The Renault 5 and its Alpine A290 hot-hatch sibling have won the coveted Car of the Year (COTY) award for 2025 – giving Renault its second consecutive victory in the annual contest.
The 5 and A290 were awarded 353 points by a jury of 60 judges from 23 countries. Of those, 25 ranked the pair in first place.
The runner-up, the Kia EV3, received a total of 291 points.
The Citroën C3/ë-C3 completed the podium with 215, followed by the Hyundai Inster (172), Dacia Duster (168), Cupra Terramar (165) and Alfa Romeo Junior (136).
Last year's winner was the Renault Scenic, and the Jeep Avenger took top honours in 2023.
This means Renault is the first manufacturer to win back-to-back gongs since Fiat in 1995 and 1996, with the Punto and Bravo/Brava.
Autocar is a sponsor of COTY, with editor Mark Tisshaw having a seat on its jury.
Each of the 60 jurors nominates seven new cars that were driven and on sale before the end of the previous calendar year. The seven cars with the most combined votes then make up the final shortlist.
To qualify for COTY, a model must be all-new; facelifts such as the recent Tesla Model 3 and Renault Clio are not permitted. Derivatives do not qualify as new or standalone cars, hence the A290 being considered the same car as the 5 on which it is based, despite being sold by a different brand.
Car of the Year 2025: How Autocar juror Mark Tisshaw voted
Renault 5/Alpine A290: 9 points
Hugely significant not just for Renault but for the wider car industry in showing that electric cars can be both desirable and affordable. The 5's wonderful styling is backed up by how good it is to drive, with excellent comfort levels and well-judged performance. The interior is a huge leap over the Clio for little extra cost. Alpine adds further sparkle but the 5 is strong enough on its own.
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As much as I love the design and as much as I'd like one, the car hasn't yet been road tested by automotive journalists, never mind actually delivered to customers. How can it win COTY before people outside of Renault have even driven it? This act of circular mutual onanism by the industry devalues the award and devalues the achievement of the people that worked on this car.
Same old story - a car that's not actually released and not been driven by anyone other than a few automative hacks (who've probably been wined and dined), decide a car Renault have released with an 'old name' to drum up interest will be CoTY. This is basically journo's and the industry following the 'narrative', because it was always going to be an EV wasn't it? Wouldn't it have been refreshing for a petrol car to have won?