hyundai Tucson 2.0D Elite
- Kia Sportage 1.6CRDi EX
- Mitsubishi Outlander 2.5 Aspire
Premium Crossover – R700 000 to R1 million
- Audi Q3 Sportback 40TFSI quattro S Line
- BMW X1 sDrive18d M Sport
- Lexus UX 250h SE
- Mercedes-Benz GLA200d AMG Line
- Volvo XC40 B4 Ultimate Dark
Executive SUV – R1 million to R1.3 million
- BMW X3 xDrive20d M Sport
- Hyundai Palisade Elite 7 Seater
- Lexus NX 350h F Sport
- Mercedes-Benz GLC220d 4Matic Avantgarde
- Volvo XC60 B5 Ultimate Dark
Premium SUV – R1.3 million to R1.8 million
- BMW iX xDrive40
- BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport
- Jeep Grand Cherokee L 3.6 4×4 Overland
- Land Rover Defender 110 D250 SE County
- Mercedes-Benz GLE300d AMG Line
Adventure SUV – R800,000 to R1.2 million
- Ford Everest 3.0 V6 Wildtrak
- Isuzu MU-X 3.0TD Onyx 4×4
- Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 3.6 Rubicon
- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2.4DiD 4×4 Exceed
- Toyota Fortuner 2.8GD-6 4×4 VX
Performance Car – Under R1 million
- Honda Civic Type R
- Subaru WRX manual
- Toyota GR Corolla Circuit
- Toyota GR Yaris Rally
- VW Golf R
Leisure Double Cab – Above R800,000
- Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 EcoBoost Raptor 4WD
- Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 Wildtrak 4WD
- Isuzu D-Max 3.0TD V-Cross 4x4x Auto
- Toyota Hilux 2.0GD-6 4×4 Legend RS Auto
- Volkswagen Amarok 3.0TDI V6 Aventura 4Motion
Electric Vehicles – Under R1.3 million
- BMW i4 eDrive35 M Sport
- BMW iX1 xDrive30 M Sport
- Mercedes-Benz EQA250 AMG Line
- Ora 03 Super Lux
- Volvo XC40 Twin Motor Ultimate
Join the discussion