Renault 5 is the Car of the Year 2025 in Europe, beating Kia and Citroën
Europe has identified a new king among cars - the Renault 5 (and its sporty Alpine A290 sibling) has been named Car Of The Year 2025.
Here's What We Know
At the opening ceremony of the Brussels International Motor Show 2025, a jury of 60 experts selected the Renault 5 as the best car on the European market. In the final, the French hatchback beat the Kia EV3, Citroën C3-ëC3, Hyundai Inster, Dacia Duster, Cupra Terramar and Alfa Romeo Junior.
Interestingly, this is the second year in a row that Renault has taken the top honour: in 2024, the Renault Scenic won. The last time such a double success happened was back in 1995-1996, when Fiat took the title twice in a row (with the Punto and Bravo models).
Voting results:
- Renault 5 - 353 points
- Kia EV3 - 291 points
- Citroën C3-ëC3 - 215 points
- Hyundai Inster - 172 points
- Dacia Duster - 168 points
- Cupra Terramar - 165 points
- Alfa Romeo Junior - 136 points
The award was presented to Renault CEO Fabrice Cambolive and Alpine CEO Philippe Krief.
The award ceremony was timed to coincide with the start of the Brussels International Motor Show. Photo: COTY
Renault 5 victory confirms the trend towards compact electrified models - among the finalists, almost all models had hybrid or all-electric versions.
Even earlier, the European Car Of The Year title was awarded to such models:
- 2020: Peugeot 208
- 2021: Toyota Yaris
- 2022: Kia EV6
- 2023: Jeep Avenger
Source: COTY
