Drive Car of the Year 2024 – Best Luxury Car under $100K FINALISTS

Over the next few weeks, we'll be explaining all the categories and contenders for Drive Car of the Year 2024. Testing is currently underway, with the final winners to be announced early next year.

*Updated 2 pm, December 13, 2023

FINALISTS CONFIRMED

Our three finalists from this hotly-contested category – the Mercedes-Benz C-class, the Polestar 2 and the Tesla Model 3 – illustrate just how tough the competition is.

While a sense of luxury obviously plays a vital role in this category, equally important are standard features, driving quality and value for money. And, because electric vehicles now go head-to-head with regular internal combustion combatants, the judges’ job is even tougher.

Ultimately, buyers want a premium approach to technology, safety, style and driving in a way that enhances their driving lives, and that is what the Drive Car of the Year judges will be looking for.

Our current category champion just seems to get better with age. The Mercedes-Benz C-class endures in a market that remains heavily SUV-focused. Despite that move to SUVs, the C-class retains a blend of style, quality and luxury that defines the premium sedan segment.

Unchanged since its category win last year, the C-class comprises C200, C300, plus newly introduced C43 and C63 models on sale in Australia.

Here, we’re focusing on the entry-grade C200, powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine, starting $89,900 before on-road costs. The C300 also just sneaks in under the $100,000 mark, starting from $95,900 before on-road costs, and judges will evaluate it also, although the value equation often diminishes with a higher price of entry. 

Read more about the Mercedes-Benz C-class here. 

Volvo’s former performance arm, Polestar, now has an EV-only focus and the results have been impressive. Polestar 2 delivers a quality blend of features, cabin execution, insulated driving response, and comfort.

Like the Tesla Model 3, it will need to answer whether it is truly a luxury vehicle or simply a premium EV. The ranges starts below $70K before on-road costs, and there are different ranges available across single and dual motor variants, as well as a range-topping Long Range Dual Motor Performance model.

A 2023 update brought a switch from front to rear-wheel drive for single motor variants, longer range on every model, faster charging capability, while the dual-motor variants are now RWD-biased. Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and a 360-degree camera are now standard across the range, as well as subtle styling changes. Key updates like these can only help the Polestar 2 as it fights for this award.

Read more about the Polestar 2 here. 

The big question here is not whether the Tesla Model 3 is an excellent vehicle, or whether it has resonated with Australian buyers. Both those questions already get a resounding, yes. The question facing Drive’s judges is whether the Model 3 is actually a luxury vehicle, or just a premium sedan with an EV price premium? Its standing as one of the best EVs on the market is unquestioned, now, it must take on the likes of the reigning medium luxury car winner, the Mercedes-Benz C-class. 

Starting from just over $60,000 before on-road costs, the Model 3 is a worthy competitor. A late 2023 update brought revised styling, new seats with ventilation, more premium materials and ambient lighting, as well as sharper cameras for the driver assistance technology. DCOTY judges are most keen to assess the softer ride compliance. 

Not all the upgrades improved the overall driving experience, with the DCOTY team questioning the steering wheel-mounted indicators, gear shift selector that is now accessed via the touchscreen, and the use of cameras to replace traditional parking sensors to measure distance. 

Overall, the MY2024 Tesla Model 3 is an improvement. But has it improved enough to dethrone Mercedes-Benz?

Check out our latest Tesla Model 3 reviews here.

The below was first published on November 17, 2023

Luxury passenger cars have had their market share progressively squeezed by SUVs and even premium dual-cab utes, but there is still plenty of choice if spending up to $100K on a passenger car that offers a premium approach to technology and features. 

While not as large a category as it once was, many people aspire to own their own slice of automotive prestige and luxury, and traditional passenger cars still have a great deal of street cred where this is involved. It’s here, in the Drive Car of the Year Luxury Car Under $100K category, that most of us can afford to sign up for such a car.

Last year, this category was called the Best Medium Luxury Car. We’ve tweaked that slightly to encompass all cars of a luxury nature from both the Medium and Large Passenger Car classes.

When you consider that the sales volume of these segments combined is about the same as one model of 4x4 ute (the Ford Ranger), clearly these cars are not taking over the market. While the tide does appear to be receding, you can’t discount them as not being popular. One of the top-selling models in Australia, the Tesla Model 3, is a case in point.

There is a veritable smorgasbord of offerings vying for category winner this year, ranging from spicy and stylish to simply opulent. There are representatives of well-established brands such as Audi, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Honda, Mazda and Peugeot against new brands such as BYD. As electric vehicles ease into the general population, we have the BYD Seal, Hyundai Ioniq 6, Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3 in this award category for the first time.

As this is a Drive Car of the Year category that has effectively been contested before, not all Luxury cars are eligible to fight for the title. Last year’s winner, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, gets to return, while the close runner-up, the BMW 3 Series, does not.

It will be interesting to see if the C-Class can register another win with its combination of impressive equipment list, comfortable ride and high-tech, user-friendly infotainment. There’s a very strong field of contenders who will run it hard right to the end.

For example, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 will counter with its excellent energy efficiency, comfortable ride, brisk performance, and high-tech interior, while the Hyundai Sonata might surprise us with its undoubtedly sharp and attractive exterior styling, excellent cabin execution and punchy engine and gearbox.

The Lexus ES will throw the cat among the pigeons with its great application of premium materials, supremely quiet cabin and a back seat area so large and luxurious that you’ll feel obliged to employ a driver.

The significantly refreshed Polestar 2 is faster and the car drives further, both of which will hold it in good stead with the judges.

Then, of course, there’s the Tesla Model 3; if Tesla, the original EV disruptor, can disrupt any Drive Car of the Year segment, it’s this one. Excellent value for money following a recent discount, almost hot-hatch performance, secure handling and class-leading real-world energy efficiency combine to deliver a class act.

Tesla has announced a facelift for the 3, but we’re still waiting for the company to confirm whether it will arrive before our cutoff date. The Genesis G70 update, however, has been ruled out because it’s a Q1 2024 arrival.

Drive’s rules require that, for a car to be eligible, it must:

Here is the list of eligible cars, drawn from the FCAI’s Medium and Large car classes, with a retail price of less than $100,000. Please note that in some cases, the vehicle’s price range extends outside this range. In these cases, only the models priced within the range are eligible. 

The winner of the 2024 Drive Car of the Year Best Luxury Car under $100K will be announced in February 2024.

Before then, we will announce the finalists, all of which deliver on the buyer’s expectations of a premium approach to technology and features that enhance motoring life. One thing is certain: this category promises to be one of the toughest confronting our 11 experienced judges.

Read more: 

Drive Car of the Year 2024 is a go!
Drive Car of the Year Overview
Drive Car of the Year 2023 winners