4 French women among the 7 finalists!

We finally know the names of the seven models which will have to decide between the prestigious Car of the Year 2025. This European trophy rewards each year a car which manages to stand out in an ultra-competitive market. Title holder with the electric Scénic, Renault has a good chance of achieving the double, whether with the diamond brand or one of its sister brands (Alpine or Dacia). And for good reason, the list of finalists has finally been made official and among the 7 lucky winners, the Renault group has three models, one per brand.

It's no surprise, but the big favorite for the title of car of the year is none other than the Renault R5 E-Tech Electric, the 2024 battery-powered version of one of the brand's icons. diamond. We have already been able to try it and its presence in this final list is well deserved.

The jury will have a lot to do to decide between the R5 and its almost twin sister, the Alpine A290. Indeed, the sporty version of the electric city car signed with the Alpine badge is also one of the seven finalists. There are many similarities between the two models, but the Alpine is distinguished by a more powerful engine and a slightly different chassis setting. Will the judges be sensitive to these variations?

Finally, the low cost brand of the Renault group, Dacia, is not left out since it managed to place its new Duster in the final list. The affordable compact SUV is also part of the list of vehicles we tested this year and you will understand the reasons for its presence by reading our test.

Dacia Duster 3 Hybrid 140 Newspaper — © Dacia Duster

If Renault is celebrating this year, the success deserves to be extended to French brands in general. Indeed, to the three models already mentioned, two of which are entirely manufactured in France, it will be necessary to add another tricolor representative with the Citroën ë-C3/C3. It must be said that with its ultra attractive price, the small city car with its chevrons has eclipsed the Dacia Spring this year. Here too, we invite you to reread the test of the Citroën ë-C3.

Copyright Anatol Gottfried @ Continental Productions — © Anatol Gottfried @ Continental Productions

Still at Stellantis, but on the Italian side this time, Alfa Romeo returns to the forefront with the Junior. The presence of this model is half a surprise insofar as, technically, this compact is based on the same platform as the e-208, a model which is seriously starting to date.

Second most represented nation behind France: Korea, the two members of the Hyundai/Kia group each managed to place one of their new products in this prestigious list. Hyundai was acclaimed for its “small” Inster, a model that we will try in a few weeks, as for Kia it is one of the potential favorites with a very controlled EV3 and at an attractive price. We tried it a few days ago and it made a strong impression on us.

Our test of the Kia EV3

Kia Ev3 4 test — © Dimitri Charitsis – 01net.com – Le Kia EV3

The last representative on this list is part of the Volkswagen group, but it comes neither from Audi nor from Porsche. It is Cupra which was chosen with its Terramar and which will also appear as an outsider.

Here is the list of the 7 finalists: