When you consider what they were up against, these nine vehicles all deserve respect

By Gary S. Vasilash

Earlier this fall, the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) Awards announced what it called the “Best of 2025.”

Or said another way: the semi-finalists for the awards that will be presented January 10, 2025 at the Detroit Auto Show.

The vehicles are:

Car

• BMW 3 Series
• BMW M5
• Cadillac Celestiq
• Dodge Charger EV
• Fiat 500e
• Honda Civic Hybrid
• Kia K4
• Mercedes-AMG E-Class
• Porsche Panamera
• Toyota Camry

Truck

• Ford Ranger
• GMC Sierra EV
• Ram 1500
• Rivian R1T
• Toyota Tacoma

Utility

• Chevrolet Equinox EV
• Honda Prologue
• Volvo EX90
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Jeep Wagoneer S
• Lincoln Nautilus
• Porsche Macan EV
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Volkswagen ID. Buzz

So with that as prologue, this morning the finalists—three in each category–were announced at the LA Auto Show.

They are:

Car

• Honda Civic Hybrid
• Kia K4
• Toyota Camry

Truck

• Ford Ranger
• Ram 1500
• Toyota Tacoma

Utility

• Chevrolet Equinox EV
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Volkswagen ID. Buzz

The 50 automotive journalists who serve as jurors (including me) now have the challenge of trying to sort out which of the vehicles represents best in class for consumers.

For those who might be wondering how things have gone recently, here are the winners for the past five years:

2020

• Car: Chevrolet Corvette
• Truck: Jeep Gladiator
• Utility: Kia Telluride

2021

• Car: Hyundai Elantra
• Truck: Ford F-150
• Utility: Ford Mustang Mach-E

2022

• Car: Honda Civic
• Truck: Ford Maverick
• Utility: Ford Bronco

2023

• Car: Acura Integra
• Truck: Ford F-150 Lightning
• Utility: Kia EV6

2024

• Car: Toyota Prius
• Truck: Ford Super Duty
• Utility: Kia EV9

Based on that, it is clear that Ford is solid in trucks.

The Civic has gotten a trophy.

Kia is strong in utilities—but the K4 is a car.

All of which is to say that at this point it is anyone’s guess.