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Meet the Drive Car of the Year 2020 contenders, powered by BP

Drive Car of the Year is back, with winners for all 20 categories to be announced one day at a time, from this coming Monday 21 October.


Brought you by BP, the Drive Car of the Year awards are judged not only on the strength of the team's broad experience with the market, but also through comprehensive testing of all contenders at the famous Wakefield Park.

The Drive team have driven each car on road and track, but more, they've also made an excruciatingly detailed assessment of each vehicle's price, features, practicality and purpose, unique characteristics, material quality, refinement and overall value.

“The team has assembled one of the largest Drive Car of the Year awards fields the Australian automotive industry has seen,” said Alex Parsons, CarAdvice CEO.

“This will ensure all categories are covered and consumers will be provided with a comprehensive analysis of the best cars available in the market,” he added.

The below list offers an overview of the Drive Car of the Year 2020 contenders, with a link to each category's preview article.


Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: City car

  • Kia Picanto GT-Line Auto
  • Suzuki Swift GLX Auto
  • Honda Jazz VTi-S
  • Volkswagen Polo GTI

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Small car

  • Mazda3 G25 GT sedan
  • Hyundai i30 N-Line Premium
  • Toyota Corolla ZR Petrol
  • VW Golf Highline
  • Kia Cerato Hatch Sport+

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Medium car

  • Toyota Camry SL Hybrid
  • Mazda6 Atenza 2.5L wagon
  • Skoda Octavia RS245 Sedan

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Large car

  • Holden Calais V Tourer Wagon
  • Kia Stinger GT
  • Peugeot 508 GT Fastback
  • Skoda Superb 206TSI Wagon

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: People mover

  • Kia Carnival SLi diesel
  • VW Multivan Black Edition
  • Hyundai iMax Elite
  • Mercedes Benz V-Class V 250 d Avantgarde
  • Toyota Tarago Ultima V6

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Small luxury

  • Mercedes-Benz A250 4Matic
  • Audi A3

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Medium luxury

  • BMW 330i M Sport
  • Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupé
  • Audi A4
  • Lexus IS 350 F Sport
  • Genesis G70 3.3T Ultimate Sport
  • Volvo S60 T8 R-Design / V60 T5 Inscription

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Large luxury

  • BMW 530d M Sport
  • Audi A6
  • Genesis G80 3.8 Ultimate Sport Design
  • Lexus ES 300h Luxury

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Small SUV

  • Hyundai Kona Highlander
  • Toyota C-HR Koba 2WD
  • Honda HR-V RS
  • Mazda CX-3 Akari LE AWD 2L petrol

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Medium SUV

  • Toyota RAV4 Hybrid GX 2WD
  • Honda CR-V VTi-LX
  • Mazda CX-5 Akera AWD 2.5 Turbo Petrol
  • Volkswagen Tiguan 162 Highline
  • Subaru Forester 2.5i-S

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Large SUV

  • Toyota Prado GXL
  • Ford Everest Trend
  • Kia Sorento GT-Line petrol
  • Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander
  • Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed
  • Holden LTZ-V Acadia
  • Isuzu MU-X LS-T

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Upper large SUV

  • Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series VX
  • Nissan Patrol Ti-L
  • Land Rover Discovery SDV6 HSE

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Off-road SUV

  • Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 2.2D
  • Suzuki Jimny
  • LandCruiser 79 Series GXL

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Small luxury SUV

  • Volvo XC40 T4 Momentum
  • BMW X2 M35i
  • Lexus UX 200 Luxury
  • Jaguar E-Pace R-Dynamic SE P250
  • Audi Q3

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Medium luxury SUV

  • Volvo XC60 D5 R-Design
  • BMW X3 M40i
  • Porsche Macan S
  • Range Rover Evoque R-Dynamic P250 S
  • Lexus NX 300 Luxury 2WD
  • Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Large luxury SUV

  • Audi Q7
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE 300 d
  • Volvo XC90 T6 R-Design
  • Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE
  • BMW X5 xDrive30d

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: 4WD dual-cab ute

  • Ford Ranger XLT
  • Volkswagen Amarok 580 Highline
  • Toyota HiLux SR5 Auto
  • Nissan Navara ST-X 4x4
  • Mitsubishi Triton GLS Premium

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Sports cars under $100,000

  • Mazda MX-5 RF GT
  • Toyota 86 GTS
  • Subaru BRZ Premium
  • Ford Mustang GT
  • Toyota Supra
  • Hyundai i30 Fastback N
  • Renault Megane RS Cup

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Sports cars over $100,000

  • Porsche 911 Carrera 4S
  • McLaren 600LT
  • Lamborghini Huracan Performante

Drive Car of the Year 2020 finalists: Electric vehicle

  • Hyundai Kona Electric Highlander
  • Tesla Model 3 Performance
  • Nissan Leaf
  • Hyundai Ioniq Electric Premium
  • Jaguar I-Pace EV400 S

Award announcements will begin on Monday 21 October, with the overall Drive Car of the Year 2020 winner announced on 22 November.

Drive Team

The Drive Team brings you trusted, expert reviews of your next new car and is home to the best new car awards program in Australia.

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