2025 is drawing to a close, so naturally, we’re going to look back on the year and pick out a few highlights. Our “Car of the Year Awards” shines a spotlight on the best vehicles we reviewed over the past 12 months. There’s a mix of performance cars, utility numbers, and SUVs. In short, there’s something for everyone. Even those of you who want to overthrow a small nation.
Below you’ll find the best vehicles in six different categories, a solemn moment of genuine grief (as all good awards ceremonies tend to have), and the absolute best thing I was fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of in 2025. There may be some disagreement. There are very few genuinely bad vehicles these days, especially at higher price points, and the difference at the top is often minute. But this is a genuinely objective take based on my personal experiences with each vehicle.
SUV of the Year: The BMW X5
The absolute best SUV you can buy in 2025 is a BMW X5. It has a near-perfect blend of power, luxury, and practicality you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. I was a little shocked when I sat behind the wheel of one and saw 600 miles of predicted range on the driver’s display. I was even more shocked when I took the vehicle on a bit of a road trip and the predicted range turned out to be a slight underestimate.
If you trade some of that range for a performance boost, you just end up getting the best of both worlds. The 375 horsepower I-6 under the hood can certainly pull, and even if you’re a little lead-footed you’ll still go further between fill-ups than the average person on the road.
There’s obviously more to the X5 than fuel economy. It has that blend of luxury and sportiness than BMW is known for. The interior is comfortable, with that ideal blend of sportiness and functionality. There’s a quality feel to it too, every dial or button you touch is pleasing in a tactile sense — which is important with something you’re going to prod thousands of times over a few years. The driving experience is on point too, with the crossover feeling more nimble than most sedans on challenging roads. Where it really shines though is on a long distance trip. BMWs just feel like they’re built to sit at 90 on an autobahn indefinitely, so ripping along at your local speed limit is an incredibly comfortable experience.
EV of the Year: Cadillac Lyriq
Despite its luxury badge the Cadillac Lyriq might actually be the epitome of average. Pricing starts a shade under $60,000, which is about average for a mid-range EV. It has a range of around 325 miles, again pretty average for an EV in 2025. It has two rows, leather seats, fair acceleration, all-wheel drive, and very good handling. Again, not out of the ordinary in this class.
Average doesn’t usually get you an award, but the Lyriq really does tick every box and do it perfectly. There are no complaints, it just does everything well. In a broad church, like the Electric Vehicle category, you’re going to get trade offs. You’ll swap range for power, like the Jeep Wagoneer S, or you’ll have both range and power but pay a premium for that as we see with Lucid. Or you’ll have some solid specs at a great price and a god awful interior as you get with Tesla. Or you can just pick an EV that does it all without breaking the bank, like the Cadillac Lyriq.
Luxury Car of the Year: Cadillac Escalade
If you want to travel in absolute luxury, then a Cadillac Escalade is the right choice. It’s still within the spectrum of middle-class affordability but brings with it an experience unlike anything else on the road. You’re basically sailing in this thing, with wood and leather all around you. And a fridge/freezer in the center console, which seems like a novelty but turns out to be an absolute game changer in the summer months.
I’m obliged to give an honorable mention to the Lincoln Navigator. To tell you the truth there isn’t an awful lot in them. The Navigator might even have a slight edge when it comes to the on-board tech as Lincoln plays very well with both Apple Car Play and Android Auto. The Navigator’s headsets also work seamlessly with its infotainment system, unlike the Escalades which seem to be plagued with issues. There’s also an argument that the Navigator is a better driving experience.
However, as of 2025 SuperCruise beats BlueCruise, the Escalade offers a marginally better back seat experience, and the yacht-like elegance of the Escalade just gets it over the line for me.
Sports Car of the Year: Maserati MC20
The MC20 is making way for the MCPURA which has the same engine and looks similar but, according to Maserati, is a good amount lighter if you pull all of the fluids out of it. Still, in 2025 I got the chance to see the Trident’s current flagship at its absolute best. Maserati invited me to whip one around COTA and I soon discovered I’m not quite good enough to get the most out of one.
Despite my lack of skill, I still managed to deduce that the balance is absolutely superb, its acceleration is a celebration of all the Nettuno V6 can do, and most of all Maserati’s “super sports car” is quite comfortable when you’re not jamming the brakes hard enough to send your spleen through your ribcage.
You need to be an exceptional driver to get the most out of an MC20, but even those who are a bit middling behind the wheel can have a great time in one.
