Domination Of Electric Cars At World Car Awards 2025: Europe And Asia Party, US Bites Fingers

Kia EV3 was named World Car of the Year 2025. (Doc. Kia Global)

JAKARTA The 2025 World Car Awards stage in New York has just become a silent witness to the dominance of electric vehicles (EVs) which almost wiped out all prestigious categories. However, ironically, this victory euphoria feels bitter for consumers in the United States (US), because most winning models are not sold in the US.

This global automotive award event, which has always been in the spotlight at the New York Auto Show, is really showing a map of the power of the world's automotive industry today. Of the five main categories, all won by electric cars, leaving the only non-EV crown for the hybrid-tech Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.

Launching Carscoops, Thursday, April 17, the main concern is of course aimed at Kia EV3, who was named the World Car of the Year 2025. This compact electric car managed to outperform two tough competitors, BMW X3 and Hyundai Inster, inaugurating Kia's dominance after last year's similar title was won by EV9. The good news is that EV3 is scheduled to be present in the United States, provided tariff policies do not become a barrier. In fact, several automotive media have provided positive reviews after testing this car.

However, EV success does not stop there. The luxury and battery-powered EX90 Volvo was named the World Luxury Car 2025, beating two prestigious models from Porsche, Tigers and Panamera. This electric crossover offers 111 kWh of batteries, a double-wheel drive system with 402 hp power, and an impressive distance of up to 499 km in one charge.

In the urban car segment, Hyundai Inster / Nepal Electric won the World Electric Vehicle 2025 title. This tiny, agile crossover with 113 hp power is unfortunately more widely marketed in the Eastern region. The electric car trend continues with BYD Seagull / Dolphin Mini, which won the World Urban Car 2025 award. This super affordable hatchback in China is priced at under 10,000 US dollars and even offers a distance of up to 405 km for the Intelligent Driving Edition variant.

Not to forget, World Car Design of the Year 2025 also fell into the hands of an electric car, namely Volkswagen ID. Buzz. Even though this electric van has been on the road for several years, its iconic design still amazes the judges, outperforming Kia EV3 and Toyota Land Cruiser / Land Cruiser 250.

The only non-electric "black horse" that won the title was the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, which was named the World Performance Car 2025. This legendary sports car is now present with a hybrid powertrain a that combines a flat-six 3.6 liter turbo engine, electric motor, and small battery, resulting in a combination of 532 cellphones and acceleration of 0-96 km/hour in 2.9 seconds.