Ford Ranger wins 2023 Drive Car of the Year – UPDATE
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Ford Ranger wins the 2023 Drive Car of the Year
In a sign of changing new car buyer preferences, and for the first time in the award's history, the 2023 Drive Car of the Year overall award has been won by a commercial vehicle. 2023 marks the 17th annual Drive Car of the Year awards, one of the longest-running, most expansive and authoritative consumer automotive awards in Australia.
“This year we’ve seen a dual-cab ute, the Ford Ranger, take out the 2023 overall Drive Car of the Year award for the first time”, said James Ward, Director of Content at Drive.com.au. “This is also reflective of the current Australian sales mix. The Ford Ranger has redefined the 4x4 ute market by evolving into a cohesive lifestyle machine, it’s the SUV of utes.”
Catch up on all 2023 Drive Car of the Year category winners below.
Keep track of all the Drive Car of the Year 2023 category winners as we update this page each day.
Check out our DCOTY diary so you know when your favourite category is due to be revealed, and stay tuned for our reader's choice award, where you have a chance to vote, later this week.
All category winners
| Announced | Category | Finalists | Winner | Link |
| 27-Feb | Best Medium SUV | Kia Sportage, Nissan X-Trail, Volkswagen Tiguan | Nissan X-Trail | READ |
| 27-Feb | Best Medium to Large Car | Skoda Octavia | Skoda Octavia | READ |
| 28-Feb | Best Large Car for Families | Hyundai Palisade, Kia Carnival, Nissan Pathfinder | Kia Carnival | READ |
| 28-Feb | Best Medium Luxury Car | BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Volkswagen Arteon | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | READ |
| 1-Mar | Best Off-Road Dual-Cab Ute | Ford Ranger Raptor, Nissan Navara SL Warrior, Toyota Hilux Rogue | Ford Ranger Raptor | READ |
| 1-Mar | Best Sports Coupe | Nissan Z, Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR86 | Nissan Z | READ |
| 2-Mar | Best Small Car | Honda Civic, Peugeot 308, Skoda Fabia, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Golf | Volkswagen Golf | READ |
| 2-Mar | Best Small SUV | Honda HR-V, Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Kamiq, Toyota Corolla Cross | Nissan Qashqai | READ |
| 3-Mar | Best Medium Hybrid SUV | Ford Escape PHEV, Haval H6 Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid | Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | READ |
| 3-Mar | Best Large SUV | Ford Everest, Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Kluger | Toyota Kluger | READ |
| 4-Mar | Best Small Luxury SUV | BMW X1, Cupra Ateca, Cupra Formentor, Volvo XC40 | Volvo XC40 | READ |
| 5-Mar | Best Hot Hatch | Cupra Leon VZx, Hyundai i30 N, Volkswagen Golf R | Volkswagen Golf R | READ |
| 6-Mar | Best Dual-Cab Ute | Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50, Toyota HiLux | Ford Ranger | READ |
| 6-Mar | Best Medium Luxury SUV | BMW X3, Jaguar F-Pace, Lexus NX | Jaguar F-Pace | READ |
| 7-Mar | Best Light SUV | Ford Puma | Ford Puma | READ |
| 7-Mar | Best EV Under $70,000 | BYD Atto 3, MG ZS EV, Nissan Leaf | BYD Atto 3 | READ |
| 8-Mar | Best Off-Road SUV | Ford Everest, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover Defender | Land Rover Defender | READ |
| 8-Mar | Best EV $70,000–$120,000 | Genesis GV60, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Tesla Model Y, Volvo C40 | Kia EV6 | READ |
| 9-Mar | Best EV Over $120,000 | BMW i7, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Porsche Taycan | BMW i7 | READ |
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