Utility Vehicle of the Year: Ford F-150 Lightning
Our pick for “Utility Vehicle of the Year” has similar specs to an F-150, which is the best selling truck in America for a very good reason. The Ford F-150 Lightning also has EV-level acceleration, a range of up to 320 miles, and a battery so big you can power a house for a week on it. Or a welding set. Or another EV that’s become stranded in an awkward location you can only reach with an AWD truck.
There is a bit of an elephant in the room when it comes to towing and recharge time. Yes, if you need to take a boat from New York to Florida, it’s going to take a lot longer in a Lightning than a standard F-150. But that’s a bit of a niche use. I would argue for the average person, the practicality and portable power the Lightning offers outweighs the lack of convenience in niche circumstances.
Sedan of the Year: Genesis G80
Unfortunately, sedans are a bit of a dying breed. But there are still a few gems out there for those who crave something a bit lower down and more involved than an SUV. One of those gems is the Genesis G80.
First of all, it looks great. In a world where everything is getting a bit stubby and square, a long hood and an art-deco-like swoop is a feast for the eyeballs. Then there’s the performance. 375-horsepower doesn’t seem like a crazy amount in this day and age, but it goes a lot further when it’s pulling a smaller platform.
You’ve basically got what would be sports car-level speed and handling a few years ago, an interior with more leather than that weekend in Berlin you refuse to talk about, and the odd twang of Korean charm to make it all a bit less serious. The GV80 made me miss the sedan a little bit more than usual. There’s a bottle of champagne in the trunk ready for when the SUV-craze eventually blows over.
The Wildcard Award: Land Rover Defender OCTA
The Land Rover Defender OCTA snags the “Wildcard” award for the simple fact it has to win something. You can’t drive a vehicle this brilliant and not throw some kind of gong its way. It isn’t winning SUV of the year as it’s not touching the Escalade in terms of luxury or practicality. Same goes for the F-150 Lightning in the “Utility” section. As for overall car of the year, if you’re a normal person with normal needs and a normal maintenance budget then picking this over an X5 would be a bit silly.
But Land Rover really went over the top here and created something beautiful in the process. It’s obnoxiously large, handles like a dream, drinks gas, will probably break, and looks like something you could stage a coup in. In other words, it’s not an SUV it’s a statement. A piece of art. And if you can actually afford to buy and maintain one then you need to toss common sense out of the window and go for it.
In Memoriam: The Lincoln Corsair
Every year we seem to lose something special, and this year it’s time to pour one out for the Lincoln Corsair. And the Ford Escape if you care about that I suppose. I’ve often pointed out if I was buying something myself it would be a Lincoln Corsair. The size is just right. It’s small enough to be nimble and manageable while also being large enough to be practical. The price is just right, you can get a brilliantly specced example for less than $60,000. The luxury feel was there too.
Ford, however, sees things differently. As has long been speculated the company is shifting focus to larger SUVs and so the Corsair has gone the way of the dinosaurs. Production ended in December 2025, so if you want one of the last “new” Corsairs now is the time to call your local Ford dealership.
Car of the Year: BMW X7 M60i
And here it is, the moment you’ve all been scrolling for. The Manual’s Car of the Year 2025 is the BMW X7 M60i. Not the regular X7, it really needs that extra “M” spice to propel it to the top. I’d describe the level of acceleration it offers as “violent” which would be a bit disconcerting in a vehicle of this size. But the other boxes BMW ticks prevent this from feeling like an absolute deathtrap.
You have the sporting pedigree, suspension, and all-wheel-drive system necessary to keep this thing stable at high speed on a variety of surfaces. If you close your eyes while powering through a corner (please don’t try this) you wouldn’t believe you’re in a three-row luxury SUV. It’s the ideal vehicle for someone that needs to take a pee wee baseball team to a practice, swing by IKEA for a flat pack wardrobe, and get the most out of a winding stretch of country road in between. A true all-rounder.
I’m also not the biggest fan of proprietary infotainment systems in general. I tend to prefer Android Auto. However, BMW is at least trying to do something special with theirs. The company has invested large amounts of money into both iDrive and the AI assistant that now lives on it. There’s a feeling that the whole thing is still a bit of a work in progress, but the ability to adjust your cabin temperature or wind down a window with a simple voice command is definitely useful. BMW’s AI is also set to play a larger part in the upcoming “Neue Klasse” series of vehicles — the hand gestures probably aren’t coming back though.
